Total enrollment at Penn State rose slightly again this year, and stands at 98,097 according to the annual snapshot taken at the end of the sixth week of the fall semester. This is an increase University-wide of 1,535 students, or 1.6 percent, over last year. Most of that growth came through the World Campus, which saw an increase of 1,303 students enrolled exclusively online for the calendar year.
Enrollment at University Park for fall semester is 46,184, including those who are away from campus for study-abroad or other off-campus programs. World Campus enrollment climbed to 13,287, continuing an upward trend nationwide in the popularity of online learning. The College of Medicine saw an increase of five students to 797; Dickinson School of Law observed a decline of 28 students to 573; and enrollment in the Pennsylvania College of Technology increased by seven students, to 5,678.
Enrollment is down at the Commonwealth campuses by 1.4 percent, but includes only 15 fewer baccalaureate students than last year. The bulk of the decrease is associated with those pursuing associate degrees or dual-enrolled high school students accessing college courses.
“While the demand for associate degrees has declined steadily over the last decade, the incoming baccalaureate class at the Commonwealth campuses is up by almost 350 students this year,” said Rob Pangborn, vice president and dean for undergraduate education.
Pangborn said SAT scores and high-school GPAs, two main factors considered in undergraduate admissions decisions, are consistent with previous years. The University introduced a new merit-based scholarship program that has contributed to the strong academic profile of the entering class. The scholarships are renewable for subsequent years based on the student’s academic achievement.
“We want to ensure that a Penn State education is accessible to high-caliber applicants who face challenges in meeting the financial commitment required to attend college, to provide them additional assistance and incentive to attend our University,” Pangborn said when announcing the creation of the awards in December 2012.
University-wide graduate and first-professional enrollment is up by 188 students over 2012, at 14,927, including a decrease in resident students of 300 and an increase of nearly 500 in the World Campus. Graduate enrollment stands at 6,099 at University Park, down 1 percent from last year.
Pennsylvania resident students continue to be just over 70 percent of the undergraduate enrollment University-wide, including the World Campus and Pennsylvania College of Technology. International students University-wide in all programs, graduate and undergraduate, number 7,807, or 8 percent of total enrollments. The University has seen a 4.3 percent increase in the number of students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. University-wide, that figure stands at 18,223, up 755 students from last year.
For campus-by-campus breakdown of enrollment totals, see the accompanying chart. Detailed enrollment information is available at the University’s Fact Book website athttp://www.budget.psu.edu/FactBook online.
