Despite the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 Pandemic, fall 2021 enrollment at Penn State Beaver declined by just 13 students compared to fall 2020.
Beaver’s official enrollment is 555 students, a 2 percent decline compared to last fall’s 568 students. It was the smallest decline of any of Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses, which experienced an overall decline of roughly 6.6 percent. University-wide, total enrollment stands at 88,914, down by 1 percent (902 students) from fall 2020 and down 2.7 percent from pre-COVID fall 2019. Official enrollment at Penn State’s University Park campus increased about 2.2 percent compared to 2020 and 0.4 percent since 2019.
“The pandemic has definitely brought about new challenges for many of our students, from online classes to financial struggles,” said Director of Enrollment Daniel Pinchot ’91, ’04 M.Ed. “But our students showed resilience in their ability to adapt to remote learning and resourcefulness in navigating through the financial struggles caused by COVID. I’m incredibly proud of the commitment they’ve shown.”
Pinchot said new admissions to Penn State Beaver were up 9 percent compared to fall 2020. While admissions aren’t quite back to pre-pandemic levels, he said increases in both Pennsylvania and out-of-state new students is a positive sign.
“I’m proud of how well Penn State Beaver serves students from the local area,” Pinchot said. “But I’m equally proud of our reach across 32 states, showing how Beaver campus can make for a great gateway to a Penn State education for so many students across the country.”
Roughly 72 percent of Beaver’s fall 2021 new students come from the local area or other parts of the state, while 28 percent come from outside of Pennsylvania.
For admission information, visit beaver.psu.edu/admissions.