As Penn State’s semester begins, University Park could be seeing its largest first-year class
Now that the hectic weekend of Penn State students moving in and returning to campus is over, the semester is in full swing as classes began Monday.
The whole community can feel the excitement and energy of the students coming back to Penn State, State College Mayor Ezra Nanes said in an email last week.
“We love being a college town,” he said.
There’s potential for added excitement this year, as it’s possible that this year’s class will be the largest first-year class at University Park. A university spokesperson said they expect the first-year class to be in the range of 9,400 to 9,500 students, part of a “road map” released earlier this year that included plans to gradually increase enrollment.
“The official numbers won’t be available until after our census snapshot, so it is difficult to ascertain whether it will be the largest first-year class at University Park,” Wyatt DuBois, director of university public relations, said in an email.
In recent years, University Park has seen class sizes of first-year students seeking a bachelor’s degree range from 8,547 to 9,415.
- 2020: 8,547
- 2021: 8,722
- 2022: 9,415
- 2023: 9,174
The university has planned to increase capacity at University Park as the demand for it has grown, Penn State said in its “road map” for the university’s future in January. The news article at the time stated they would slightly increase enrollment in the first-year class at University Park for the fall 2024 semester.
With that, DuBois said additional investments in faculty, classroom space and housing are part of the long-term growth strategy but weren’t needed for this year’s incoming class.
The housing capacity maximum is 9,500 students, according to the road map article in January, and the university said the goal is to move toward 10,000 first-year students across the next several admissions cycles.
But a larger class size didn’t lead to an increased use of supplemental housing, thanks to the East Halls Renovation Project finishing up. DuBois said supplemental housing usage is down this year, as the last three renovated buildings in East Halls went back online this semester. Those halls, Snyder, Stone and Hastings, returned 777 rooms to the housing inventory, he said.
“This year, for the start of semester we estimate there may be between 450 to 500 students in supplemental housing (numbers won’t be finalized until student arrival is complete) versus 800+ from fall 2023 semester,” DuBois said last week.
Town & gown
As Penn State looks to grow its student body, it’s likely that the State College borough and surrounding Centre Region will feel the impacts. Penn State has regularly discussed its growth plans with the local municipal leadership and elected officials, DuBois said.
Nanes noted that there will be “some pressure” on municipal services and infrastructure but he is confident that the borough can work through any potential issues with the university’s administration, adding that they have a strong relationship.
“In the end, we will be thrilled to welcome more new members to our community, and we want them to feel that this is their home while they are here and that their presence and participation in the life of our community really matters,” Nanes said.
Borough manager Tom Fountaine, through a spokesperson, said the borough has had ongoing conversations with the university to prepare for an increased enrollment.
“State College and Penn State continue to work collaboratively to ensure both short-term and long-term community members live in a welcoming and vibrant community,” Fountaine said.
Off-campus student housing and other student opportunities go beyond the municipal lines of the borough. To that note, DuBois said they’ve met with community stakeholders and off-campus housing representatives about the enrollment, and have communicated plans to Ferguson, Patton, Harris and College townships, and the county.
In November 2023 the university released enrollment numbers that showed 48,535 students were enrolled in residential instruction at University Park.
