55%
Acceptance Rate
$19,286
Avg Cost (In-State)
$38,824
Avg Cost (Out-of-State)
86%
Graduation Rate
88,502
Total Enrollment
Popular programs
Application requirements
Regular Deadline
February 1
Early Deadline
November 1 (Early Action)
Common App
Yes
Test Policy
Test Optional
Essays Required
1
Letters of Rec
1
Application Fee
$75
Interview
Not required
Essays: One personal statement required through Common App or Coalition App
Requirements are AI-generated from public data and may change. Always verify directly with the college.
Getting there
Graduate outcomes
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
$55,620
Median Earnings at 6 Years
median graduate salary 6 years after starting
$63,435
Median Earnings at 10 Years
median graduate salary 10 years after starting
26%
4-Year Graduation Rate
students completing degree within 4 years
Earnings data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Figures reflect federal aid recipients only — actual median earnings may be higher at schools where many students receive grants rather than loans.
Earnings by major
Median earnings 1 year after graduation, by bachelor's program. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard FieldOfStudy data.
| Program | Median earnings (1yr) | Earnings (4yr) | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Science/Studies. | $66,209 | $91,671 | 1098 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | $77,955 | $91,032 | 952 |
| Business/Commerce, General. | $45,110 | $65,292 | 917 |
| Psychology, General. | $32,408 | $49,543 | 753 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | $69,772 | $87,997 | 648 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | $37,240 | $56,877 | 580 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services. | $68,552 | $96,714 | 571 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | $63,425 | $88,192 | 525 |
Tracked through federal tax records. Programs with fewer than 30 graduates with reported earnings are privacy-suppressed. 4-year figure tracks the same cohort 3 years later.
What current students say
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Personalized cost estimate based on your family's finances and academic profile
Calculate Your Cost at Pennsylvania State University
Get a personalized estimate of what you'd pay to attend Pennsylvania State University
Tactics that apply here
Things you can do that most families don't know about.
Early Action priority deadlines unlock the biggest merit pools
~$15k valueAt many public universities, applying by the EA deadline (Nov 1) instead of regular (Feb 1) decides whether you're considered for the top merit awards.
Who it helps: Students with their applications ready by November of senior year, especially those targeting merit-rich publics.
How to use: List each target school's EA deadline (commonly Nov 1, sometimes Oct 15 or Dec 1). Submit complete applications + test scores by then. Confirm merit-scholarship deadlines separately — some require a different priority date or supplemental essay.
Source ↗File FAFSA the day it opens
~$5k valueMost schools award state and institutional aid first-come-first-served from a fixed pool. Filing FAFSA in October beats filing in February by thousands.
Who it helps: Every student applying for need-based aid, but especially families relying on state grants or institutional aid.
How to use: Set a calendar reminder for the FAFSA opening date (currently Oct 1 most years; Dec 1 in the 2024-25 transition year). Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to auto-fill tax info. Submit even if you have to estimate; corrections are easy.
Source ↗CSS Profile is required by 200+ private schools — separate from FAFSA
Most selective private colleges use the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA. It costs $25 + $16/school and reaches deeper into family finances than FAFSA does.
Who it helps: Any student applying to a private 4-year with significant institutional aid needs.
How to use: Check the CSS Profile school list for each of your target colleges. Open the app at cssprofile.collegeboard.org as soon as it opens (early Oct). Submit ahead of each school's earliest priority date — often before the FAFSA deadline.
Source ↗Scholarships
Scholarships you may qualify for.
Penn State Bunton-Waller Fellowship
Tuition + research/teaching stipend
universityUnderrepresented PhD students at Penn State pursuing teaching/research careers.
Deadline: December 1
Learn more ↗Penn State Provost Award
$2,000-$5,000/year
universityOOS students in top 10% of class with strong test scores. Automatic.
Deadline: November 30
Learn more ↗Penn State Schreyer Honors College Scholarship
$5,000-$8,000/year
universityAdmission to Schreyer Honors College; competitive nationwide.
Deadline: November 1
Learn more ↗Penn State Schreyer Honors College Academic Excellence Scholarship
$2,000-$5,000/year + study abroad funding
universitySchreyer Honors College admits beyond base award; competitive named tier.
Deadline: November 1
Learn more ↗Penn State Blue Band Scholarship
$500-$3,000/year
universityPenn State Blue Band marching band participants; auditioned awards.
