What You'll Actually Pay
Price after grants
$19,845 to $37,831 a year for in-state students, depending on income.
College Scorecard 2024 estimate · in-state rates
See the price at your income ↑Sticker price
Full cost before aid: $39,694 a year in-state. Average need-based aid package: $15,591.Aid and debt
22.1%
receive need-based grants
$52,196
average debt at graduation
4,390
students got merit aid
about 10% of undergraduates
$6,021
average merit award
Getting In
Key dates
Test scores
SAT, middle 50% of those who submitted: 1280–1410 · 29% of the class submitted
ACT, middle 50% of those who submitted: 28–32 · 5% of the class submitted
37% were in the top 10% of their high school class.
What they value
- Very important
- GPA
- Important
- Course rigor (AP/IB)
- Considered
- SAT/ACT scores
- Special talent
- Where you're from
- In-state residency
- Not considered
- Class rank
- Personal essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Character
- First-gen status
- Legacy status
- Volunteer work
- Work experience
- Demonstrated interest
What this means for you
Penn State rates course rigor as Important.
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AP, IB, and dual-enrollment classes strengthen an application here — a strong mix of them helps.
Penn State doesn't consider demonstrated interest in admissions at all — visits and follow-up emails won't move the needle here.
Source: Common Data Set 2025–26, Section C7 (admissions factors)
Penn State just showed you what it values in an application. Use that to write a Why-Penn State essay that's actually about you — not a template.
Get sourced starting points for your essayStudent Life
32% of Penn State classes have fewer than 20 students.
32%
under 20 students
50.1%
20 to 49
17.9%
50 or more
Every class section counts, labs and seminars included; first-year courses tend to be larger. Penn State CDS 2025–26, I-3.
15:1
student:faculty ratio
Campus life
41.2%
first-years from out of state
35%
live on campus
~15%
in Greek life
Greek-life participation from Penn State FSL (2025) — not reported in Penn State's 2025–26 Common Data Set.
Who attends
- White62.5%
- Hispanic9.2%
- Asian7.6%
- Black4.5%
- Multiracial4.1%
- Unknown / other2.6%
Enrolled undergraduates; international students are counted separately and not included. Penn State CDS 2025–26, B2.
Popular majors
Will They Graduate?
70.8% of Penn State students graduate in 4 years.
70.8%
finish in 4 years
Entered fall 2019
85%
finish in 6 years
Entered fall 2019
92.3%
return after first year
Finishing late means paying for extra semesters, so the 4-year rate is the one that shows the cost.
Students with Pell Grants
76% finish in 6 years, against 85% of all students.
A 9-point gap: Pell Grant students finish less often than students overall.
City & Culture
Beyond the data — what it's actually like to spend four years in University Park.
State College — nicknamed 'Happy Valley' — is the archetypal remote college town: a small, walkable borough tucked into the ridges of central Pennsylvania that essentially exists because of Penn State.
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On a football Saturday the town swells past 100,000 and Beaver Stadium becomes one of the largest population centers in the state. The isolation cuts both ways — it's safe, affordable, and completely dominated by campus life, but it's also a real drive to anywhere, with the nearest major cities all 2.5 to 4 hours away.
The City
College town
University Park, PA
Best For
Notable alumni
Notable Alumni
William Schreyer
Longtime chairman and CEO of Merrill Lynch, who studied commerce and finance at Penn State and later gave the gift that named its Schreyer Honors College.
Class of 1948
Guion Bluford
The first African American in space, who earned his aerospace engineering degree at Penn State before flying four Space Shuttle missions.
Class of 1964
Keegan-Michael Key
Emmy-winning co-creator and star of the sketch series Key & Peele, who earned his MFA in theater from Penn State.
Class of 1996
Kelly Ayotte
Governor of New Hampshire and former U.S. Senator, who earned her political science degree at Penn State.
Class of 1990
Franco Harris
Pro Football Hall of Fame running back known for the 'Immaculate Reception,' who starred for the Nittany Lions before a 12-season NFL career.
Alumni selected for name recognition and range of fields. Not from the Common Data Set.
Traditions
Traditions
THON
A year-long, student-run effort that culminates in a 46-hour no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon at the Bryce Jordan Center, raising money for pediatric cancer care. It is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world.
White Out at Beaver Stadium
For marquee home football games the entire crowd of 100,000-plus dresses in white, turning Beaver Stadium into one of the most iconic environments in college football.
The Nittany Lion Shrine
A limestone statue of the school's mountain-lion mascot carved in 1942, the symbolic heart of campus and one of the most-photographed spots at Penn State.
The Berkey Creamery
Penn State's on-campus creamery is one of the largest university creameries in the country, famous for ice cream made from the university's own dairy program.
Weekend escapes from University Park
Weekend Escapes
Within driving distance from University Park
Pittsburgh, PA
2.5 hoursThe closest major city, with pro sports, museums, and a lively food and nightlife scene.
Rothrock State Forest
30 minutesRidge-and-valley forest just outside town with hiking, mountain biking, and the popular Mount Nittany trail nearby.
Raystown Lake
1 hourCentral Pennsylvania's largest lake, a go-to for boating, swimming, and camping in warm weather.
Philadelphia, PA
3.5 hoursA full-scale East Coast city for history, food, and pro sports when you want a bigger getaway.
Washington, DC
3.5 hoursThe nation's capital, packed with free museums and monuments, is a doable long-weekend trip.
Getting there and game days
Getting There & Game Days
Nearest airport
University Park Airport (SCE)
15 minutes from campus
For international flights: Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) — about 3.5 hours by car.
Pro sports nearby
- Pittsburgh Steelers NFL
- Pittsburgh Penguins NHL
- Pittsburgh Pirates MLB
- Philadelphia Eagles NFL
- Philadelphia Phillies MLB
Internships and jobs nearby
Career Proximity
University Park is geographically remote, so its career pipeline is driven far more by Penn State's scale than by local employers. The alumni network is one of the largest in the country and corporate recruiting is heavy, especially in engineering, business, and technology. State College does have a notable presence of its own — the Penn State Applied Research Laboratory, a Navy-affiliated research center on campus, and AccuWeather, headquartered just outside town — but most students intern in bigger metros over the summer.
Top Industries Nearby
Major Employers
- Penn State Applied Research Laboratory
- AccuWeather
- Penn State (university and health system)
Pittsburgh — about 2.5 hours away; University Park is otherwise fairly isolated from major job centers
Who thrives here
Who Thrives Here
Penn State runs on scale and spirit: more than 42,800 undergraduates, THON — one of the country's largest student-run philanthropies — and White Out Saturdays at a stadium that becomes one of the largest gatherings in Pennsylvania. Admissions are accessible for a flagship, with 55.3% of applicants admitted and a test-optional policy, and the outcomes are steady: 92.3% of first-years return and 85% graduate within six years, though the four-year rate trails at 70.8%. The culture is a genuine fit signal rather than colour — only about a third of undergraduates live on campus, so students build a life in the town of State College, and the isolation of central Pennsylvania means Happy Valley really is the whole world for four years, which energizes some students and closes in on others. The honest caution is cost: in-state tuition runs $21,518, but Penn State meets only 70.4% of demonstrated need and its borrowers graduate with $52,196 on average — well above its public peers.