Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
University Park, Pennsylvania · Also known as Penn State · Website
$63,435
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$63,435
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus is a public 4-year college in University Park, Pennsylvania with 42,284 undergraduates and 8,133 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $32,875 a year (tuition and fees $20,644 in-state, $41,790 out-of-state). It admits 61% of applicants and 86% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $63,435 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $25,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$32,875
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$20,644
Out-of-state $41,790
Admission rate
61%
US median 78%
Completion rate
86%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$25,000
About $265 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$63,435
Rank 590 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $32,875
- Tuition in-state
- $20,644
- Tuition out-of-state
- $41,790
- Cost of attendance
- $39,694
- Students with a need-based grant
- 14%
- Students with federal loans
- 40%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $19,845
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $20,049
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $25,667
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $31,834
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $37,831
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $17,514 in 2015-16 to $20,644 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 61%
- Average SAT
- 1,337
- Undergraduates
- 42,284
- Graduate students
- 8,133
- Part-time students
- 2.0%
- Women
- 47%
- Students per teacher
- 16
- Completion rate
- 86%
- Retention rate
- 93%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 487
- Endowment
- $4.2B
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 590 of 5,094 US colleges and 53 of 270 in Pennsylvania (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | PA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $32,875 | $19,970 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $20,644 | $19,182 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 61% | 81% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 86% | 66% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 93% | 78% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $25,000 | $17,500 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $55,620 | $42,275 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $63,435 | $49,700 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 68% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 80% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
487 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 577 | $25,000 | $68,552 | $96,714 | $83,343 |
| Information Science/StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 489 | $25,950 | $66,209 | $91,671 | $85,294 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 458 | $25,000 | $84,050 | $120,729 | $92,374 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 446 | $26,000 | $32,408 | $49,543 | $50,706 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 374 | $26,723 | $69,772 | $87,997 | $92,135 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 361 | $24,947 | $50,729 | $79,343 | $69,303 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 356 | $24,500 | $55,418 | $81,228 | $82,686 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 349 | $23,250 | $50,587 | $76,246 | $63,560 |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | 341 | $25,601 | $35,324 | $81,617 | $65,681 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 276 | $26,000 | $73,941 | $98,637 | $85,063 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 274 | $26,000 | $45,795 | $53,362 | $47,382 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 242 | $25,717 | $33,417 | $64,910 | $57,214 |
| Human Resources Management and ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 239 | $27,000 | $58,884 | $81,755 | $68,069 |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, OtherCertificate | Certificate | 229 | $24,000 | $56,412 | $82,162 | $79,067 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 222 | $25,500 | $37,240 | $56,877 | $55,378 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 218 | $25,218 | $63,425 | $88,192 | $76,194 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 210 | $26,940 | $30,133 | $67,399 | $54,562 |
| LawProfessional | Professional | 188 | $65,436 | $61,271 | $90,775 | $107,773 |
| JournalismBachelor's | Bachelor's | 175 | $24,367 | $36,468 | $62,336 | $56,278 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 175 | $25,000 | $41,201 | $68,918 | $63,293 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementCertificate | Certificate | 172 | $26,000 | $75,635 | $102,874 | $52,615 |
| Civil EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 160 | $26,000 | $67,966 | $81,403 | $86,517 |
| Data ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 158 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 156 | $23,875 | $59,629 | $77,336 | $69,562 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 154 | $26,000 | $74,958 | $93,277 | $100,647 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of University Park and Pennsylvania on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Pennsylvania
- Homes: Homes for sale in Pennsylvania
Questions and answers
How much does Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus cost?
$32,875 a year is the average net price at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $20,644 for in-state students and $41,790 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $39,694. Families earning under $30,000 pay $19,845 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus?
61% of applicants are admitted to Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,337. The median admission rate of colleges in Pennsylvania is 81%.
How much do Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus graduates earn?
$63,435 a year is the median pay of former Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus students who work, 10 years after they started ($55,620 after 6 years). That ranks 590 of 5,094 US colleges and 53 of 270 in Pennsylvania. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Information Science/Studies (Post-bachelor certificate) at $129,079.
How much student debt do Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus graduates have?
$25,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus graduates, about $265 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 40% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus?
86% of first-time, full-time students at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus finish within 6 years. 93% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus?
Finance and Financial Management Services (577 bachelor's graduates), Information Science/Studies (489 bachelor's graduates), Computer and Information Sciences, General (458 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 487 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.