Oct 17, 2018 2 min read

CALIFORNIA – Fall enrollment has dropped 6.1 percent over the previous year at California University of Pennsylvania in a trend that was repeated across most of the state-owned colleges.

Across the State System of Higher Education, the total enrollment of 98,094 dropped 4.1 percent since last term, and the numbers were expected to continue to decline in years to come because of fewer high school graduates, system spokesman Kenn Marshall said.

“Most of our universities continue to be challenged by the state’s changing demographics, especially in Western Pennsylvania, which has seen a significant decline in the number of high school graduates in recent years,” Marshall said.

“That trend is expected to continue,” he said.

Cal U. saw a 3.1 percent rise in enrollment in the 2017-18 term, reversing declines in each of the previous five years.

The official head count recorded at the end of the 15th day of classes at Cal U. this term stood at 7,312, a drop of 476 students from the previous year.

Cal U. spokeswoman Christine Kindl said the university’s class of incoming freshmen is the largest since 2014.

“We are crediting that to some new scholarship programs, an update of our college visit experience and other recruitment initiatives,” Kindl said.

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania suffered the worst decline in student population. The traditionally black university had a 37.8 percent enrollment decline, taking the student population there to 469 this term, state system records indicate.

West Chester and Millersville were the only two of the 14 state-owned universities to report enrollment increases. West Chester’s enrollment grew by 216 students, while Millersville added 33 students to its student population.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s enrollment dropped 8 percent to 11,325 students, down 991 from the last term, state system records show.

Meanwhile, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania recorded a slight enrollment decline of 0.8 percent. The school has an enrollment of 8,824 students.

Marshall said the overall, systemwide enrollment decline highlights the need to redesign public higher education “as we seek to ensure all students have continued access to high-quality, affordable education.”