For your information…
I have often found it interesting how the University establishes
and manages undergraduate and graduate enrollment from year to year.
Recently, I asked Dr. John J. Romano, Vice Provost and Dean for Enrollment
Management and Administration, to provide a “snapshot” for the 2003-2004
academic year.
According to Dr. Romano, overall University enrollment, including
Penn College, totaled 83,177, an increase of only 139 students over
last year. At University Park,
enrollment increased 350, to a total of 41,795. For the past seven years we have been working--with success--to
maintain the University Park enrollment within a range of between 40,000
to 42,000 students. Collectively
across all other campuses, again including Penn College, overall enrollment
decreased by 211 students.
Baccalaureate and graduate degree enrollments increased over
last year while associate, provisional and undergraduate and graduate
non-degree enrollments all declined.
Excluding Penn College, baccalaureate degree enrollment increased
by 221 and graduate degree enrollment was up 280. Associate degree enrollment declined 271, provisional enrollment
declined 126, undergraduate non-degree enrollment declined 280 and graduate
non-degree declined 43. The
increases in baccalaureate and graduate degree enrollments were expected.
In the case of graduate
enrollments, the state of the economy has a counter impact
on graduate
enrollments. As the
economy struggles, graduate enrollments tend to rise.
Overall, this year's enrollment results were very much in
line with expected outcomes. Probably
the biggest change over the past ten years has been the decline in the
number of undergraduate non-degree enrollments at Penn State. We have observed about a 50 percent decline
across all campuses of the University. Part of this decrease was according to plan as the University
worked to limit the number of provisionally enrolled students.
Minority enrollment reached an all-time high of 9,658, a
gain of 3 percent over last year and an overall increase of 54 percent
since 1994. About 53 percent
of the University’s minority enrollment is at University Park, and 47
percent at the campus colleges. Since
1994, campus college minority enrollment has increased 71 percent.
if you have any specific questions, Dr. Romano can be contacted
at JJR1@psu.edu.
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