Penn State Reports Record-High Undergraduate Enrollment at University Park, Continued Decline at Commonwealth Campuses

Penn State enrolled a record number of undergraduates — including its third-largest freshman class — at the University Park campus this fall, while enrollment at the Commonwealth Campuses continued to fall amid planned closures of several locations, according to data released by the university this week.

University-wide, Penn State has 86,557 students enrolled at all campuses, a decrease of 1,438, or 1.6%, from last year.

The university also saw a record number of applications, with the 145,654 received marking a 10% increase from last year.

President Neeli Bendapudi said that, in total, the university’s annual fall enrollment snapshot and application numbers demonstrated continuing high demand for a Penn State education.

“Even in a time of change for higher education, the demand for a Penn State degree is strong,” Bendapudi said in statement. “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.”

The University Park campus had 42,822 residential undergraduate students in the university annual fall enrollment snapshot, a 0.5% increase from last year. The campus’ first-year undergrads totaled 9,148, 21 fewer than last fall.

Total enrollment at the flagship campus, however, remained about even, with 48,823 combined undergraduate and graduate students — a 0.2% decrease from 2024.

The 6,001 graduate students enrolled at the campus this fall marked a decrease of 270, or 4.5%. Total graduate enrollment at all campuses fell by by 3.2%, or 420 students — 75% of whom are international students, according to the university

University Park’s undergraduate enrollment growth is part of a university strategy to “leverage” demand, according to the “Roadmap for Penn State’s Future” released in 2024, with a goal of increasing incoming freshman classes to 10,000 in the coming years. As part of that strategy, the university has already begun targeted infrastructure investments, including a new general purpose classroom under construction and a planned new on-campus housing project developed in a public-private partnership.

At the 20 Commonwealth Campuses, enrollment continued a decade-long decline, with the 21,931 current students marking a 5.7% decrease, or 1,365 fewer students than last year. None of the campuses saw enrollment growth.

Among the seven campuses scheduled for closure following the spring 2027 semester, Wilkes-Barre saw the largest drop, with a decline of 97 students from 329 to 232, or 29.4%. Other declines among those campuses ranged from 2.5%at DuBois to 14.6% at Shenango.

“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,” Fotis Sotiropoulos, executive vice president and provost, 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.”

About 62% of undergraduates university-wide are Pennsylvania residents, with Centre (4,252) and Montgomery (4,242) counties having the largest representation. New Jersey has the most non-Pennsylvania U.S. students enrolled at Penn State with 4,732, followed by New York at 4,409.

International student enrollments declined by about 5.6%, or 523 students, to 8,863. While Asian nations continue to have the largest number of international students enrolled at the university, they also saw the largest decline with a decrease of 653, or about 10%, to 5,749. Africa and Oceania also saw small declines, while Europe, Latin America and the Carribean all had increases.

Enrollment of underrepresented minority students university-wide saw slight growth, including a 5.5% increase among first-year students at University Park. Pell Grant-eligible student enrollment also remained “steady,” according to the university