PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — After years of declining enrollment, Temple University’s incoming Class of 2029 is shaping up to be its largest ever.
As of July 1, Temple University had received more than 6,313 deposits from first-year students — “an all-time record,” said Provost Gregory Mandel.
It’s an early indication that Temple will welcome its largest first-year class ever. Mandel credits an intense recruitment effort.
“There are more boots on the ground, so to speak, visiting the high schools to let students know about Temple, going to college fairs,” he said.
Total enrollment is down more than 10,000 from 2017’s all-time high of 40,240. But this would be the second straight year that first-year enrollment is up.
About 83% of Temple freshmen returned last year, beating the national average retention rate of 78%.
“Given the value that we offer, we believe that we can have a stable enrollment going forward,” said Mandel.
“We are very excited to be looking forward to welcoming the largest first-year class in Temple’s history.”