Division of Undergraduate Studies logo with the Penn State mark

2014-15 Annual Report

Facts and Figures

The division managed significant enrollment numbers and conducted a volume of advising sessions that reflected the unit’s critical teaching role, assisting students in DUS as well as undergraduates throughout the system who needed help in exploring academic opportunities and customizing their educations.

Enrollment Reports

  • "Enrollment Reports" document the total number of students enrolled in DUS at University Park as well as across the Penn State system, including their semester standing, race/ethnicity, and numbers/percentages of Schreyer Scholars and student-athletes.

Advising Sessions

During this reporting period (fall 2014, spring 2015, and summer 2015), Division of Undergraduate Studies advisers at University Park recorded 41,775 * advising sessions with undergraduate students via scheduled appointments, walk-in/quick-question advising, emails, and telephone calls. Of these, 8,780 contacts were with students enrolled in colleges other than DUS.

The subsections below highlight key areas in which DUS provided exemplary guidance to students seeking advising assistance. (Click on graphs to see larger views.)

* may include multiple contacts with the same student

Overall Student Contacts

During the past academic year, the Division of Undergraduate Studies recorded an average of 13,925 * advising contacts per semester. As illustrated below, advising demands were consistent throughout the year with little reduction in activity across semesters.

* may include multiple contacts with the same student

Bar graph comparing the total number of contacts for Fall, Spring and Summer semesters of Academic Years 2013-14 and 2014-15. In Fall 2013, DUS provided academic advising assistance to 12,154 students, while in Fall 2014, they saw 16,050 students. In Spring 2014, DUS had contact with 11,996 students, while in Spring 2015, they had contact with 12,962 students. In Summer 2014, DUS had contact with 13,916 students, while in Summer 2015, they had contact with 12,763 students.
Pie chart showing the break-down of total student contacts by type for Academic Years 2013-14 and 2014-15. Nearly half the chart is filled in light-blue to indicate the face-to-face contacts (45% of total contacts). Next on the chart is walk-in and telephone contacts, colored orange, which totaled 13% of all contacts. Then we show the email contacts, colored gray, to be 18% of all contacts. Next is the category showing other types of contact not explicitly noted in the chart. These contacts accounted 9% of all contacts and is colored yellow on the graph. Finally we have the academic reviews, colored dark blue on the chart, which totaled 15% of all contacts for the semester.


Walk-In Advising

During the 2014–2015 academic year, DUS advisers assisted 5,062 students during walk-in advising sessions. This number represents students enrolled in the division as well as students in colleges across the system and parents with questions about current or prospective student enrollments at Penn State.

Walk-in advising needs increase significantly during drop/add period every semester. The charts below illustrate the volume of advising sessions recorded during the drop/add period compared to the total number of walk-in students seen each semester.

Bar graph showing the breakdown of the number of student contacts during the entire semester and during only the drop/add period. During Fall 2014, there were a total of 2,245 contacts. Of those, 1,671 occured during the drop add period. During Spring 2015, there were a total of 1,998 contacts. Of those, 885 occured during the drop add period. During Summer 2015, there were a total of 639 contacts. Of those, 109 occured during the drop add period.

Proactive Outreach via Academic Reviews

Division of Undergraduate Studies advisers provide written, detailed academic reviews every semester for each student enrolled in DUS. Academic reviews include assessments of the student’s goals, academic progress, and future schedules as well as recommendations and referrals. DUS advisers conducted 6,369 academic reviews for the 2014–2015 academic year. These reviews represent advising assistance above and beyond traditional appointments, email communications, and walk-in advising sessions.

 

Academic Consultations at New Student Orientation

Summary

During summer 2015, DUS advisers provided educational and advising assistance to 7,713 incoming first-year students attending New Student Orientation (NSO). Of these contacts, 1,989 represent students enrolled in DUS and 5,724 reflect those enrolled in other colleges across University Park.

2015 NSO Details

At University Park campus, 7,713 students met one-on-one with an academic adviser to discuss their academic plans and their decision to enroll in a particular college at University Park. Students were offered the choice of a brief discussion to confirm their plans or a more in-depth discussion that allowed for changes in plans or additional discussion topics.

  • 1306 of these students initiated an in-depth discussion (16.9% of all attendees), with 42 of those students seeking multiple in-depth conversations during their NSO Day 2 visit.
  • 716 students made a change of college (9.3% of all attendees, 54.8% of all students seeking an in-depth discussion).

Net College Changes During NSO

There were significant differences in student change patterns this year. Notably, DUS saw a net departure of 108 students during the course of the summer. The majority of students departed DUS for the College of Engineering. This contributed to Engineering being the biggest “change-in” college during NSO. Health and Human Development, another traditional large gain college, was in second place for the first time in many years. The biggest gain for DUS was from Liberal Arts students seeking business goals. Other notes included a slight increase for Arts and Architecture, due to BARCH and LARCH being open all summer, and the first ever change into NURS, which was briefly open this summer.

Net College Changes During NSO
College 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Arts & Architecture -4 1 -3 -4 3
Agricultural Sciences -4 15 1 7 5
Business -1 -7 -13 -8 -9
Communications 9 27 27 12 18
Division of Undergraduate Studies 109 -12 -28 37 -108
Education -29 -3 -14 -15 -4
Earth and Mineral Sciences 14 21 27 31 18
Engineering 13 31 27 46 90
Health and Human Development 53 50 93 60 70
Information Sciences and Technology 8 7 7 8 17
Liberal Arts -92 -70 -52 -117 -70
Nursing -1 -1 -1 -1 -2
Science -75 -57 -71 -56 -28

 

Reasons for Changes into/out of DUS

Reasons for College Change
Reason 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Undecided (exploring multiple colleges); entered DUS 178 148 119 151 106
Decided on Smeal; entered DUS 88 97 103 113 82
Decided but did not qualify for change; entered DUS 23 6 3 13 3
Decided (exploring within one college); left DUS 155 253 238 205 299
Total changes 266 217 259 249 344

 

College Change Details

 

Other In-Depth Conversations

590 students who sought an in-depth conversation made no change in their college of enrollment. This number was lower than last year, and is extremely close to the long-term average (641 students in 2014, 740 students in 2013, 595 in 2012, 421 in 2011). The continued decrease in this number is likely due to the slightly smaller class size and due to the increased number of students who made a change, which was nearly 9% of those attending NSO.