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College Ledger

Statement · University Park, PA

Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus

Public4-year · Bachelor's degreesCompare with other schools →

  1. Families earning under $30k paid $19,845 a year after grants and aid, against a published cost of $39,694.

  2. Students who received federal aid earned a median $63,435 ten years after entering, the 82nd percentile among public 4-years.

  3. 86% of students finish within 150% of normal time.

Founded
1855
Enrollment, 2023
52,693
Campus of Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus

George Chriss · CC BY 2.5

AboutPublic university in Pennsylvania, US. Wikipedia ↗

Read the Wikipedia extract

The Pennsylvania State University is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State was named the state's first land-grant university eight years later. Its primary campus, known as Penn State University Park, is located in State College and College Township in Centre County.

From the Wikipedia article “Pennsylvania State University”, revision 1363538066, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.

What it costs

The published sticker cost is $39,694 a year; after grants, families who received aid paid between $19,845 and $37,831 a year depending on income at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus.

Statement of cost · Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus

Family income (per year)
Sticker costPublished yearly cost of attendance, all students
$39,694
What families earning under $30k paidYearly net price after grants, for students receiving federal aid
$19,845
Average net price, all incomesAided students, all family incomes
$32,875
In-state tuition & feesLatest reported, 2024
$20,644

Each figure is reported separately; none is computed from another.

Net price by family income

Pick an income bracket above; the marked point follows. Dollars are what aided families paid each year after grants.

Yearly net price by family income, in dollars

under $30k: $19,845; $30–48k: $20,049; $48–75k: $25,667; $75–110k: $31,834; over $110k: $37,831. Shaded band: middle half of public 4-years, from $8,778 to $16,425; dotted line at the median, $12,780.
  • Shaded: the middle half of public 4-years (all incomes), $8,778 to $16,425. Dotted line: the median, $12,780.
Table of the same numbers
Average yearly net price by family income bracket
Family incomePaid per year
Under $30k$19,845
$30k–$48k$20,049
$48k–$75k$25,667
$75k–$110k$31,834
Over $110k$37,831

College Scorecard, 2023–24 aid cohort (students who received federal aid)

What graduates earn and owe

Ten years after entry, the median federally aided student here earns $63,435; the median graduate who borrowed owes $25,000.

Statement, continued

Earnings, 6 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
$55,620
Earnings, 8 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
$60,370
Median earnings 10 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
82nd percentile among public 4-years
$63,435
Median debt, graduatesStudents who finished and borrowed federal loans.
91st percentile among public 4-years
$25,000
Median debt, all who borrowedEveryone who borrowed, whether or not they finished.
$19,500

Earnings and debt come from federal aid records, so students who never received federal aid are not counted.

Earnings after entry

The shaded band is the middle half of public 4-years at 10 years: $42,655 to $60,720.

6 yrs after entry: $55,620; 8 yrs after entry: $60,370; 10 yrs after entry: $63,435. Median graduate debt: $25,000. Shaded band: middle half of public 4-years at 10 years, from $42,655 to $60,720; dotted line at the median, $50,178.
  • Shaded: middle half of public 4-years, 10 years out ($42,655 to $60,720); dotted line is the median.
  • Dashed: median graduate debt, $25,000.

Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Hollow marks are rungs with no reported value, not zero.

Table of the same numbers
Earnings after entry and graduate debt
MeasureDollars
Median earnings, 6 yrs after entry$55,620
Median earnings, 8 yrs after entry$60,370
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry$63,435
Median graduate debt$25,000

College Scorecard, federal tax and aid records

What programs pay

Median earnings five years after completing, by field of study. Small programs are privacy-suppressed and shown as not reported, never zero.

