For fall 2025, Indiana University of Pennsylvania achieved record-breaking retention for new, first-time, bachelor’s degree-seeking students; increases in both the number of undergraduate degree-seeking students and new, first-time, bachelor’s degree-seeking students; and an increase of 5 percentage points for continuing student persistence (students continuing for a third year of study).
The retention rate of new, first-time, full-time bachelor’s degree-seeking students entering in fall 2024 and returning for fall 2025 is at 78.2 percent, an increase of nearly 3 percentage points from the fall 2023 to fall 2024 retention rate of students in this category.
This is IUP’s second consecutive annual increase in retention of new, first-time, full-time bachelor’s degree-seeking students; in fall 2024, the retention rate of students in this category (entering in fall 2023 and returning for fall 2024) increased by more than 4 percentage points.
This is a 7 percentage point increase in retention of new, first-time, full-time bachelor’s degree-seeking students over two years.
Total undergraduate student enrollment for fall 2025 is at 7,118, an increase of 107 undergraduate students from fall 2024. There are 1,887 new undergraduate students this fall, an increase of 145 students, or 8.3 percent, from fall 2024 enrollment of students in this category.
Fall 2023 new, first-time, bachelor’s degree-seeking student enrollment was a 16 percent increase from new, first-time student enrollment for fall 2022—the highest number of new, first-time students since 2018.
Total student enrollment across all programs and at all levels for fall 2025 is 9,082, up from fall 2024 total enrollment of 9,081.
“Achieving this record-breaking retention rate, an increase in undergraduate student persistence to year three, and the increase in our new students reflects the hard work and commitment of the entire IUP community,” IUP President Michael Driscoll said. “While we are proud of these numbers, I am prouder of the work that IUP faculty and staff do every day, how they routinely go the extra mile to help students meet their academic and personal goals.
“In a time of a declining number of high school graduates, to have an increase in the number of new, first-time students and to maintain stable enrollment overall is a testament to everyone’s hard work and to IUP’s quality and reputation,” he said.
“The Student Success Team, led by Strategic Advisor to the President for Student Success Paula Stossel and Vice Provost for Academic Success and Dean of the University College Amber Racchini, continues to do outstanding work to support students in all ways,” he said.
“Supporting our students is a collaborative approach, institutionally,” Stossel said. “We are committed to ensuring every student, at all levels, receives the individual attention they need and deserve.”
“Our Student Success Team is transforming the student experience through centralized advising, targeted academic support, and real-time data insights—ensuring every student gets the guidance they need, when they need it,” Racchini said.
For fall 2025, there are a total of 1,632 students enrolled in graduate programs—1,023 in IUP’s 35 master’s programs and 609 in IUP’s nine doctoral programs. This compares to 1,720 enrolled in graduate programs for fall 2024.
There are 855 veteran and military-affiliated students enrolled for fall 2025, up from 834 students in this category enrolled for fall 2024. Of this number, 714 veteran or military-affiliated students are in undergraduate programs, 102 in graduate programs, and 39 in career-preparation programs.
There are 125 dual enrollment students taking classes at IUP during the fall semester, the second-highest dual enrollment number in the history of the university.
The dual enrollment program allows qualified high school students to take IUP courses while still in high school for academic credit toward their bachelor’s degree. High school sophomores can take three credits per semester; high school juniors and seniors can take up to six credits in each semester.
IUP reduced fees for dual-enrolled students starting in fall 2024 to $100 per credit. The Punxsutawney Area College Trust, a longtime supporter of IUP and its students, funds dual enrollment costs for students from Punxsutawney Area High School, which permits them to enroll in classes at IUP Punxsutawney for free.
A total of 332 students are enrolled in IUP’s career preparation (clock hour) programs.
IUP’s career-preparation programs and enrollment for fall 2025 are:
- American Language Institute, 68 students
- Criminal Justice Training Center, 39 students
- Emergency Medical Program, 48 students
- Paramedic program, 50 students
- School resource officer training program, 63 students
In May, IUP’s Council of Trustees approved shifting the Academy of Culinary Arts and the Academy’s Baking and Pastry Arts programs from clock-hour to credit-bearing programs starting in fall 2025. A total of 64 students are completing the 16-month clock hour program at the Academy; 89 students (new and transfer students) are enrolled in the two-year program, which will result in an associate in applied science degree.
The group of new, first-time, bachelor’s degree-seeking students entering IUP this fall reflects a high school grade point average of 3.36, with a total of 75 percent of these new, first-time students graduating from high school with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
International student enrollment includes 321 international students from 64 countries, including 68 students enrolled in the American Language Institute. For more than 40 years, IUP’s ALI has provided intensive English programs for students from all over the world who want to improve their language proficiency and cultural understanding of the United States.
A total of 1,803—or 20 percent of total fall enrollment—identify as minority, up by 82 students enrolled in fall 2024 who identified as minority. Overall, 23 percent of the IUP student body identifies as international or minority.
Fall 2025 enrollment includes 548 domestic, out-of-state students from 48 states outside Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, comparable with 2024 enrollment. A total of 192 new, first-time students for fall 2025 are from Indiana County, an increase of 30 new, first-time students from Indiana County who were enrolled for the fall 2024 semester
A total of 3,008 students live in university housing on the Indiana and Punxsutawney campuses this fall, up from 2,842 students living in university housing in fall 2024.
This number includes a record-breaking percentage of students who lived on campus during the 2024–25 academic year who returned to on-campus housing for 2025–26.
A total of 47.3 percent of students who lived on campus during the 2024–25 academic year have returned to on-campus housing, up from 42 percent of students who lived on campus during the 2023–24 academic year and returned to campus housing for 2024–25.
Currently, 40 percent of all students living on campus are continuing students, and 60 percent are new students.
The number of students enrolled in university meal plans for the fall semester—3,804—is the highest meal plan student participation since fall 2019. An additional 572 students without meal plans have added $318,00 in “Flex dollars” to their dining accounts.
During the 2024–25 academic year, IUP students were awarded more than $26 million in scholarships from the university in addition to state and federal aid, and more than $2.5 million in housing scholarships have been given annually to students, for a total of more than $10 million in housing scholarships since 2021. A total of 78 percent of fall 2024 new, first-time students were offered renewable merit scholarships averaging $4,009.
“This has been a challenging year, but also an extremely rewarding one,” IUP Vice President for Student Affairs Tom Segar said. “It’s very gratifying to see the increase in retention and persistence; the increase in the number of new students; the increase in veteran and military-affiliated students; the increase in students choosing on-campus living for a second, third, and fourth year; and the increase in the number of students participating in our campus dining program. This tells me that we are doing something very right to serve our students.
“Working with our IUP colleagues across the university, every member of the Division of Student Affairs is fully focused on our students and their success, each doing their part to support our students and to meet the needs of the university, for now and for the future,” Vice President Segar said.
“Our students are bright, inquisitive, and engaged in their studies and in campus events and organizations,” he said. “They care about one another, and they clearly value being part of the IUP community, including as leaders in campus organizations and groups. Every day, I am very grateful for my team, for my colleagues throughout the university, and to be part of the Crimson Hawk family.”
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As IUP celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025 and through the Impact 150 comprehensive campaign, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking to its next 150 years of student success, innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.