Temple Enrolled a Record Number of First-year Students in 2025. But it Lost Nearly a Quarter of Them
Temple has lost average of $200 million annually as enrollment slides, and retention rates are a major issue, internal report says. For the first time since at least 2013, Temple's 77% retention rate of first-year students fell below the most recently available national average at four-year public universities, which stood at 79.4% last fall, according to the National Student Clearinghouse. Temple's freshman enrollment spike has not just boosted tuition revenue, it has also created a path to a college degree for students, especially those from Philadelphia, who may have been denied such an opportunity in the past. But the school's steep retention decline - a trend many area colleges are grappling with - has left some of those same students burdened with debt and questioning whether Temple could have done more to support their academic endeavors.
By Susan Snyder et. al. · NISS Content Publisher