A record 107,251 students are taking classes this fall at the 14 Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) Universities. More than 90 percent of those students are Pennsylvania residents.

Enrollment is up for the ninth consecutive year across PASSHE, with seven of the Universities breaking their own all-time enrollment records. This is the fourth consecutive year of record enrollment at PASSHE.

An additional 1,349 students are attending PASSHE Universities this semester over Fall 2004. A record 11,177 minority students – 10.4 percent of the total student enrollment – are taking classes. With another year of record enrollment, PASSHE remains the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth.

“The demand for higher education continues to grow in Pennsylvania,” said PASSHE Chancellor Dr. Judy G. Hample. “PASSHE Universities are helping to meet that demand by providing high quality education at an affordable price. As Pennsylvania’s public universities, we are dedicated to serving the needs of our students and the Commonwealth in an efficient and effective manner.”

PASSHE Universities are the lowest-cost option among all four-year colleges and universities in Pennsylvania. The Board of Governors in July approved a 2 percent tuition increase for the 2005-06 school year that was the lowest increase in seven years and the third lowest in PASSHE’s more than 20-year history. It also was about one-third the average increase among public universities nationwide, according to a report released last week by the College Board.

While PASSHE has been engaged in a major effort to control costs in order to keep tuition affordable, the Universities also have taken significant steps to enhance their academic programs and have developed a number of new programs in recent years to address the changing workforce needs of employers across the Commonwealth.

“We are committed to both academic quality and affordability,” said Board of Governors Chairman Kenneth M. Jarin. “We want to provide our students with the best educational value available anywhere. It is equally as important for the PASSHE Universities to work with the Commonwealth to help ensure a strong and vital economic future for Pennsylvania.

The 14 PASSHE Universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. More than 405,000 PASSHE alumni live and work in Pennsylvania. The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania.

Fall 2005 Enrollment by University

University Enrollment

Bloomsburg 8,570*

California7,184*

Cheyney1,560

Clarion6,338

East Stroudsburg 6,793*

Edinboro7,691

Indiana14,081

Kutztown9,864*

Lock Haven 5,283*

Mansfield 3,390

Millersville 7,919

Shippensburg7,485

Slippery Rock 8,105*

West Chester 12,988*

PASSHE Total107,251*

* Record