PENNSYLVANIA, USA — New data shows the total enrollment at Pennsylvania’s 14 state-owned universities has declined to the lowest level in decades.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the State System of Higher Education lost another 5,000-plus students this fall, dropping the universities’ total enrollment below 89,000 students.
The newspaper says that's a level not seen in more than three decades, dating nearly to the system's founding.
System officials earlier warned state lawmakers and others that the 2021-22 year would be a “very challenging” one for enrollment, citing factors such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The 14 state schools include Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester.
Starting later in 2022, Bloomsburg, Mansfield, and Lock Haven universities in northern Pa. will form one institution, while California, Clarion, and Edinboro universities in western Pa. will form another.
