Interestingly, after all of the hand wringing about how many applications Penn State was getting last application season due to the addition of the common app and the early action option, it turns out there were LESS applicants in 2018-2019 than in 2017-2018 and the acceptance rate went UP. Every year Penn State says they are having “record applications” and every year, that’s not really true. I was surprised by these numbers because it sure SEEMED like Penn State was struggling with all of the new applications last year. Maybe the addition of the common app made for some growing pains in their processes and this year will be better. Let’s hope…because last year was a mess!
According to the common data set, these are the numbers for the last three application seasons at the University Park Campus:
I may be wrong, but the numbers you are presenting may be a year early and DO NOT include Common App. Common App was introduced in the Fall of 2018, for students entering in the Fall of 2019. These numbers will be in the 2019-2020 admissions numbers (which are not yet available).
Quote from the 2018-2019 CDS…“First-time, first-year (freshman) students: Provide the number of degree-seeking, first-time, first-year students who applied, were admitted, and enrolled (full- or part-time) in Fall 2018.”
Ah, @STEM2017 You are correct! I was reading the 2019 in there and thinking it was for this application cycle. I, too, am interested to see the numbers. Regardless, they DO say each year that they are having record numbers and as you can see from the last three years, that’s actually not true.
Do you know when the updated CDS comes out? I always thought they were out before the next application cycle but clearly I’m wrong on that too!
Interesting that colleges feel the need to tout ‘record numbers’ all the time - especially when it isn’t true!
I don’t know when updated numbers come out but I would have thought they’d be out by now. Any day, I suppose.
I actually think they will have record numbers this year. Again, all I heard during the admissions cycle was 100,000 apps for University Park. We’ll see.
@jihpsu@STEM2017 A few things I’ve found published. I haven’t checked the numbers to see if they match the CDS from the previous year, but this is what the Administration is saying at least internally. I will be interested to see the actual numbers reports on this year’s CDS.
Nick Jones, EVP and Provost, April 23, 2019:
“Admissions. So far, we’ve received more than 103,000 undergraduate applications for 2019. University Park applications are up 36 percent from last year. Commonwealth Campus applications up 64 percent. This is driven largely by our use of the Common App this year for the first time. Pennsylvania applications are up 4 percent, out-of-state up 72 percent, and international up 19 percent.”
Rob Pangborn, VP and Dean for Undergraduate Education, Sept. 17, 2019:
"… announced that paid accepts for University Park are currently up 325 to 8,666 compared to 8,341 last year. 8,512 students had attended New Student Orientation (NSO) as of 8/19, up 301 compared to the 8,211 attending last year. International paid accepts at UP are 761 compared to 888 last year (down 128 or 14%). Paid accepts for the Commonwealth Campuses are up 117 over last year at 8,001. International paid accepts are 864 compared to 1,074 last year (down 210 or 20%). "
I also find it interesting that on the Admissions page, the middle 50% SAT and GPA data says “Summer/Fall 2019 data” while the number of applications still says “Summer/Fall 2018”. If you read down the data page, the dates and data bounce around.
Regarding Commonwealth Campus apps, my S19 applied with UP as his first choice and Harrisburg as his second choice because, if I remember correctly, he was required to chose a second choice campus. I wonder if Commonwealth Campus apps are up because all applicants are required to choose a Commonwealth backup to UP? OOS are less likely to attend a Commonwealth Campus.
I will be surprised if the UP app number is less than 100,000 just because they made it very clear at admitted students day that UP received over 100,000 apps.
@STEM2017 I don’t think the “forced to choose a commonwealth campus” is new. My D18 also had to list a 2nd choice after UP even if she had no intention of ever going there.
Wonder how they quantify “commonwealth campus applications up 64%” ? Are those unique to Commonwealth campuses?
Once you start reading the data, it will drive you crazy - because I don’t know how they are derived!
As a parent of a Penn stater we applied because of the common app this year. I know that engineering and business filled up very quickly by Feb they were rejecting amazing candidates.
The president did state that 140k applied. That would pull down the acceptance rate.
I think I read that even Harrisburg filled up quickly
I am guessing that the acceptance rate will plummet as well. With so many more applicants and the same number of spots, the acceptance rate will be lower - which isn’t a great thing if you ask me. We are awesome, but we aren’t an IVY and we shouldn’t be trying to be if we want to be accessible.
The OOS numbers are shocking considering the OOS price tag. I’ll be super interested to see the data. I thought I had stumbled on an anomaly but it turns out I was just looking at the wrong year lol!
Also interestingly, on all of the CDS’s, they say that the average GPA can’t be determine because of the variation in GPA calculations. So how are they able to publish a middle 50%?
Commonwealth apps are up because while you always were supposed to pick an alternate campus, you could complete an application without one. That was changed, and now you can’t complete an app without that field.
Also, many of the commonwealth campuses added new facilities, while several state schools closed programs. It adds up.