Despite an ongoing national recession, applications to Penn State for the 2009-2010 school year increased by six percent, admissions officials said Thursday.
With 20 campuses offering admission to incoming freshmen, Penn State received 68,000 undergraduate applications for this school year, said Anne Rohrbach, executive director of undergraduate admissions.
"Penn State applications remain strong," she said. "Students know the value of a Penn State degree. It's a good investment."
The Class of 2013 at University Park has 200 less people than the Class of 2012, which currently numbers about 7,000 students. After accepting larger classes in the past, Penn State intended the Class of 2013 to be smaller, Rohrbach said.
Compared to the number of applications received in 2005, almost exactly 16,000 more students applied this year university-wide, an increase of about 30 percent, Rohrbach wrote in an
e-mail.
Academic Colleges
While Rohrbach said the recession has not adversely affected admissions overall, she did add that some colleges within the university saw more applicants than others for this school year.
The Division of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) saw a 50 percent increase in applicants from last year, with 10,465 applicants for the 2009-2010 school year, Rohrbach said. Applications for DUS had decreased the year before.
"There were fewer applications in some colleges, which is a reflection of the economy," Rohrbach said. "People aren't as sure as they were [about their major]."
Commonwealths
Compared to last year,
700 more students selected Commonwealth Campuses as their first choice.
"Students understand the value of a Penn State degree, but they can stay closer to home," Rohrbach said. "The related expenses are often cheaper."
But some students said they applied to University Park as their first choice regardless of the cost.
Though other schools Carly Williams applied to were cheaper, she said Penn State's school spirit and opportunities ultimately outweighed the cost of tuition.
"There was a Penn State campus five minutes away, but I didn't want it to be 13th grade," said Williams (freshman-biology education), who lives outside of Pittsburgh.
International Students
Though international applications are a small percentage of total applications received, the number of out-of-country candidates increased this year to 4,200 from 130 different countries.
This number increased by 40 percent from the year before.
"Eleven campuses are uniquely defined to be supportive for international students, from housing to living," Rohrbach said, adding that foreign students are encouraged to apply to those locations.
One student from Thailand, Mridula Chawla, said she spent about $400 on 10 different college applications.
Though more expensive than other universities she applied to, the academics of Penn State outweighed the cost, Chawla (freshman-food science) said.
"It's one of the best in the nation," she said.
