87% of college applicants to Cambria County’s 7 universities were admitted for fall 2022

Cambria County’s seven universities admitted an estimated 87% of applicants for fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those who were admitted, 17.3% enrolled.

Of the seven institutions in the county, four provided detailed enrollment data at the time, including Saint Francis University, Mount Aloysius College and University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown.

At least 7,559 people applied to Cambria County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.

NCES data shows that among them, around 10,227 students enrolled in the universities, including 9,799 in undergraduate and 428 in graduate programs. Only 3.2% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.

The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of white (78.7%) and students of unknown ethinicity (10.4%).

Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, Saint Francis University stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 2,857 students.

U.S. college enrollment has been in a downward trend since peaking at around 18.1 million students in 2010. Recent increases offered some relief, but experts project a steeper decline in 2025.

This decline is likely due to two main factors. First, the pool of young adults is shrinking as birth rates have fallen nearly 23% between 2007 and 2022. Second, the rising cost of higher education, including skyrocketing student loan debt. A 2023 Wall Street Journal report shows that more than half of Americans think a four-year degree is not worth the cost.

Some educational data is based on estimates. Shifting demographics among student populations can sometimes result in gender totals which do not equal 100%.