Penn State says it will have to close some of its 19 branch campuses as it adjusts to declining enrollments, demographic shifts and financial pressures.
The Associated Press reports that the university’s seven largest branch campuses — Abington, Altoona, Behrend, Berks, Brandywine, Harrisburg, and Lehigh Valley — will remain open.
But because enrollments are declining at most schools and populations in nearby areas are projected to continue declining, the other 12 campuses throughout Pennsylvania will be scrutinized to see if it makes sense for them to continue operating, University President Neeli Bendapudi says.
In a message posted to Penn State’s website, Bendapudi says an internal team will make closing recommendations to her, and she’ll announce her decisions by spring commencement.
“We must make hard decisions now to ensure Penn State’s future remains strong,” Bendapudi says. “It has become clear that we cannot sustain a viable Commonwealth Campus ecosystem without closing some campuses.”
Historically, the smaller campuses draw most of their students from their local area, and it’s not realistic to recruit elsewhere to maintain those enrollments, she said. About 6,000 students were enrolled last fall at the 12 campuses targeted for possible closure, according to Penn State’s data.
Bendapudi said the school’s graduate education-focused campus at Great Valley, Penn State Dickinson Law, the College of Medicine and the Pennsylvania College of Technology will remain open.
No campus will close before the end of the 2026-27 academic year, Bendapudi said.
