How many students are enrolled at Penn State? University releases updated data
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- University Park campus enrolls a record 42,822 residential undergraduates this fall.
- University-wide enrollment drops 1.6%; commonwealth campuses decline 5.8%.
- International and graduate student enrollments declined.
Penn State’s University Park campus has a record number of residential undergraduate students enrolled this fall semester as enrollment across its 20 commonwealth campuses dropped by nearly 6%, the university announced Wednesday in its annual student enrollment snapshot.
At University Park there are 42,822 residential undergraduate students, a record high for the campus, and the campus had its third-largest incoming class with 9,148 students this fall, the university said in a release.
Another record high for Penn State was reached with 145,654 applications received from prospective undergraduate students, the university said. That’s a 10% increase in applications.
University-wide enrollment dropped by 1.6%, or 1,438 students, over last year, and enrollment across the commonwealth campuses declined by 5.8%, or 1,365 students. Penn State announced last spring that it would close seven of its campuses, citing challenges including long-term demographic shifts, declining enrollment, flat public funding and increasing operational costs.
Penn State’s Provost and Executive Vice President Fotis Sotiropoulos said the university is committed to “reimagining” the campuses and supporting the system.
“Our Commonwealth Campuses continue to serve as a crucial access point to Penn State. More than 78% of students at a Commonwealth Campus are Pennsylvania residents, 20% are from underrepresented backgrounds and more than 38% are first-generation college students,” Sotiropoulos said. “Through targeted recruiting strategies and other initiatives designed to promote enrollment, we will continue to provide a Penn State education and experience to students across the commonwealth.”
Graduate and international student enrollment has decreased compared to last year as well. The university cited “larger trends and pressures” that have impacted many universities, likely pointing to actions taken by the Trump administration, including delaying visa processing, travel bans, the threat of deportation and more. Before Penn State’s official enrollment numbers were released, Sotiropoulos had already said international student enrollment would likely decline this year.
Graduate student enrollment decreased by 3.2%, or 420 students. More than 75% of those are international students, the university said.
The snapshot shows there are 8,863 total international students enrolled at Penn State this fall compared to 9,386 last year, and 9,671 in 2023.
Penn State President Neeli Bendadpudi in the release said despite the challenging higher education landscape, a Penn State degree is in strong demand. That seems especially true for Pennsylvanians; more than half of the students in the incoming class are once again from Pennsylvania, as are 62% of all undergraduates across Penn State.
“We remain committed to our land-grant mission, to educating students from Pennsylvania and around the nation and world, and to giving them the skills and knowledge to achieve their greatest ambitions,” Bendapudi said.
In the release, the university highlighted that there has been a steady growth in four-year graduation rates, as well as retention rates. There is an increase in first-generation student enrollment, and Pell-eligible students are enrolling at a steady rate.
The full enrollment snapshot can be viewed online at Penn State Data Digest website.
