Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
University Park, Pennsylvania · Public · 4-year · City
Official websiteAt a glance
- Average net price
- $32,875What students typically pay per year after grants and scholarships.
- Acceptance rate
- 61%
- Graduation rate
- 86%Share of students who finish within 150% of the normal time.
- Undergraduates
- 42,284
- In-state tuition
- $20,644Published price before aid.
- Out-of-state tuition
- $41,790
- SAT midpoint
- Not reported
- Median earnings, 10 yrs
- $63,435Median earnings of former students ten years after they first enrolled.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Data year: 2022-23 academic year. Updated September 2026. Figures are averages across all students and will differ from what any individual pays.
How it compares to similar colleges
Each rating covers one measure against public 4-year colleges nationally. Five stars means the top fifth on that measure. There is no overall score, because which of these matters is your call.
Affordability
$32,8751/5
Better than 0% of public 4-year colleges (565 compared).
Completion
86%5/5
Better than 96% of public 4-year colleges (566 compared).
Earnings
$63,4354/5
Better than 74% of public 4-year colleges (590 compared).
Debt at graduation
$25,0001/5
Better than 9% of public 4-year colleges (588 compared).
What these ratings are based on
- Affordability
- Based on average net price: what students receiving federal aid actually paid, after grants and scholarships. Your own cost depends on your family's finances.
- Completion
- Based on the share of first-time, full-time students who graduate within 150% of normal time. It excludes transfer and part-time students, which understates colleges serving many of them.
- Earnings
- Based on median earnings ten years after students first enrolled. It reflects the subjects a college teaches and the region it sits in as much as its teaching.
- Debt at graduation
- Based on median federal loan debt among students who completed. Private and parent loans are not included, so real totals are often higher.
- Why there is no rating for selectivity
- A lower acceptance rate is selectivity, not quality. Awarding stars for it would be us inventing a value judgement and hiding it behind a number.
What it actually costs
Published cost
$39,694
The sticker price: tuition, fees, housing, food and books for one academic year, before any aid.
Average net price
$32,875
What students receiving federal aid actually paid on average, after grants and scholarships. This is the more useful number, though your own figure depends on your family’s finances.
Outcomes
| Graduation rateWithin 150% of normal time | 86% |
|---|---|
| Retention rateFirst-year students who return | 93% |
| Median debt at graduationFederal loans only, students who completed | $25,000 |
| Median earnings, 10 years after entryFormer students, working and not enrolled | $63,435 |
What graduates of each major earn
Median earnings one year after finishing, for people who took that subject here. This is the figure a college-wide median hides: the spread between subjects at one college is usually far wider than the spread between colleges.
| Major | Earnings, 1 yr | Degrees awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum Engineering | $85,795 | 77 |
| Computer Engineering | $85,446 | 83 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | $84,050 | 458 |
| Chemical Engineering | $82,218 | 139 |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians | $81,472 | Not reported |
| Architectural Engineering | $80,070 | 79 |
| Engineering Science | $79,909 | 29 |
| Industrial Engineering | $78,975 | 134 |
| Nuclear Engineering | $78,218 | 33 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $77,955 | 111 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | $76,531 | 108 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | $74,958 | 154 |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | $74,497 | 7 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | $73,941 | 276 |
| Engineering, Other | $73,153 | 30 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | $73,100 | 126 |
| Computer Science | $72,884 | Not reported |
| Materials Sciences | $72,216 | 58 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $69,772 | 374 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | $68,552 | 577 |
| Polymer/Plastics Engineering | $68,438 | Not reported |
| Engineering, General | $68,331 | Not reported |
| Statistics | $68,254 | 75 |
| Civil Engineering | $67,966 | 160 |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other | $67,306 | 66 |
| Information Science/Studies | $66,209 | 489 |
| Management Information Systems and Services | $66,169 | 75 |
| Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians | $65,043 | Not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians | $64,874 | Not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services | $63,425 | 218 |
| Agricultural Engineering | $62,382 | 25 |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering | $61,414 | 28 |
| Architecture | $60,898 | 43 |
| Food Science and Technology | $59,722 | 32 |
| Mathematics | $59,629 | 156 |
| Sustainability Studies | $59,456 | 9 |
| Human Resources Management and Services | $58,884 | 239 |
| Landscape Architecture | $58,304 | 29 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $58,140 | 56 |
| Economics | $55,418 | 356 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | $53,908 | 82 |
| Non-Professional Legal Studies | $53,237 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $51,562 | Not reported |
| Marketing | $50,729 | 361 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | $50,587 | 349 |
