Pennsylvania State University-World Campus

University Park, PA · Public · 7,877 undergrads (medium, city) · website ↗

Test-optional
$65 application fee

What you'll actually pay

Average net price per year — tuition, fees, room & board minus grant and scholarship aid — for in-state students by household income.

Household income	Avg net price / year
Under $30,000	$16,372
$30,000 – $48,000	$17,144
$48,000 – $75,000	$19,337
$75,000 – $110,000	$23,852
Over $110,000	$26,078
All incomes (average)	$19,550

Sticker tuition and fees: $15,356 in-state — before aid, from the same earlier College Scorecard release as the net prices above.

These are averages. For an estimate for your family, use Pennsylvania State University-World Campus's own net price calculator — every college that takes federal student aid must publish one.

Net price calculator ↗

Other costs of attendance, 2025–26

The college's own estimate for a full-time undergraduate for the year, before aid, from the October 2026 College Scorecard. It is a newer year than the tuition and net prices above, so don't add the two together.

Housing and meals, off campus (not with family)	$18,276
Books and supplies	$1,200
Other expenses, off campus	$5,324

Grants and loans for first-year students, 2022–23

What the college reported for its full-time, first-time students (198 of them) in 2022–23; 72% got some kind of aid, loans included. Each average is over the students who received that kind of aid, not over everyone. It is an older year than the 2025–26 costs above.

Type of aid	Students awarded	Average amount
Any grant or scholarshipFederal, state, local and the college's own	60%	$7,232
Federal Pell GrantNeed-based, from the federal government	39%	$5,310
The college's own grants and scholarshipsNeed- or merit-based, funded by the college	59%	$2,195
Federal student loansBorrowed by the student; repaid with interest. No Parent PLUS or private loans	46%	$5,437

IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education, Student Financial Aid 2022–23 (SFA2223, provisional release); full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates; public domain.

Admissions & outcomes

Acceptance rate: 91%
Average SAT: 1248
Median ACT: —
Students with Pell grants: 31%
Graduation rate (6yr): 34%
Freshman retention: 66%
Median earnings @ 10yr: $63,435
Median debt at graduation: $25,000
International undergrads: 215 (2.7%)

For comparison, the median across all 1,596 four-year colleges on this site: graduation rate 56%, earnings ten years after entering $54,869, debt at graduation $23,250.

Admission policy, test scores and teaching

SAT/ACT policy: Test-optional
Application fee: $65
Students per faculty member: 16 to 1
Faculty who are full-time: —
Open admission: No

Middle 50% of test scores, fall 2024

25th to 75th percentile of enrolled first-year students who submitted scores. A quarter scored below the first figure and a quarter above the second. Section ranges can't be added together into a total-score range.

SAT Reading and Writing: 560–680
SAT Math: 530–655
ACT composite: 26–32

What the college considers in admission decisions, fall 2023

How the college said it used each item when deciding on first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking applicants for fall 2023. For SAT and ACT scores, see the fall 2024 policy above.

High school GPA	Required
High school class rank	Not considered
High school record	Required
Completion of a college-preparatory program	Considered if submitted
Recommendations	Not considered
Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g. portfolio)	Not considered
English proficiency test (for applicable students)	Required
Other test (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)	Not considered
Work experience	Not considered
Personal statement or essay	Considered if submitted
Legacy status	Not considered

First-time applicants: 882
Admitted: 708
Enrolled: 335

Counts of first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking students, including early decision and early action. The acceptance rate higher up this page comes from a different College Scorecard release, so it may not match these counts.

IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education, Admissions 2023–24 (ADM2023, provisional release), fall 2023; open admission from IPEDS Institutional Characteristics 2023–24 (revised); public domain.

Most popular fields of study

Share of bachelor's degrees awarded.

Business30%

Computer Science15%

Psychology8%

Social Sciences8%

Agriculture5%

Health & Nursing5%

Communications & Media4%

Criminal Justice4%

Physics & Chemistry3%

Engineering2%

Earnings and debt by field of study

Median annual earnings of graduates who received federal student aid and were working, not studying: one year after completing (graduates of 2020–21 and 2021–22) and four years after (2017–18 and 2018–19), measured in 2022 and 2023 and shown in 2024 dollars. Median debt is federal Direct and Grad PLUS loans borrowed at this college by 2022–23 and 2023–24 graduates; it leaves out Parent PLUS and private loans. “National” is the median for the same field and credential across all US colleges.

