Pennsylvania’s state university system sees first enrollment increase since 2010
Enrollment stands at 83,005 in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education this fall, up 496 or .06% from last year. Enrollment had been falling since 2010, when there were 119,513 students.
Pennsylvania’s 10 state universities saw an enrollment increase this fall for the first time in 15 years.
Enrollment stands at 83,005 in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, up 496 or .06%, the system announced Tuesday. Enrollment had been falling, sometimes precipitously, since 2010, when the system had 119,513 students.
Helping to fuel the growth, the system reported its highest retention rate on record, with 81% of last year’s freshmen returning this fall.
» READ MORE: Pennsylvania state universities raise tuition for the first time in seven years
“We are proud that Pennsylvania students are choosing PASSHE universities,” said Cynthia Shapira, chair of the PASSHE Board of Governors. “These enrollment gains and record-setting retention rates demonstrate the value, affordability and career relevance of a PASSHE education across the Commonwealth.”
The enrollment growth follows a multi-year tuition freeze. In June, the system agreed to raise tuition for the first time in seven years. In-state students at the 10 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education are paying $7,994 annually in tuition, a $278 increase of 3.6%.
Several other colleges that had been dealing with falling enrollment, including La Salle and Temple universities, also reported increases this fall. La Salle saw a 40% increase in first-year students and has projected that its overall enrollment will be up for the first time since the pandemic. Temple also has anticipated a slight overall enrollment increase for the first time since 2017.
But another so-called enrollment cliff is expected to begin next year, as the number of high school students nationwide begins to fall again. So it’s unclear whether colleges will be able to maintain the growth.
Seven of the 10 universities in the state system saw increases, including Cheyney and West Chester, while three schools, including the two relatively new schools, each made up of three merged universities, decreased in enrollment again.
Cheyney, an historically Black college that straddles Chester and Delaware counties, recorded its highest enrollment since 2014. The university reported 851 students, up 234 or nearly 38%.
Meanwhile, enrollment reached 17,417 at West Chester, the largest in the state system. That’s a 1.2% increase.
East Stroudsburg increased 4.4%, Slippery Rock by 2.75%, Shippensburg by 2.6% and Millersville by 1.3%. Indiana was virtually stable, up just one student.
Kutztown fell 1.3%. Commonwealth University, which was formed in 2022 when Bloomsburg, Mansfield, and Lock Haven were merged, fell nearly 2.5%, while Pennsylvania West University, formed when Clarion, Edinboro, and California merged in 2022, fell 2.6%.
The system also noted a 14.3% increase in students transferring into the system from community colleges. And 22% of the system’s enrollment is underrepresented minorities, which the system said is the highest percentage in its history.