- The Inkwell
- Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
University Park, PACity: smallZIP 16802Founded 1855
- Sector
- Public
- Founded
- 1855
- Carnegie class
- Doctoral: very high research activity (R1)
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Federal aid since
- 1965
- Campuses
- 21
- Website
- psu.edu
PennsylvaniaPublic
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus is a public university in University Park, Pennsylvania, with 42,284 undergraduates. It admits 61% of applicants, graduates 85% within six years and costs $33,675 a year after aid.
85%graduate
Admission rate61%
Retention93%
4-year graduation71%
Pell Grant share16%
Federal loans42%
$33,675net price / year
61%admission rate
1337average SAT
85%graduate in 6 years
$71,762median earnings, 10 yrs
$24,500median debt
#335 of 1,704 for earnings#1,557 of 1,739 for lowest net price#118 of 1,738 for graduation rate#380 of 1,552 for selectivity
what it costs
Cost and net price
Net price is the average annual cost after grants and scholarships for full-time students who receive federal aid; it varies with family income.
Published cost
- Cost of attendance
- $41,003tuition, fees, housing, books, per year
- Tuition & fees, in-state
- $21,098
- Tuition & fees, out-of-state
- $43,490
- Average net price
- $33,675national median $19,980
Net price by family income
$0–30,000$22,193
$30,001–48,000$21,267
$48,001–75,000$25,458
$75,001–110,000$31,948
$110,001+$39,140
getting in
Admissions and test scores
Admission
- Admission rate
- 61%national median 77%
- Average SAT
- 1337
- SAT reading, middle 50%
- 620–700
- SAT math, middle 50%
- 620–720
- ACT composite, middle 50%
- 27–32
Against the national median
Admission rate · this college61%
Admission rate · U.S. median77%
Retention · this college93%
Retention · U.S. median76%
Graduation · this college85%
Graduation · U.S. median55%
Pell share · this college16%
Pell share · U.S. median39%
after enrolling
Graduation, earnings and debt
Completion
- Graduation rate, 6 years
- 85%within 150% of normal time
- Graduation rate, 4 years
- 71%
- First-year retention
- 93%
- Award within 8 years, all students
- 86%
Earnings and debt
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $60,829
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $71,762middle 50%: $46,681–$105,484
- Median debt at graduation
- $24,500
- 3-year loan default rate
- 0%
Earnings ten years after entry
Upper quarter$105,484
Median, Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus$71,762
Lower quarter$46,681
U.S. median, all colleges$58,886
Former students working and not enrolled · College Scorecard
who studies here
Students and faculty
Undergraduates
- Degree-seeking undergraduates
- 42,284
- Part-time
- 2.0%
- Women / men
- 47% / 53%
- Average age at entry
- 21.8
- First-generation students
- 29%
- Pell Grant recipients
- 16%
Faculty and resources
- Student-to-faculty ratio
- 16 : 1
- Full-time faculty
- 86%
- Average faculty salary
- $13,120 / month
- Instructional spending per student
- $15,699
- Endowment, end of year
- $4,190,478,239
Race and ethnicity, undergraduates
White63%
Hispanic9.3%
Black4.5%
Asian7.6%
Two or more races4.1%
U.S. nonresident9.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander0.1%
Unknown2.2%
27 fields of study
Most popular fields
Share of bachelor’s degrees awarded, by broad field (CIP family).
Business & management20%
Engineering14%
Computer & information sciences11%
Communication & journalism6.9%
Biological & biomedical sciences6.3%
Social sciences5.6%
Psychology4.4%
Multi/interdisciplinary studies4.1%
keep comparing
Similar colleges
Public colleges in Pennsylvania
| College | Net price | Grad. | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temple University Philadelphia, PA | $23,058 | 73% | $71,027 |
| University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA | $29,362 | 86% | $73,113 |
| West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA | $24,778 | 68% | $66,629 |
| Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania Bloomsburg, PA | $17,468 | 54% | $56,416 |
| Pennsylvania State University-World Campus University Park, PA | $12,651 | 51% | $71,762 |
| Pennsylvania Western University California, PA | $17,839 | 51% | $51,161 |
Same Carnegie class, similar price
| College | Net price | Grad. | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Rochester Rochester, NY | $34,347 | 83% | $88,358 |
| Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO | $32,901 | 82% | $102,077 |
| University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA | $33,056 | 90% | $103,420 |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY | $32,758 | 80% | $113,011 |
| Georgetown University Washington, DC | $33,661 | 94% | $110,516 |
| New York University New York, NY | $35,737 | 88% | $90,957 |
Source: College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education — institution file, most recent cohorts. UNITID 214777. Founding year, motto and memberships: Wikidata Q739627.