As Penn State considers which of its Commonwealth Campuses it will close, university officials this week detailed the factors that will go into the decision.
A committee is expected to make its recommendations to President Neeli Bendapudi by the end of the current spring semester for which of 12 campuses will close after the 2026-27 academic year, the university announced on Feb. 25. It remains unclear what role, if any, the Board of Trustees will play in approving Bendapudi’s final decision.
The Beaver, DuBois, Fayette, Greater Allegheny, Hazleton, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Shenango, Schuylkill, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and York campuses are being examined for potential closure.
Unaffected will be the seven largest satellite campuses (Abington, Altoona, Behrend, Berks, Brandywine, Harrisburg and Lehigh Valley), which account for 75% of Commonwealth Campus enrollment, the graduate studies-focused Great Valley and the special-mission campuses of Penn State Dickinson Law, the College of Medicine and the Pennsylvania College of Technology.
In an update on Monday, university officials said that Bendapudi has asked “that the committee’s recommendation include a continued presence for Penn State in the Northeast and the Pittsburgh regions of the commonwealth.” Penn State has four campuses in Northeastern Pennsylvania, while in western Pa. five are within about an hour’s drive from Pittsburgh and three are less than 40 miles from the city.
Deciding which campuses in those regions and other areas of the state remain open and which will close will be based on a number of factors laid out in Monday’s update from Commonwealth Campuses Vice President Margo DelliCarpini, Interim Executive VP and Provost Tracy Langkilde and Senior VP and Chief of Staff Michael Wade, the group tasked with delivering the recommendations to Bendapudi
“While many of the challenges we face are not unique — they are reflective of larger national- and state-level trends affecting all of higher education — specific factors in Pennsylvania and at Penn State make the need for action urgent,” the administrators wrote.
ENROLLMENT AND POPULATION DECLINES
Across the 12 campuses under consideration, enrollment has decreased by by 39% — a total of 3,222 students — over the last decade. Fayette had the largest proportional enrollment decrease during that time, dropping 43.2% from 717 to 407. Shenango, which fell by 42.7%, has consistently had the smallest total enrollment, going from 539 students to 309, though Wilkes-Barre, which dropped by 39.6%, had similar enrollment numbers of 545 in 2014 and 329 in 2024.
Schuylkill saw the smallest decrease, declining 12% from 796 to 698.
Because Commonwealth Campuses draw their most significant enrollments from the counties where they are located — in some cases 70% of their students — population declines also play into the decision.
“Across the country, colleges and universities are bracing for a significant decrease in traditional-age students,” the administrators wrote. “The so-called demographic cliff — the sharp decline in the number of high school graduates beginning in 2025 — has already begun impacting institutions, particularly those in the Northeast and Midwest.”
Pennsylvania’s rural counties are projected to have a 5.8% decline in population by 2050, according to the Center for Rural Pennsylvania and the Institute of State and Regional Affairs at Penn State Harrisburg, and the state’s overall growth over the next 30 years is expected to stagnate.
Among the counties where the 12 campuses are located, Schuylkill is projected to have the largest population decline at 10.5%, while the largest anticipated increase is York at 4%.
Relatedly, Pennsylvania’s large number of colleges and universities competing for a declining number of students will also play a role.
“Additionally, Penn State’s Academic Portfolio and Program Review (APPR) is beginning to provide valuable insights about how student interest and employment aligns with the University’s bachelor- and associate-degree offerings including those at the campuses,” according to the update.
LAND-GRANT MISSION
Penn State’s land-grant mission “has evolved many times throughout our history to meet changing needs,” the committee members wrote, and today is accomplished through Commonwealth Campuses, the World Campus, Penn State Extension and the statewide impact of research and industry partnerships.
The university is looking at how other land-grant schools fulfill that mission. None have a campus system as extensive as Penn State’s and many utilize larger regional campuses, extension and “strategic partnerships to provide education and service at scale.”
“These models offer valuable insights as we determine how Penn State can continue to lead while building a sustainable and impactful future — one that remains true to our land-grant mission while adapting to the realities, technological shifts and changing student preferences of today and tomorrow,” according to the update.
STUDENT EXPERIENCE
How campuses “deliver on Penn State’s promise of vibrant educational experiences,” is another factor being evaluated, including “a diverse range of courses taught by talented faculty, meaningful extracurricular opportunities and essential student services that contribute to academic and personal success,” the administrators wrote.
Student success is in part measured by six-year graduation rates, as well as the percentage of students who enroll but don’t graduate — thus accumulating debt with no degree to show for it, which the university says is “an outcome that is misaligned with Penn State’s commitment to student progress and success.”
Among the 12 campuses, Shenango had the lowest most recent six-year graduation at 30.6%, while York had the highest at 66.8%. The rate at the University Park campus is 85.6%.
* * *
In addition to evaluating factors for closures, the university is also working with subject matter experts and shared governance bodies on “critical issues related to forthcoming transitions.” Those include student transition and retention; faculty and staff transitions; facilities and finance; regulatory issues; accreditation and data; alumni, community and donor engagement; communications; and research and external funding.
“Into every conversation and planning session, we bring a deep respect for the gravity of this moment and its implications for the future of the University, for our campuses, and for our students, faculty, staff, alumni and community partners,” and DelliCarpini, Langkilder and Wade wrote.
“For 170 years, Penn State has continuously adapted and evolved, and the choices we make now will shape a strong, sustainable and student-centered future for the next century.”
