Take a closer look at each Penn State commonwealth campus proposed for closure
Penn State’s Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet Thursday in a private, executive session to discuss the proposed closure of seven commonwealth campuses — and, after a sudden release of documents Tuesday night, the general public finally has a better idea about the reasons for each potential closure.
After the Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday named the campuses proposed for closure and Spotlight PA on Tuesday referenced an internal report, the university publicly released its 143-page campus-by-campus recommendations. The internal report, titled “Future State Recommendation: Commonwealth Campus Ecosystem,” offers an overview of each proposal while outlining the reasons to close the seven campuses of DuBois, Fayette, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre and York. (The report can be viewed at the end of this article.)
Although the reasons vary from campus to campus, recurring issues include declining enrollment, poor financials and minimal room for growth. The latter could be a result of competition from other schools, redundancy (e.g. close to another PSU campus), lack of on-campus housing and aging home county populations.
It’s not yet known when the board will vote on the plan, but more information will be shared after Thursday’s executive session, the university said.
What issues will the board consider? What specific reasons could close the commonwealth campuses? And just how financially healthy are they? Take a look:
Penn State DuBois
2024 Enrollment: 385
Enrollment change: 32% decline over 5 years; 37% decline over 10 years
2024 finances: Loss of $4.1 million
Maintenance backlog: $25.73 million ($67K per student)
Where is it located: Clearfield County, central Pennsylvania
Driving distance to nearest PSU campus: 62 miles (University Park)
Why could it close?: A “sustained” and “substantial” enrollment decline is the chief concern here, especially because that has “significantly eroded” the campus’ financial sustainability. On top of that, there isn’t much hope for a significant rebound because the population here and in surrounding counties is aging — meaning the university isn’t expecting a larger student-aged population in the coming years and decades. Also, there is no on-campus housing.
In Penn State’s own words: “Its continued operation requires disproportionate central support relative to its size and output. Given the University’s need to concentrate resources and elevate institutional efficiency, the opportunity cost of maintaining Penn State DuBois is high compared to potential reinvestment elsewhere in the ecosystem.” — Pages 34-35 in “Future State Recommendation” report
Penn State Fayette
2024 Enrollment: 407
Enrollment change: 31% decline over 5 years; 43% decline over 10 years
2024 finances: Loss of $3.75 million
Maintenance backlog: $29.04 million ($71K per student)
Where is it located: Fayette County, southwestern Pennsylvania
Driving distance to nearest PSU campus: 40 miles (Greater Allegheny)
Why could it close?: The enrollment peaked in 2006 at 1,139 students. And the university’s recruitment efforts, coupled with marketing and programmatic changes, haven’t been able to reverse that trend of declining enrollment. With competition from other nearby institutions — there are a half-dozen within 50 miles — and with no on-campus housing for a “commuter-heavy student body,” the university said it’s difficult to justify investing more in this location. On top of that, the university believes the offered programs are replicable at other nearby campuses or through Penn State’s own World Campus.
In Penn State’s own words: “The challenges are structural, not programmatic: they stem from regional population loss, economic distress, and limited demand for in-person education in this location. Penn State Fayette’s commuter-heavy student body and absence of regional momentum make it difficult to justify continued investment at the level required to reverse the current trajectory.” — Page 38 in “Future State Recommendation” report
Penn State Mont Alto
2024 Enrollment: 613
Enrollment change: 16% decline over 5 years; 35% decline over 10 years
2024 finances: Loss of $3.1 million
Maintenance backlog: $32.19 million ($53K per student)
Where is it located: Franklin County, southcentral Pennsylvania
Driving distance to nearest PSU campus: 65 miles (Harrisburg)
Why could it close?: Sure, a new Allied Health Building opened there three years ago at a cost of $13.5 million. And, sure, the campus boasts one of the oldest forestry programs in the nation. But enrollment has more than halved since its 2010 peak of 1,252 students, and on-campus housing isn’t even half-full at 40% occupancy — something Penn State said “inflates per-student fixed costs and signals diminishing demand.” The university believes those who attend Mont Alto from Cumberland County would be “better positioned” to instead enroll at Penn State Harrisburg. And the university acknowledged that Mont Alto’s forestry program “can and must persist by relocating to another campus.”
