Enrollment Increases At Penn State's 24 Campuses

10-29-97
University Park, Pa. -- Enrollment at Penn State's 24 campuses reached an all-time high of 78,956 for the 1997 fall semester, according to official figures released today. This number represents an overall increase of 1,498 students since last year.

"Last year Penn State projected a one and one-half to two percent enrollment increase for each of the next several years, and we are pleased to have remained within this target," said Penn State President Graham Spanier.

The University Park campus observed the largest increase in students, with 836 more than in 1996. Enrollment this fall at University Park is also the largest ever for that location, with 40,471 students. The increase is due primarily to the continuing effect of an exceptionally large incoming class in the fall of 1995, high retention rates, and increased yield rates for this fall -- the percentage of students who accept offers of admission.

Overall enrollments increased slightly at Penn State's Commonwealth campuses. Last year Penn State adopted a plan to slow down the growth of campus enrollments, focusing most future growth on upper-division students, primarily by retaining students who are completing their sophomore year at a Penn State campus. The implementation of this plan has resulted in stable enrollments at Penn State's Abington, Berks, Lehigh Valley and Schuylkill campuses, and increases of 275 students at Penn State Altoona, 133 at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College and 83 at Penn State Harrisburg.

Enrollments also leveled off within Penn State's Commonwealth College, with variations from campus to campus. The Commonwealth College consists of 12 of Penn State's campuses. Fall 1997 enrollment is 13,757, compared to 13,926 in fall 1996.

The Hershey Medical Center and Dickinson School of Law show stable enrollments. Two campuses that are scheduled for more significant growth in the future -- Penn State Great Valley and the Pennsylvania College of Technology -- are both on target with larger enrollments this fall.

"I am pleased with the quality of academic and enrollment planning shown across our campuses," said Spanier. "We have delivered on our commitments to prospective students, state officials, and to the citizens of Pennsylvania."

Penn State experienced across-the-board increases in minority student enrollments this year. Total minority enrollment increased 4.5 percent this year, to 7,721 minority students now enrolled at the University -- approximately 10 percent of total enrollments. African American enrollment increased 4.5 percent, to almost 3,000 students. Hispanic enrollment at the University increased by 5.4 percent, to 1,570 students.

At University Park, African American enrollment increased by more than 13 percent over last year and Hispanic enrollment at University Park increased by 7 percent.

(Note to Media: For more specific data on a particular campus or other aspects of enrollments, contact Bill Mahon, director of Public Information, at 814-865-7517 or through e-mail at BMahon@psu.edu)