A public R1 research university in University Park, PA, admitting 60.56% of applicants with in-state tuition of $20,644 and a $12.61 billion endowment.
University Park, Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania State University is a public research university in University Park, Pennsylvania, founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania. It enrolls 42,284 undergraduates and a large graduate student population across twenty-one colleges and schools at the main campus, including the Smeal College of Business, the College of Engineering, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Communications, the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, and the College of Agricultural Sciences. Business, engineering, communications, education, and agricultural sciences account for the largest shares of bachelor's degrees.
Penn State holds a Doctoral University: Very High Research Activity (R1) Carnegie classification and is accredited through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Penn State is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required. Penn State is a state-related university rather than a fully state-funded institution, which means it receives partial state appropriations but sets tuition significantly higher than most public flagships. Penn State has 24 campuses across Pennsylvania, including Commonwealth Campuses that offer lower-division coursework and pathways to University Park.
Official website: psu.edu
UCD scores every college on four pillars: Outcomes, Value, Affordability, and Selectivity. Within peer group A (four-year selective institutions), Penn State scores 65.64 overall, rated Fair. Outcomes (92.25) reflects an 86.09% six-year graduation rate and solid career placement. Value scores 16.99 and Affordability scores 8.55, the weakest pillars, driven by an average net price of $32,875 and a federal loan rate of 39.91%, both among the highest at any large public university. All scores use verified federal data only.
Penn State admits 60.56% of applicants, making it one of the more accessible large flagship universities. Penn State is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required. Students who submit scores typically average 1,337 on the SAT, with the middle 50% ACT range between 27 and 32. Penn State uses the Common App.
The deadline for priority consideration is November 1; applications after that date are reviewed on a rolling basis. Applicants apply directly to a specific college; Smeal College of Business and the College of Engineering are more competitive than the overall admit rate. Penn State also accepts applications to University Park through the Schreyer Honors College, which is substantially more selective.
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
For Pennsylvania residents, Penn State charges $20,644 in tuition plus an estimated $14,474 in room and board, bringing the estimated total cost of attendance to approximately $39,694 before aid. For out-of-state students, tuition is $41,790, bringing the estimated total cost of attendance to approximately $59,000 before aid. The average net price across all enrolled students is $32,875, the highest in this batch of public universities and substantially above Ohio State ($17,339) or Purdue ($14,600). For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $19,845.
For families earning between $30,001 and $48,000, the net price averages $20,049. For families earning between $75,001 and $110,000, the net price averages $31,834. For families earning above $110,000, it averages $37,831. Penn State's state-related status means it does not receive the same level of state subsidies as fully public institutions; its aid structure does not reduce costs for lower-income students to the degree seen at Ohio State, Wisconsin, or Purdue. The federal loan rate of 39.91% and median debt of $25,000 are among the highest at any large university in this peer group.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Application fee: $65 (one-time, due at submission)
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
Penn State completes the large majority of the students it enrolls. The six-year graduation rate is 86.09% for full-time, first-time bachelor's-seeking students. First-year retention stands at 92.29%. The federal loan rate of 39.91% is exceptionally high: approximately 4 in 10 Penn State students carry federal loans, with a median debt of $25,000. These figures reflect the high net price relative to the aid Penn State is able to offer, particularly for families in the lower and middle income brackets.
Penn State graduates earn at or slightly above the national median for large public research universities. Median earnings are $55,620 six years after first enrolling and $63,435 at ten years. At the ten-year mark, 83.81% of former students earn more than a typical high school graduate. The ten-year earnings are modest relative to Penn State's high cost structure; the average net price of $32,875 divided against ten-year earnings of $63,435 produces a Value score of 16.99, one of the lower figures in this peer group.
Smeal College of Business and College of Engineering graduates typically earn above the institutional median; communications, education, and liberal arts graduates show more variation. Penn State's alumni network in Pennsylvania and the broader mid-Atlantic region is extensive, particularly in finance, energy, and state government.
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Penn State enrolls 42,284 undergraduates at University Park, a small college town in central Pennsylvania also known as State College, with a local population of approximately 40,000. White students account for 62.68% of undergraduates; Asian 7.62%, Hispanic 9.33%, and Black 4.55%. Fourteen percent of undergraduates receive Pell grants, and 28.76% are first-generation college students.
Penn State competes in the Big Ten, and Nittany Lions football is central to campus culture; Beaver Stadium seats over 100,000 people and is one of the largest stadiums in the world. University Park is relatively isolated geographically; State College is a self-contained college town, and the nearest large cities (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh) are each approximately two hours by car.
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
Where students live, learn, and connect at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus offers an extensive catalog of programs: 315 distinct programs across 29 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
Penn State operates at a student-to-faculty ratio consistent with large research universities. 86.48% of instruction is delivered by full-time faculty. Instructional spending per full-time equivalent student is $15,699 per year, among the lowest in this peer group for a school with this level of tuition. The endowment stands at $12.61 billion, one of the largest at any public university in the country.
Penn State operates 24 campuses across Pennsylvania; the Commonwealth Campuses serve a large number of Pennsylvania residents who complete the first two years of their degree at a regional campus before transferring to University Park. Penn State has major research programs in materials science, energy, agricultural sciences, and applied mathematics.
4,153 instructional faculty across 6 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
| Rank | Faculty Count | Share | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Professors | 1,168 | 28% | $165,128 |
| Associate Professors | 821 | 20% | $113,828 |
| Assistant Professors | 1,015 | 24% | $104,588 |
| Instructors | 1,009 | 24% | $75,175 |
| Lecturers | 113 | 3% | $49,960 |
| No Rank | 27 | 1% | $131,835 |
Penn State's defining strengths are its accessible 60.56% admit rate, Big Ten athletics and campus culture, an extensive mid-Atlantic alumni network, a $12.61 billion endowment, and a 24-campus statewide system that provides broad access to Pennsylvania residents. UCD 65.64 Fair. The challenges are primarily financial: the average net price of $32,875 is the highest among the public universities in this batch; the federal loan rate of 39.91% is exceptionally high; median debt of $25,000 is the highest in the batch; and ten-year earnings of $63,435 are the lowest, producing the lowest Value score (16.99) and second-lowest Affordability score (8.55) in this group.
Penn State's state-related structure, not a full state school, explains why costs are higher than at Wisconsin ($17,354 net) or Purdue ($14,600 net) for similar outcomes. Best fit for Pennsylvania residents who specifically target Penn State's alumni network, athletics experience, or specific programs not available at lower-cost alternatives, and who qualify for meaningful merit aid.
The questions below address what students and families most commonly search about Penn State: why in-state tuition is high, how the loan rate compares to other publics, what the campus experience is like, and what graduates earn.
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