Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Middletown, Pennsylvania. It enrolls 4,031 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Good
58/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes37
Value51
Affordability33
Selectivity35
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg admits 97.6% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.
Acceptance Rate
97.6%
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1120 – 1310
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
22 – 31
Cumulative composite
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $23,330 a year on average, it sits in line with what public colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$15,972
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$26,958
Room & Board (on-campus)
$14,474
Room & Board (off-campus)
$15,274
Books & Supplies
$1,200
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$5,020
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$5,020
Total Cost of Attendance
$32,521
Application fee: $65 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$16,219
$30,001 – $48,000
$16,221
$48,001 – $75,000
$21,176
$75,001 – $110,000
$25,103
Over $110,000
$29,834
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$4,75010%percentile
$8,75025%percentile
$25,000Medianpercentile
$27,00075%percentile
$34,00090%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $20,980
↓ $4,020
No Pell $19,500
↓ $5,500
Dependent students $19,500
↓ $5,500
Independent students $19,486
↓ $5,514
Female students $20,000
↓ $5,000
Male students $19,500
↓ $5,500
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $9,500, less than completers ($25,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
61% of students who start here finish within six years, and 82% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
61%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
82%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $63,435 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$63,435
Earning > $25K
84%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$50,100
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$63,100
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$50,800
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$53,000
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$62,300
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $13,000, about 21% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
14.5 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Excellent. 91% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 4,031 students, a mid-sized community.
Total Enrolled
4,031
Part-Time
6%
First-Generation
29%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 46.0%1,854
Asian 14.4%582
International 14.1%570
Black 10.1%408
Hispanic 9.6%387
Other 4.0%160
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
63 distinct programs across
18 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 15 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.
Student : Faculty
15:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Avg Faculty Salary
$95,374
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
246 instructional faculty across 5 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
31
13%
$130,020
Associate Professors
69
28%
$110,850
Assistant Professors
48
20%
$90,504
Instructors
90
37%
$76,299
Lecturers
8
3%
$71,447
Pros & Cons of Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Best for:
Based on the data, Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.
Frequently Asked Questions about Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg
The questions families ask most about Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg hard to get into?
Not especially. Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 97.6%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg?
97.6% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg?
Aim for 1310 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 1120 and 1310 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg?
Aim for 31 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 22 and 31 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg cost?
Budget around $23,330 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $63,435 a year against a net price of $23,330, about 2.7 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg known for?
Mostly Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Nursing. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg graduates earn?
About $63,435 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg accredited?
Yes. Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg?
4,031 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg?
61% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg located?
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg is located in Middletown, Pennsylvania.
What programs does Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg offer?
63 different programs, most commonly Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Nursing. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg?
15 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
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