Penn State University Park

University Park, PA · Public · Big Ten Conference

Official website · Admissions

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Admission rate

Penn State University Park admitted 60.6% of applicants university-wide (53,579 of 88,478).

CohortAdmit rateAdmittedApplicants
University-wide60.6%53,57988,478
Men57.9%23,58240,752
Women62.8%29,60047,118

Also offers Early Action (closes Nov 1) — the Common Data Set doesn't publish EA admit counts.

Of 53,579 admitted students, 9,169 enrolled (17.1% yield).

Penn State University Park Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C1–C2 · 2024Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.

Test scores and GPA of admitted students

SAT (mid-50%)
1250–1410
ACT (mid-50%)
27–32
GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
3.754.00

Testing policy: Test-optional (considered if submitted)

Penn State University Park Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C9–C12 · 2024Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.

Cost and financial aid

Published cost of attendance: $63,054/yr.

Out-of-state tuition$41,212
Fees, housing, food, books & other$21,842
Sticker cost of attendance$63,054/yr

Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)

Under $30k$19,845
$30k–48k$20,049
$48k–75k$25,667
$75k–110k$31,834
Over $110k$37,831

U.S. Dept. of Education · College Scorecard — average net price by family income (Title IV, from IPEDS) · 2023

US applicants

Need- and merit-based aid available.

  • Academic Excellence Scholarship$2,000-$10,000 per year (Merit)
  • Provost's Award for International StudentsUp to $10,000 per year (International Aid)
  • President's Freshman Scholarship$5,000 per year (Merit)
  • Schreyer Honors College Scholarship$5,000 per year (Merit)
  • University Park GrantVaries (Need Based)

International applicants

No need-based aid reported for internationals.

  • Provost's Award for International StudentsUp to $10,000 per year (International Aid)
  • President's Freshman Scholarship$5,000 per year (Merit)
  • Schreyer Honors College Scholarship$5,000 per year (Merit)
  • International Student ScholarshipUp to $4,000 per year (International Aid)

Penn State University Park Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections G–H · 2024

Application requirements

US applicants

  • Online Application (MyPennState or Common App)
  • Self-reported Transcript (STARS)
  • Personal Statement (optional)
  • Activities Section (optional)
  • Application fee

International applicants

  • Online Application (MyPennState or Common App)
  • Self-reported Transcript (STARS)
  • Personal Statement (optional)
  • Activities Section (optional)
  • Application fee
  • English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
  • GPA credential conversion
  • Predicted Class XII marksheet
  • Financial documentation (I-20)

Penn State University Park · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025

Essay prompts

Draft these in the free Essay Coach

Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 4, 2026

Graduate outcomes

Median earnings
$63,435
Median earnings · 10 years after entry
Graduation rate
86.1%
Within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
92.6%
Return for year two · CDS Section B
Median debt
$25,000
At graduation

Penn State University Park · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.

Published rankings

  • U.S. News National: #59
  • Forbes: #338
  • QS: #82

Deadlines

Academics and campus

Largest degree fields: Business & marketing (16%), Engineering (15%), Computer & information sciences (11%).

Student–faculty ratio: 15:1 · 31% of class sections have under 20 students.

Penn State University Park Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.

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