Fewer Students, Bigger Budget Requests for Pennsylvania Higher Education

The pandemic has not been kind to Pennsylvania higher education: Its colleges have seen a 6.4% enrollment drop for freshmen since spring 2020.

The data, from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, is a reminder that Pennsylvania’s shrinking population of college-aged youth has made it harder for colleges to fill seats. The two-year decline means that 22,738 fewer students are on campuses now.

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Pennsylvania University Looks to Sell Dorms to Lessen ‘Financial Strain’

As the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education adjusts to the merging of some of its colleges, selling dorms could be on the table.

At the latest PASSHE Board of Governors meeting, officials discussed the selling off of two Edinboro University dorm buildings built in 2011. The university only had a 57.8 percent occupancy rate during the fall semester.

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