UNIVERSITY PARK — In its annual enrollment snapshot, Penn State revealed that enrollment has remained fairly steady.
The snapshot, released Monday, Nov. 11, detailed that across all of Penn State’s campuses, 87,995 students were enrolled for the fall 2024 semester. Out of the 87,995 students, 73,394 were in undergraduate programs, 13,038 were graduate students, 659 were medical students and 904 were law students. Of that, 84% of the students were enrolled full time.
“Demand for Penn State continues to be strong among students and families from Pennsylvania and beyond due to the depth and breadth of academic program offerings, powerful sense of community and unrivaled employer and alumni networks that provide a competitive advantage to Penn State graduates in the job market,” Matt Melvin, vice president for enrollment management, said in a statement.
“As the enrollment landscape continues to change, we remain committed to providing students with curricular and co-curricular opportunities and experiences at scale that other institutions simply cannot replicate that are valuable and are valued, by employers and in post-baccalaureate education. We are also committed to maintaining a diverse student body, which contributes to and enhances the overall Penn State experience for all students as they prepare to be productive members of a diverse society.”
Penn State News reported that the fall 2024 enrollment numbers included the second largest incoming class to the University Park campus with 9,169 first-year students registered. Additionally, there was a 2.7% increase in first generation students.
In October of this year, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center report noted that across the country undergraduate enrollment was down 5% from the previous year. Penn State News did note that Penn State saw a decrease of 427 first-time, full-time undergraduate students, a 2.7% decrease.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to attracting and serving mission-based populations and recruiting and graduating a diverse student body, in line with our core educational mission while following the ruling of the court. We all benefit when we work and learn with individuals whose backgrounds, identities and perspectives differ from our own,” Melvin said. “We also continue to enhance programs to help students from all backgrounds to thrive after they arrive at Penn State, intended to improve progression and retention rates and to continue closing graduation rate gaps over time, across backgrounds and identities, in line with President Bendapudi’s goals.”
