Shippensburg sets enrollment record

Shippensburg University set a record for enrollment this year with more than 8,200 students.

The university has 6,942 undergraduate students and 1,311 graduate students for a total of 8,253. Both of these numbers are also higher than last year when the university had 6,733 undergraduate students and 1,209 graduate students for a total of 7,942. This includes more than 1,700 first-year students and more than 440 transfer students.
Percentage wise, the increases total 8 percent at the graduate level, 3 percent at undergraduate level and 4 percent overall.

 "Throughout its history, Shippensburg University has offered an education of excellence and that tradition is being recognized more and more by students as shown by this milestone," said President Bill Ruud. "Despite the challenges of the economy, the fact that we have set a record for enrollment shows that even more students, both traditional and non-traditional, recognize and appreciate the value of the educational opportunities at Ship."

Ruud said the increase was also in part to the university's efforts to retain current students. "Students and their families face difficult choices due to the country's challenging economic conditions, and I'm happy that they realize the value of a degree and that the think Ship is the best place to complete their studies."

The increase in retention of students also affects the university's graduation rate. Shippensburg's four-year graduation rate of 43.14 percent is the highest in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and has been for at least the last seven years.

In addition to the record enrollment, the SAT scores of the first-year students also increased for the third consecutive year. In 2007, the mean SAT score for these students was 1016. That increased to 1020 in 2008 and to 1030 for the Class of 2013.