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Harrisburg University will close its Philadelphia campus in August, officials announced.
They described the move as a consolidation of “operations to enhance the overall student experience and strengthen our academic offerings at our main campus in Harrisburg.” Administrators emphasized that students at the Philadelphia campus would be able to finish their degrees in Harrisburg and that faculty there would be transitioning to the main campus.
The university website lists three undergraduate and two graduate programs offered at the Philadelphia location, though it is unclear how many students are enrolled there. (Officials estimated total enrollment at HU at about 6,500 students last fall.)
Harrisburg officials had already cut some programs at the site, according to a consultant’s report filed in bond documents. That report, issued in early 2023 amid steep financial concerns, noted that “programs offered in Philadelphia have been reduced and only the most profitable ones remain.”
Last year the university also decided to close campuses in Dubai and Panama.
Harrisburg has struggled financially in recent years as enrollment declined, but administrators say a turnaround is ongoing; they have managed to increase student numbers and anticipate a balanced budget this year after previously grappling with a reported $8.4 million budget deficit.
HU is also under new leadership after long-serving president Eric Darr resigned late last year.
Harrisburg isn’t the only institution in the state closing a branch campus. Last month Pennsylvania State University announced plans to close seven Commonwealth Campuses across the state, finding those institutions no longer sustainable due to plunging enrollment.
