St. Davids, PA: Eastern University’s Fall 2025 enrollment totaled 9,964 students, up 14% from Fall 2024. Due to the addition of many new innovative programs over the last several years, the Christian university has seen its student body triple since its pre-pandemic enrollment of 3,100 students in Fall 2019.
The University’s faith-based mission has fueled the desire to create flexible and affordable new programs that meet student needs, as well as dynamic extracurricular activities that prepare students for lives of flourishing. The new programs have been extremely popular with students, resulting in the increase from approximately 3,000 students to approximately 10,000 students over the last 6 years.
Growth in Online Undergraduate and Graduate Programs
Online undergraduate enrollment at Eastern was up 55% over last Fall, and graduate enrollment at Eastern was up 11% over last Fall. While many programs at Eastern have experienced growth over the last several years, the biggest increase has come from Eastern’s innovative online LifeFlex programs, which feature fully online, flexibly-paced modalities with delightfully affordable tuition.
Eastern’s LifeFlex programs currently include 12 graduate degrees including master’s degrees in business, data science, social work, nursing, therapy, and more. The University also offers 9 online undergraduate LifeFlex programs in business, education, psychology, ministry, criminal justice, and more. Students have repeatedly expressed their appreciation for the flexibility of the programs.
“I own a business and have a family, so the flexibility of the program was one of the main reasons why I chose it. I was immediately able to apply concepts from classes to real-life situations.”
Growth in Traditional (On-Campus) Undergraduate Programs
The last two years have brought in the largest cohorts of new traditional (on-campus) undergraduate programs on record at Eastern. The exciting growth reflects the demand for excellent, Christ-centered education that is also accessible, engaging, and community-oriented. Over the last several years, Eastern has expanded its extracurricular offerings to include football, cheerleading, dance, marching band, wrestling, and more. Additional clubs and ministries give students numerous opportunities for spiritual development, leadership, and service.
These engaging extracurricular activities have played a key role in enhancing campus life, attracting students, and providing communal spaces for students to grow and develop in transformative ways that bring the University’s mission to life. Eastern’s approach of focusing on students as whole persons resonates with families who are seeking an educational experience that nurtures multi-faceted student development.
“Being able to attend a Christian school while participating in my favorite sport has been amazing. The girls on the team are my best friends and the discipline that comes with wrestling has helped keep me on track with school work as well.”
Looking to the Future
As Eastern celebrates its 100th birthday and another year of record-breaking enrollment, the momentum shows no signs of slowing. University leaders remain focused on advancing new, innovative ideas and a range of extracurricular activities in the coming years to continue supporting Eastern’s growth and meeting student needs.
“Eastern’s growth is meaningful because it represents an increase in the number of students we are able to serve and empower to reach their goals. By listening well to student needs and allowing our mission to fuel innovation, we are creating pathways that help students thrive. I am confident that our collective passion, creativity, and care will continue to propel us forward and define Eastern’s future.”
Sustaining Eastern’s Growing Community
With increasing numbers comes a responsibility to support that growth, and that is what Eastern is doing with its comprehensive campaign entitled A Time To Rise, a $30M comprehensive fundraising initiative that supports the university in key areas. The initiative is intended to enhance facilities, expand opportunities and experiences for students, enrich the learning experience through top-tier faculty and staff recruitment, and build out club, activity, and athletics offerings. So far, the University has raised over $27M toward the campaign goal.
“Through the generous gifts of our donors, we are continuing to strengthen the resources that support our students today, while investing in and preparing for future generations,. We are profoundly grateful to God and our community of alumni and friends, for making this shared vision, timely expansion, and multifaceted mission of faith, reason, and justice possible, shaped by our values of excellence, stewardship, and innovation.”
About Eastern University
Eastern University is a Christian university with over 140 undergraduate, graduate, and seminary programs. The university’s main campus is located in St. Davids, PA, with many programs available online. Eastern’s core values of faith, reason, and justice are woven into all of its educational programs. For more information visit eastern.edu or contact Erin Ahlefeld, Communications & Public Relations Manager: erin.ahlefeld@eastern.edu.