Increase in Graduate Students, Freshman High School GPA highlights 2019 Fall Enrollment at Kutztown University

Kutztown, PA (09/20/2019) — Kutztown University's total enrollment for the 2019 fall semester, including alumni, is 8,199, down slightly from last fall (8,309 students).

Two one-credit alumni courses, The Ten Secrets to Great Project Management and The Science of Cooking, were added this fall to offer free lifelong learning opportunities for KU graduates. Enrollment figures indicate an 8% increase in graduate students (918 to 995), including 332 new students. Kutztown University's final enrollment numbers for fall of 2019 include 271 students enrolled in new online alumni courses and the increase in graduate students.

In addition, the average high school GPA of the fall 2019 freshmen class increased from 3.19 to 3.23. University retention has remained unchanged from the prior year at 74%.

"Declining enrollment continues to be a common challenge with many higher education institutions across the commonwealth and the country," said Dr. Kenneth S. Hawkinson, Kutztown University president. "Here in Pennsylvania especially, enrollments are down, due to decreasing high school graduates and increased competition for those graduates.

"At KU, we continue to make the adjustments necessary to remain a healthy, vibrant university," Hawkinson said. "We also continue to focus on the needs of the commonwealth by adding academic majors that support growing professions and developing numerous strategies to help with student retention. These efforts, along with a significant increase in institutional financial aid and our ongoing collaboration with the State System chancellor on the System Redesign, will help ensure that students in our region will be able to continue to benefit from a quality, affordable Kutztown University education for many years to come."

Of the 8,199 students enrolled at KU, 7,204 are undergraduates, while 995 are enrolled in graduate studies. A total of 7,186 students (88%) are Pennsylvania residents, while 1,013 hail from out of state.

Official figures are reported after the university's fall freeze date for enrollment status, which occurs in mid-September.