Pennsylvania Western University officials are optimistic with spring enrollment trends, particularly with dual enrollment students.

Total headcount at PennWest — which includes the California, Clarion and Edinboro campuses — is at 10,121 students, 2.43% above its target of 9,881. But that’s still less than its fall enrollment of 10,548.

Dual enrollment numbers, where high school students can earn college credit, nearly doubled year-over-year, increasing from 171 high school students last spring to 392 this term, according to PennWest.

Dual enrollment students pay $75 per credit through PennWest.

“PennWest and its three legacy campuses have been doing dual enrollment for decades, but just over a year ago, we started to work with our superintendents and make it more of an intentional strategy,” university President Jon Anderson told TribLive.

Most dual enrollment students come from Northern High School — in Dillsburg, York County. That’s about three hours, or 195 miles, from the closest PennWest campus in California, Pa.

Those students take PennWest courses online, said Darren Wagner, PennWest’s vice president for strategic enrollment management.

“I don’t know that, in the long run, Northern York will be the top contributing high school,” Wagner said. “I would expect, as we move forward, we’re going to see a larger percentage come from this Western Pennsylvania region and the high schools that we spend a lot of time and have very strong relationships with.”

Northern High School administration and counselors didn’t respond Wednesday to a request for comment.

Following Northern, top schools with students that participate in PennWest’s dual enrollment include California Area, home schooled students, Moniteau Jr.-Sr. High School in West Sunbury and General McLane High School in Edinboro, said PennWest spokeswoman Wendy Mackall.

When PennWest pitches dual enrollment, staff promotes affordability, a lighter schedule in a student’s first two years of college or a better ability to pick up an additional major or minors, or graduate ahead of schedule, Wagner said. Dual enrollment also is an alternative to Advanced Placement courses, he said.

“We communicate with prospective students in a lot of different ways,” Wagner said, “and whether it’s a high school visit, digital communications or through partnerships, we can reach out and make it available to as wide an audience as possible.”

Historically, about one in five dual enrollment students enrolled at PennWest for their first year of college, Mackall said, but university officials anticipate that number to increase.

“It’s a win for both PennWest and the student,” Wagner said. “Even if they don’t come here, we get to have an impact on these students’ lives.”

Wagner said PennWest is in good shape to expand its footprint despite an anticipated decline of the number of high school students. The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education reports that the number of 18-year-old high school graduates nationwide will decline by 13%, or nearly a half-million, through 2041.

“The demographic cliff really hit Western Pennsylvania a few years ago, and numbers of Western Pennsylvania are more stable than other places in the next few years,” Anderson said. “We are well-positioned to serve the market and elevate Western Pennsylvania through all the reaches that we have, including dual enrollment, face-to-face, online and across the three campuses.”

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