| Agricultural Business and Management | $50,136 | 75 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | $50,006 | 44 |
| Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | $49,872 | 35 |
| Security Science and Technology | $49,782 | 43 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | $49,749 | 92 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | $47,840 | 90 |
| Chemistry | $47,009 | 48 |
| Geography and Cartography | $46,477 | Not reported |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | $45,858 | 138 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $45,795 | 274 |
| Business/Commerce, General | $45,110 | Not reported |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | $45,050 | 64 |
| Physics | $43,461 | 56 |
| Design and Applied Arts | $43,324 | 34 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | $43,288 | 100 |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology | $42,595 | 59 |
| Political Science and Government | $41,201 | 175 |
| Forestry | $41,189 | 15 |
| Social Sciences, General | $40,584 | 1 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | $39,808 | 110 |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | $39,728 | 27 |
| Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other | $39,582 | 3 |
| Education, General | $39,035 | Not reported |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | $39,030 | 128 |
| Agriculture, General | $38,606 | 36 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | $37,834 | 11 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | $37,330 | 46 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $37,240 | 222 |
| Journalism | $36,468 | 175 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | $36,426 | 17 |
| Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences | $35,700 | 25 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | $35,639 | 89 |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other | $35,324 | 341 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management | $35,132 | 76 |
| Sociology | $35,016 | 35 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $34,699 | Not reported |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | $34,375 | Not reported |
| Communication and Media Studies | $34,181 | 93 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | $34,030 | 79 |
| Biology, General | $33,417 | 242 |
| Animal Sciences | $33,182 | 72 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | $33,153 | 68 |
| Business/Corporate Communications | $32,445 | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | $32,408 | 446 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | $30,697 | 82 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | $30,133 | 210 |
| English Language and Literature, General | $29,848 | 74 |
| Natural Resources and Conservation, Other | $29,139 | 44 |
| Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs | $28,939 | 69 |
| History | $28,803 | 52 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | $27,886 | 32 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | $25,702 | 7 |
| Nutrition Sciences | $25,673 | 59 |
| Anthropology | $23,716 | 36 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | $23,086 | 46 |
| Music | $18,462 | 39 |
| Philosophy | $17,881 | 33 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | $16,853 | 129 |
| Data Science | Not reported | 158 |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | Not reported | 66 |
| Plant Sciences | Not reported | 36 |
| Biology/Biotechnology Technologies/Technicians | Not reported | 22 |
| Geography and Environmental Studies | Not reported | 22 |
| Area Studies | Not reported | 16 |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Not reported | 16 |
| Special Education and Teaching | Not reported | 16 |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Not reported | 14 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | Not reported | 13 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Not reported | 13 |
| Science, Technology and Society | Not reported | 12 |
| Agricultural Public Services | Not reported | 12 |
| Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Not reported | 12 |
| Data Processing | Not reported | 8 |
| Pharmacology and Toxicology | Not reported | 8 |
| Mining and Mineral Engineering | Not reported | 7 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | Not reported | 6 |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Not reported | 5 |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Not reported | 4 |
| Religion/Religious Studies | Not reported | 3 |
| Medieval and Renaissance Studies | Not reported | 2 |
| Surveying Engineering | Not reported | 1 |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy | Not reported | 1 |
| Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other | Not reported | Not reported |
| Archeology | Not reported | Not reported |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Not reported | Not reported |
| Applied Mathematics | Not reported | Not reported |
| Agricultural Mechanization | Not reported | Not reported |
| Business/Managerial Economics | Not reported | Not reported |
| Dance | Not reported | Not reported |
| International Business | Not reported | Not reported |
| Social Sciences, Other | Not reported | Not reported |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General | Not reported | Not reported |
| Physical Sciences, General | Not reported | Not reported |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | Not reported | Not reported |
| Education, Other | Not reported | Not reported |
| Public Policy Analysis | Not reported | Not reported |
All 141 bachelor’s programs this college reported.
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