As per the usual (unsurprising) trend, more people have chosen Penn State this year than last year.

Penn State has seen a university-wide increase in enrollment from this time last year, as shown by statistics taken annually at the end of the sixth week of the fall semester. There are currently 97,494 students enrolled for the fall semester across all campuses, which is an increase of 1,521 students as compared to last year at this time.

Overall the university has found that more students seem to be pursuing four-year degrees, as well as choosing to study at Penn States’ campuses full-time. At Commonwealth campuses the number of full-time equivalent students has increased by 95 students, and the number of those earning baccalaureate degrees at Commonwealth campuses has grown by 350 students.

Penn State’s World Campus saw the most expansion in the last year. There are 1,437 more students earning their education online via Penn State, growing the number to a staggering 12,242 World Campus learners. This year’s snapshot additionally reflects a change adopted by the university in 2014 which now allows Dickinson Law and Penn State Law to be considered two independently accredited law schools. Their current enrollment numbers are 68 and 177, respectively.

“The demand for a Penn State education remains strong, which can be seen inn the overall enrollment increase as well as the success of initiatives such as the 2+2 program, which allows students to start a degree at one campus and finish at another, and incoming students at University Park starting in the summer rather than in the fall,” said vice president and dean for undergraduate education Robert Pangborn.

As far as the demographic of attending students, the number of international students continues to grow, with 19,328 students enrolled, which represents 9.5 percent of students across all campuses. Even with a general trend of growth, some aspects of Penn State enrollment remain consistent. For example, the amount of undergraduate students coming from Pennsylvania has remained steady at 71 percent, which may come as a surprise only because of the recent in-state tuition freeze.

The university is continuing to take steps to keep a college education affordable for all students and their families. This includes the newly adopted program Pathway to Success: Summer Start Program (PASSS), which was offered for the first time this year at seven Commonwealth campuses. PASSS hopes to assist students in graduating on time by offering them academic and financial support from the start.

For more detailed information about enrollment by campus, visit the University’s Fact Book website.