What programs pay at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
ProgramCredentialGraduatesEarnings, 5 yrsMedian debt
Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's Degree577$105,563$25,375
Information Science/StudiesBachelor's Degree489$92,982$26,000
Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's Degree458$116,013$26,000
Psychology, GeneralBachelor's Degree446$51,142$27,000
Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's Degree374$90,200$27,000
MarketingBachelor's Degree361$82,708$25,000
EconomicsBachelor's Degree356$87,517$25,000
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's Degree349$77,241$24,693
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, OtherBachelor's Degree341$80,065$26,000
Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementBachelor's Degree276$108,251$26,917
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's Degree274$53,634$26,263
Biology, GeneralBachelor's Degree242$68,771$26,000
Show all 30 programs
Remaining programs
ProgramCredentialGraduatesEarnings, 5 yrsMedian debt
Human Resources Management and ServicesBachelor's Degree239$80,773$27,000
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, OtherUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma229not reported$24,950
Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's Degree222$55,232$26,000
Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's Degree218$87,152$26,000
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's Degree210$59,703$27,000
LawFirst Professional Degree188$91,908not reported
JournalismBachelor's Degree175$61,946$25,000
Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's Degree175$69,838$26,000
Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralMaster's Degree18$140,490not reported
Information Science/StudiesMaster's Degree0$161,845not reported
PhysicsMaster's Degree14not reportednot reported
Systems EngineeringMaster's Degreenot reported$140,305not reported
Information Science/StudiesPost-baccalaureate Certificatenot reportednot reported$24,773
Business Administration, Management and OperationsPost-baccalaureate Certificatenot reportednot reported$20,125
Computer EngineeringMaster's Degreenot reported$137,077not reported
Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsMaster's Degree149$144,036not reported
Computational ScienceMaster's Degreenot reportednot reportednot reported
Business/Commerce, GeneralPost-baccalaureate Certificatenot reportednot reported$15,725

Source: College Scorecard field-of-study data.

Who goes here

Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus: 42,284 undergraduates; 14% of students receive Pell grants; 61% of applicants are admitted.

Admission rate

61%

18th percentile among public 4-years

Undergraduates

42,284

99th percentile among public 4-years

Pell share

14%

of undergraduates receive Pell grants

5th percentile among public 4-years

Completion

86%

finish within 150% of normal time

97th percentile among public 4-years

First-generation

29%

parents did not attend college

Median family income

$61,924

85th percentile among public 4-years

Students by family income

Share of students in each family-income bracket, for students who received federal aid.

  • Under $30k20%
  • $30k–$48k12%
  • $48k–$75k15%
  • $75k–$110k18%
  • Over $110k35%
Show as a table
Students by family income
Family incomeShare of students
Under $30k20%
$30k–$48k12%
$48k–$75k15%
$75k–$110k18%
Over $110k35%

Who Wikipedia remembers

Wikidata records 5,869 people who studied at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus, most often in science & academia (51%). That is the archive's memory, not a census.

What the recorded alumni are remembered for

Share of recorded people by field, in a fixed order so schools compare.

Fields of the people the archive recorded for this school, in a fixed order: science & academia 51% (2,560 people); medicine 0.8% (39 people); law 1.5% (73 people); politics & gov 4.5% (229 people); business 2.0% (101 people); engineering & tech 3.3% (164 people); writing & journalism 4.9% (247 people); film & stage 2.5% (128 people); music 0.7% (34 people); visual arts 1.5% (75 people); sports 26% (1,313 people); religion 0.2% (11 people); military 1.1% (56 people). These are shares of people recorded in Wikidata, the archive's memory, not a census of alumni.
Table of the same numbers
Fields of the people the archive recorded for this school (the archive's memory, not a census)
FieldPeople recordedShare
science & academia2,56050.9%
medicine390.8%
law731.5%
politics & gov2294.5%
business1012.0%
engineering & tech1643.3%
writing & journalism2474.9%
film & stage1282.5%
music340.7%
visual arts751.5%
sports1,31326.1%
religion110.2%
military561.1%

Source: Wikidata, via the archive's memory (not a census).

most recorded occupationsresearcher (1,728) · basketball player (546) · American football player (518) · university teacher (436) · politician (211) · writer (112) · academic (96) · mathematician (95)

Women among recorded alumni, by birth decade

Counts reflect who the archive records, not a census.

Share of women among recorded alumni, from 7% for the 1890s to 38% for the 2000s. Decades with fewer than 5 recorded people are not drawn, and 5 decades are marked not reported for women. The line breaks at every decade not drawn.

Counts only people the archive records with a gender. Hollow marks are decades with no women reported or fewer than 5 recorded, not zero.

Table of the same numbers
Recorded alumni by birth decade
BornWomenMenShare women
1840snot reported8not reported
1850snot reported3not reported
1860snot reported12not reported
1870snot reported7not reported
1880snot reported23not reported
1890s4537%
1900s96512%
1910s107811%
1920s1812812%
1930s2316612%
1940s6122321%
1950s5524518%
1960s4921519%
1970s3717917%
1980s5518623%
1990s6815730%
2000s396538%

Source: Wikidata, via the archive's memory (not a census).