In Penn State’s own words: “The limited pool of prospective students constrains the campus’ ability to rebuild enrollment organically, even with aggressive outreach or new program development. Although the region is forecasted to see modest population growth, given the strength of competition, the size of the population, and low degree attainment rates in Franklin and Adams counties (home to 62% of current students), Penn State Mont Alto is unlikely to capture sufficient new enrollments to offset its current losses.” — Page 50 in “Future State Recommendation” report
Penn State New Kensington
2024 Enrollment: 432
Enrollment change: 21% decline over 5 years; 35% decline over 10 years
2024 finances: Loss of $3.1 million
Maintenance backlog: $27.8 million ($64K per student)
Where is it located: Westmoreland County, southwestern Pennsylvania
Driving distance to nearest PSU campus: 20 miles (Greater Allegheny)
Why could it close?: Because it’s in the Pittsburgh metropolitan region, New Kensington has a lot of competition, including 15 schools within 30 miles and another dozen within 50 miles. Penn State mentioned “redundancy” playing a factor here — two commonwealth campuses, Beaver and Greater Allegheny, are nearby — and it believed Penn State Beaver is better-positioned for growth due to various reasons, such as being located in a county that produces more college graduates. Academically, the university said New Kensington is less in need of a “stand-alone presence” because similar programs are offered at those nearby campuses and at World Campus.
In Penn State’s own words: “Enrollment declines mean that the campus’s physical infrastructure is significantly underutilized. More broadly, the scale of academic and student services make its operations inefficient and cost-intensive. This is especially challenging in the context of Penn State’s broader need to streamline its Commonwealth Campus network and focus resources where they can generate the most impact.” — Page 55 in “Future State Recommendation” report
Penn State Shenango
2024 Enrollment: 309
Enrollment change: 23% decline over 5 years; 43% decline over 10 years
2024 finances: Loss of $2.87 million
Maintenance backlog: $23.97 million ($78K per student)
Where is it located: Mercer County, northwestern Pennsylvania
Driving distance to nearest PSU campus: 48 miles (Beaver)
Why could it close?: Its enrollment has seen one of the steepest declines in the Penn State ecosystem, with a 67.7% decrease since its peak in 2004. Also, no commonwealth campus had a lower 2024 enrollment. The Shenango campus is small and costly, with limited room for growth, while its home county is “facing some of the state’s most acute demographic and economic headwinds.” There is also no on-campus housing, and its six-year graduation rate of 47.7% makes it the only Penn State campus on the chopping block to dip below 50%.
In Penn State’s own words: “While Penn State Shenango has historically served as an access point for local students, and its faculty and staff have worked diligently to maintain quality and community ties, the structural challenges it faces are no longer resolvable through incremental changes or modest investment. Its continued operation would divert resources from stronger campuses with higher potential for growth, differentiation, and impact.” — Page 67 in “Future State Recommendation” report
Penn State Wilkes-Barre
2024 Enrollment: 329
Enrollment change: 22% decline over 5 years; 40% decline over 10 years
2024 finances: Loss of $2.1 million
Maintenance backlog: $30.93 million ($94K per student)
Where is it located: Luzerne County, northeastern Pennsylvania
Driving distance to nearest PSU campus: 30 miles (Scranton)
Why could it close?: Wilkes-Barre had the second-smallest 2024 enrollment, and it’s within a 45-minute drive to two larger commonwealth campuses in Hazleton and Scranton, the latter of which is poised to be the region’s “primary anchor.” On top of that, Wilkes-Barre’s staggering maintenance backlog is among the most problematic in the PSU ecosystem. The backlog amounts to $94,000 per student, which is $11,000 more than the next-highest campus in the university’s report. Plus, there is no on-campus housing, and the university believes it struggles to maintain a “comprehensive student experience.”
In Penn State’s own words: “While Penn State Wilkes-Barre has played a valued role in Penn State’s Commonwealth Campus ecosystem, the case for its continued operation is no longer viable. Closing the campus, while a difficult decision, enables the University to strengthen its presence in northeastern Pennsylvania by focusing on better-positioned hubs and allows for the reallocation of resources to areas with greater potential for growth and long-term impact.” — Page 70 in “Future State Recommendation” report
Penn State York
2024 Enrollment: 703
Enrollment change: 15% decline over 5 years; 40% decline over 10 years
2024 finances: Loss of $387,000
Maintenance backlog: $29.91 million ($43K per student)
Where is it located: York County, southcentral Pennsylvania
Driving distance to nearest PSU campus: 32 miles (Harrisburg)
Why could it close?: Among the seven campuses proposed for closure, York has both the highest enrollment and the lowest financial loss of 2024. However, with 18 other schools within a 30-mile radius and with Penn State Harrisburg a 40-minute drive away, the university believes other campuses (such as Harrisburg) can absorb its role. With no on-campus housing, York has “limited capacity to attract students from outside the immediate commuter range” and does not have the location to serve “as a long-term hub.”
In Penn State’s own words: “The campus is situated in south-central Pennsylvania, near Penn State Harrisburg, a significantly larger and more programmatically diverse campus with residential housing that is better positioned to serve the region moving forward. The overlapping service areas and academic offerings of Penn State York and Penn State Harrisburg create redundancy within the Commonwealth Campus ecosystem.” — Page 74 in “Future State Recommendation” report.
This story was originally published May 14, 2025 at 3:30 PM.
