Penn State University Park

Penn State - University Park Overview

Penn State - University Park is a public, state school in a small town setting in University Park, Pennsylvania. Penn State was founded in 1855 and now enrolls around 46,313 students a year, including 39,809 undergrads. Penn State offers on-campus housing for students. Most students live in off campus housing.

There are many ways for students to get involved at Penn State! Love music or performing? Join a campus band, sing in a chorus, or perform with one of Penn State's theater groups.

Interested in journalism or communications? Penn State students can write for the campus newspaper, host a radio show or be a producer for the student-run television channel.

Thinking of pledging? Penn State has fraternities and sororities.

Planning to play sports? Penn State has many options for athletes. See them all and learn more about life at Penn State on the Student Life page.

Learn more about life at Penn State on the Student Life page. Regular decision applicants for Fall 2022 should receive admissions decisions by October 1.

Is Penn State a Good School?

The definition of a "good school" is different for different people. Admissions difficulty and admitted student statistics can give you a sense of how selective a school is, but they don't tell you how happy or successful students are. However, there are a few good ways to get a better sense how satisfied students are and how well a school supports its student body.

Let's take a closer look at each of these factors to get a better idea of what Penn State offers and if it sounds like the right college for you.

Penn State Acceptance Rate 2021

It is very difficult to get into Penn State. Around 54% of applicants get into Penn State each year. Out of 73,861 applications received in 2021, 40,031 students were offered admission.

Retention and Graduation Rates at Penn State

Retention is the number of students that stay enrolled at a school over time. This is a way to get a sense of how satisfied students are with their school experience, and if they have the support necessary to succeed in college.

About 92% of students who start at Penn State return for their second year of college.Around 86% of students who started at Penn State earn their Bachelor's degrees within six years. Compare this to the average six-year graduation rate for colleges and universities in the U.S., which is around 61% for public schools and 67% for private.

Job Outcomes for Penn State Grads

Job placement rates after graduation and average starting salaries can all give important clues about the value of a degree from a specific school. Within six months of graduating, 72% of graduates receive at least one full-time job offer.

The average starting salary for recent Penn State grads is $48,779 a year. Average starting salaries vary by discipline, but the average starting salary for all 2021 graduates was around $60,000 a year.

Penn State's Endowment

An endowment is the total value of a school's investments, donations, and assets. Endowment is not necessarily an indicator of the quality of a school, but it can give you a sense of how much money a college can afford to invest in expanding programs, improving facilities, and support students. As of 2021, the total market value of the school endowment was $2.8 billion. The average college endowment was $905 million in 2021.

Tuition and Financial Aid at Penn State

Cost is another important factor when choose a college. Some colleges may have high tuition, but do a better job at meeting students' financial need. Penn State meets 65% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. First-year students that attend Penn State full-time are awarded $10,302 a year in financial aid, on average.

Students in the class of 2021 who had taken out student loans graduated with an average of $42,657 of debt. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.

The 2022-2023 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2021

Some financial aid is available on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA as soon as you can. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! You should never have to pay to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), so be very wary of anyone asking you for money.

Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at Penn State. Based on this information, how does Penn State sound? Remember, a school that is perfect for one person may be a terrible fit for another! So ask yourself: Is Penn State a good school for you?

If Penn State - University Park seems like a school you want to apply to, click the heart button to save it to your college list.

Still Looking for Schools?

Click below to find out more about the admissions requirements and deadlines, student life, academics, majors and more.

Admissions

Student Life

Academics

Tuition & Aid

Penn State Community Forums

Then use the college admissions predictor to calculate your chances of getting accepted at some of the schools in the U.S.

Where is Penn State?

Penn State is located in the small town setting of University Park, Pennsylvania, less than an hour from Harrisburg.

If you want to see Penn State for yourself, plan a visit. The best way to reach campus is to take Route 322 to University Park, or book a flight to the nearest airport, University Park.

You can also take a virtual campus tour to get a sense of what Penn State and University Park are like without leaving home.

Considering Colleges in Pennsylvania?

See a full list of colleges in Pennsylvania and save your favorites to your college list.