West Chester, Pennsylvania · Public · 4-year · Large suburb
Overview
West Chester University of Pennsylvania is a public four-year institution in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The campus sits in a large suburban area. It enrolled 17,171 students in fall 2024, including 14,449 undergraduates and 2,722 graduate students. It holds the Carnegie R2 designation for high research activity. It is part of Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
West Chester University of Pennsylvania offers certificates, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, doctoral degrees, and professional doctorates across 120 programs. Its largest programs by number of graduates are Business Administration and Management, Psychology, General, and Registered Nursing. It awarded 4,041 degrees and certificates in 2024-25. 24 of its programs can be completed entirely online.
83% of full-time first-year students return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio is 20 to 1.
Key figures
17,171
Students enrolled
83%
First-year retention
4,041
Degrees and certificates awarded, 2024-25
120
Programs and majors
20:1
Student-to-faculty ratio
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Delivery modes
CampusOnlineHybrid
Program levels
CertificateBachelorMasterPhDProfessional
Programs and majors offered 120
Graduate counts are degrees and certificates awarded in each program between July 2024 and June 2025. Largest fields are listed first.
Retention is for students who started in fall 2023 and returned in fall 2024.
First-year retention, full-time students
83%
First-year retention, part-time students
67%
Student-to-faculty ratio
20:1
Degrees and certificates awarded
Awards conferred between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.
Bachelor's degrees
2,866
Master's degrees
910
Doctoral degrees (research)
46
Professional doctorates
16
Certificates under 1 year
22
Postbaccalaureate certificates
175
Post-master's certificates
6
Enrollment
Students, fall 2024
17,171
Undergraduates, fall 2024
14,449
Graduate students, fall 2024
2,722
Full-time, fall 2024
82%
Students over the full 2024-25 year
19,015
Undergraduates, 2024-25
15,682
Graduate students, 2024-25
3,333
Full-time, 2024-25
77%
Size category
10,000 to 19,999 students
Student body
Share of all students enrolled during 2024-25. Small groups can round to zero and are not listed.
Women
60%
Men
40%
White
71%
Hispanic or Latino
8%
Black or African American
11%
Asian
3%
Two or more races
4%
International (U.S. nonresident)
1%
Race or ethnicity unknown
2%
Online and flexible learning
Distance education in 2024-25.
Programs that can be completed fully online
24
Programs with a fully online option
2
Online undergraduate programs
Yes
Online graduate programs
Yes
Students studying fully online
11%
Students taking some online courses
59%
Campus and services
Setting
Large suburb
Academic calendar
Semester
Part of
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
Carnegie classification
Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity
Research designation
Research 2: High Spending and Doctorate Production
Athletic association
NCAA
Athletic conference
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
President
Dr. Laurie Bernotsky
Services and opportunities
Study abroad, ROTC, Undergraduate research, Teacher certification, Academic and career counseling, Student employment services, Accepts AP credit, Credit for life experience
For veterans and service members
Yellow Ribbon Program, Credit for military training, Dedicated veterans contact, Student veteran organization