Packapalooza fuels momentum as applications, visits and deposits climb

Signature admissions event turns interest into action as Alvernia’s recruitment reach expands

 Alvernia University welcomed nearly 1000 guests, including over 180 students to Packapalooza, an immersive admissions experience designed for students to explore academic programs, affordability resources and student life through a day of personalized connections, held on Saturday.

Packapalooza comes at a time of continued recruitment momentum. Undergraduate admissions has seen increased interest this recruitment cycle, including increases in applications, visits, and first-year students interested in living on campus. Today’s statistics show a 38% increase in first-year enrolls compared to last year.

“Packapalooza is a powerful snapshot of what makes Alvernia stand out, students aren’t just touring a campus, they’re stepping into a community,” said President Glynis A. Fitzgerald, Ph.D. “The energy today speaks to the dedication of our students, faculty and staff, and to our shared commitment to academic quality, experiential learning and our culture of care.”

Packapalooza begins with one-on-one appointments with faculty in students’ areas of interest, then invites families to “choose their own adventure” through more than 20 sessions and experiences across Alvernia’s locations. This year’s event included 11 academic and support sessions, along with opportunities to meet current students, learn about Student Financial Services and explore involvement, athletics and success resources.

Attendees traveled from seven states, reflecting Alvernia’s growing recruitment reach and the draw of a university that pairs career-focused programs with personalized support.

“Packapalooza is built for momentum; it turns interest into confidence and confidence into action,” said Associate Vice President of Admissions Bret Krotee M.Ed. ‘10. “By providing an experience that’s personal, informative and student-centered, we’re seeing strong outcomes in visits, applications and engagement, and today’s event helps move that momentum even further.”

“I know someone who goes to Alvernia and she told me good things about the school,” said student attendee Mali LeBron. “It seems like home to me and once I saw that the school added a cybersecurity program as a major and not just a minor I knew it was the place for me.”

The event also highlighted Alvernia’s academic spaces and hands-on learning environments, including experiences at the John R. Post Center at Reading CollegeTowne and program demonstrations aligned with students’ career interests.

Recent rankings, awards and student success indicators reinforce that momentum beyond a single day: U.S. News & World Report named Alvernia a top-ranked national university for the fourth consecutive year, citing measures that include social mobility and competitive programs; the redesigned Carnegie Classifications recognized Alvernia as a high access, high earnings institution for expanding opportunity alongside strong post-graduation outcomes and the university’s latest student success update reported increased fall enrollment and broad gains in retention, including a 74% first-year retention rate for bachelor’s degree seekers and notable year-over-year improvements for first-generation, Pell-eligible students and students of color.

Prospective students who could not attend Packapalooza can still schedule an individual visit, connect with an admissions counselor or take the next steps to apply and deposit at Alvernia.