Wikipedia attention, by month

Wikipedia attention

monthly views

Monthly Wikipedia article views from 2015-07 to 2026-06; peak 73,557 in 2018-09.
Table of the same numbers
Wikipedia article views by month
MonthViews
2026-0622,086
2026-0523,787
2026-0424,070
2026-0324,890
2026-0222,148
2026-0128,039
2025-1234,654
2025-1133,593
2025-1040,717
2025-0944,882
2025-0830,939
2025-0726,117
2025-0623,338
2025-0527,853
2025-0429,100
2025-0345,886
2025-0230,731
2025-0160,204
2024-1260,351
2024-1150,131
2024-1042,702
2024-0941,100
2024-0836,187
2024-0728,987
2024-0624,528
2024-0529,967
2024-0432,001
2024-0334,097
2024-0232,152
2024-0140,534
2023-1243,090
2023-1148,042
2023-1045,281
2023-0949,259
2023-0840,258
2023-0734,943
2023-0632,181
2023-0536,245
2023-0435,309
2023-0342,066
2023-0232,637
2023-0143,957
2022-1235,689
2022-1142,065
2022-1051,495
2022-0944,920
2022-0839,050
2022-0732,848
2022-0629,247
2022-0534,932
2022-0440,836
2022-0338,781
2022-0236,519
2022-0142,763
2021-1242,842
2021-1145,262
2021-1050,809
2021-0960,852
2021-0842,356
2021-0737,744
2021-0627,635
2021-0532,878
2021-0435,007
2021-0337,699
2021-0233,072
2021-0134,630
2020-1236,003
2020-1147,446
2020-1039,969
2020-0932,925
2020-0834,954
2020-0729,727
2020-0629,767
2020-0538,441
2020-0442,439
2020-0334,913
2020-0237,631
2020-0142,662
2019-1247,786
2019-1154,673
2019-1065,646
2019-0950,818
2019-0841,219
2019-0733,958
2019-0631,658
2019-0538,804
2019-0440,681
2019-0339,872
2019-0233,811
2019-0147,226
2018-1252,658
2018-1152,522
2018-1057,399
2018-0973,557
2018-0849,376
2018-0741,874
2018-0638,063
2018-0542,804
2018-0454,681
2018-0356,195
2018-0238,138
2018-0141,334
2017-1247,178
2017-1151,409
2017-1063,358
2017-0956,118
2017-0838,270
2017-0733,126
2017-0633,297
2017-0540,433
2017-0439,816
2017-0343,306
2017-0238,802
2017-0156,320
2016-1254,401
2016-1154,333
2016-1061,388
2016-0949,045
2016-0842,667
2016-0733,316
2016-0632,130
2016-0542,401
2016-0446,184
2016-0340,388
2016-0239,666
2016-0139,161
2015-1236,404
2015-1143,990
2015-1046,803
2015-0943,258
2015-0838,230
2015-0733,704

Source: Wikimedia pageviews.

Nobel laureates who studied here

  • Paul Berg Chemistry 1980

The portrait wall

Ordered by Wikipedia footprint (language editions).

Show all 14 portraits

Also recorded: Benjamin Bloom.

Similar schools

These are the nearest neighbors in the same sector. The list is not an ordering.

Sources & caveats

Figures come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Built 2026-07-17.

not reported
Not reported: suppressed for privacy or never collected. It is not zero, and nothing has been filled in.
Percentiles
A percentile compares this school with others in its own sector (for example, public 4-year schools). It describes position, not quality.
Earnings
Earnings cover students who received federal (Title IV) aid, measured from the year they entered. Students who never received federal aid are not included.
Provenance notes
  • U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard, 2026-06 release. Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Suppressed values are null, never imputed.
  • Annual Scorecard files 1996-2026. A null in early years usually means the measure was not yet collected, not zero.
  • Coordinates and locale describe the campus address, not where students live.
  • Wikidata is not an alumni census: a person appears only when volunteer editors record them. Counts measure the archive's memory - access x achievement x documentation - never placement rates or institutional quality.
  • Images are from Wikimedia Commons under free licenses. Render the credit line (artist + license) with every image.

Lead text from Wikipedia (revision 1363538066), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.