Deadline: Through band admission
Learn more ↗Drexel Dean's Merit Scholarship
$10,000-$24,000/year
universityDrexel incoming freshmen with strong academic profile; tiered automatic award.
Deadline: January 15
Learn more ↗Pennsylvania State Grant
Up to $5,750/year
statePennsylvania residents attending approved PA or reciprocal-state schools. Based on financial need via FAFSA.
Deadline: May 1 (August 1 for renewals)
Learn more ↗Bryn Mawr Need-Met Aid
100% need met
universityAll admitted Bryn Mawr students with demonstrated need.
Deadline: CSS Profile + FAFSA
Learn more ↗Philadelphia Foundation Scholarships
$500-$10,000
localPhiladelphia-area students; many named funds.
Deadline: March 1
Learn more ↗Net price by income
What it actually costs your family.
Average net price (tuition, fees, room/board minus grant aid) by household income tier, AY 2023–24. Source: IPEDS NPRC1.
| Household income | Average net price / year |
|---|---|
| $0 – $30,000 | $18,400 |
| $30,001 – $48,000 | $21,200 |
| $48,001 – $75,000 | $25,400 |
| $75,001 – $110,000 | $30,100 |
| $110,001+ | $34,200 |
Cost calculator
See the full income-tier cost breakdown for Pennsylvania State University →
Type your household income and get a per-family estimate, plus % off sticker and a methodology breakdown.
Round-by-round
Acceptance rates by application round.
The single overall 55% rate hides a 2–4x gap between ED and RD at most selective schools. Class of 2027 cycle.
Rolling Admissions
55%
acceptance
Rolling admission; priority deadline Nov 1 for scholarship + housing consideration.
Source ↗Regular Decision
60.56%
acceptance
Bulk-imported from College Scorecard (admission_rate.overall). Deadline/notification dates are typical RD defaults; revise as needed.
Source ↗Class profile
Who actually goes here.
From the most recent Common Data Set and IPEDS.
21.0%
% Pell-eligible
Federal Pell grant recipients
22.0%
% first-generation
First in family to attend college
64.0%
% in-state
Residents of the college's home state
18.0%
% URM
Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native combined
23.0%
Yield rate
Share of admitted students who enroll
93.0%
1st-to-2nd year retention
Freshmen who return as sophomores
87.0%
6-year grad rate
Graduate within 150% normal time
Demonstrated interest
Not considered
Visits, info sessions and opening emails don't move the needle here.
For transfer students
Transferring in to Pennsylvania State University.
56%
Transfer admit rate
2.5
Min transfer GPA
Not honored
State articulation
PA Transfer & Articulation Oversight Committee (TAOC) covers gen-ed transfer between PA publics. Commonwealth Campus 2+2 to University Park is the main internal path.
Peer colleges
Similar colleges to consider.
Similar selectivity
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX
57% acceptance
Both admit around 57% of applicants, with 75k undergrads and a c campus — a close selectivity match.
Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
53% acceptance
Both admit around 53% of applicants, with 61k undergrads and a u campus — a close selectivity match.
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN
53% acceptance
Both admit around 53% of applicants, with 51k undergrads and a c campus — a close selectivity match.
Cheaper alternatives
CUNY City College
New York, NY
60% acceptance
Similar selectivity (60% vs 55%) but out-of-state cost runs $15k — meaningfully less than $39k.
CUNY Hunter College
New York, NY
53.8% acceptance
Similar selectivity (54% vs 55%) but out-of-state cost runs $15k — meaningfully less than $39k.
CUNY Lehman College
Bronx, NY
56.6% acceptance
Similar selectivity (57% vs 55%) but out-of-state cost runs $15k — meaningfully less than $39k.
Reaches above this college
Safer alternatives
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT
65.3% acceptance
Same c setting in the Northeast, but higher admit rate (65% vs 55%) — a likelier admit with a similar feel.
Rutgers University
New Brunswick, NJ
66% acceptance
Same c setting in the Northeast, but higher admit rate (66% vs 55%) — a likelier admit with a similar feel.
Rowan University
Glassboro, NJ
77.7% acceptance
Same c setting in the Northeast, but higher admit rate (78% vs 55%) — a likelier admit with a similar feel.
Transfer pathways
Routes in from a community college.
From PA community colleges
2plus2Penn State has a robust transfer system with formal articulation agreements through the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Center (PA TRAC) and the Penn State Pathway to Success (P2S) program with all 14 Pennsylvania community colleges. Students typically transfer after compl…
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