Bachelor's degrees (46)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Psychology, General	182	$37,593	$49,543national $50,706	$23,642
Business/Commerce, General	165	$52,236	$65,292national $68,407	$23,873
Human Resources Management and Services	111	$62,246	$81,755national $68,069	$25,000
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management	102	$73,501	$98,637national $85,063	$26,000
Information Science/Studies	91	$68,240	$91,671national $85,294	$23,500
Finance and Financial Management Services	82	$69,230	$96,714national $83,343	$22,147
Accounting and Related Services	73	$64,480	$88,192national $76,194	$25,000
Criminal Justice and Corrections	69	$41,573	$56,877national $55,378	$24,180
Economics	58	$60,469	$81,228national $82,686	$21,500
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	51	$82,877	$91,032national $88,910	$23,749
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services	48	$38,150	$45,943national $48,568	$26,000
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General	47	—	—national $50,532	$25,375
Computer Engineering	40	$85,528	$112,269national $109,015	$27,000
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other	38	$44,357	$81,617national $65,681	$25,000
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	37	$55,985	$76,246national $63,560	$24,218
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other	37	$38,911	$66,866national $55,384	$23,000
Social Sciences, General	37	$57,562	$59,883national $53,366	$29,750
Marketing	36	$58,892	$79,343national $69,303	$24,352
History	36	$37,190	$52,871national $50,680	$21,921
Political Science and Government	30	$46,124	$68,918national $63,293	$23,250
Health and Medical Administrative Services	27	$55,314	$75,396national $58,716	$24,959
Non-Professional Legal Studies	25	$53,147	$60,745national $61,959	$25,000
International Relations and National Security Studies	24	$47,319	$71,001national $66,596	$21,500
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy	22	$68,734	—national $56,185	$34,750
Agricultural Business and Management	18	$54,078	$73,471national $66,647	$22,598
Communication and Media Studies	18	$45,444	$55,505national $56,359	$22,488
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management	10	$44,488	$55,741national $50,468	$23,810
Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services	9	$57,028	$69,540national $58,494	$25,000
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities	4	$34,927	$58,195national $53,072	$24,179
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication	2	$49,422	$66,876national $50,497	$22,250
Computer and Information Sciences, General	2	$84,461	$120,729national $92,374	$22,250
Data Science	2	—	—	$26,000
Research and Experimental Psychology	2	$33,367	$48,348national $55,695	$20,500
Animal Sciences	1	$42,284	$49,772national $49,634	$21,500
Biology, General	1	$38,378	$64,910national $57,214	$23,250
Mathematics	1	$67,059	$77,336national $69,562	$23,250
Biological and Physical Sciences	1	$40,786	$69,102national $58,891	$23,601
Business/Corporate Communications	1	$39,635	$55,840national $65,784	$25,000
Journalism	0	$44,298	$62,336national $56,278	$25,000
Mechanical Engineering	0	$75,796	$87,997national $92,135	$24,250
English Language and Literature, General	0	$35,537	$50,299national $48,590	$23,361
Philosophy	0	$39,593	$65,675national $54,455	$26,000
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences	0	$56,396	$81,092national $60,190	$24,250
Visual and Performing Arts, General	0	—	$45,170national $41,688	—
Fine and Studio Arts	0	$30,936	$40,036national $41,367	$26,000
Business Administration, Management and Operations	0	$56,682	$72,218national $68,257	$26,375

Associate degrees (8)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Business/Commerce, General	51	$38,044	$61,596national $49,927	$13,687
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities	38	$39,818	$54,654national $44,125	$16,000
Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services	34	$57,972	$60,464national $45,283	$15,250
Computer and Information Sciences, General	32	—	—national $54,246	$19,948
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services	13	$38,145	$40,545national $34,184	$19,500
Human Resources Management and Services	9	$40,234	—national $54,425	—
Criminal Justice and Corrections	4	—	—national $46,706	$16,625
Information Science/Studies	0	$49,860	$69,394national $56,799	—

Undergraduate certificates (15)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management	87	$72,546	$102,874national $52,615	$26,000
Plant Sciences	45	$62,775	—national $48,404	—
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities	26	$60,044	$93,527national $44,906	$23,750
Management Information Systems and Services	25	$65,324	$81,794national $65,682	$26,000
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	14	$95,718	$108,264national $80,020	$18,750
Finance and Financial Management Services	14	$52,980	—national $53,418	$26,945
Computer and Information Sciences, General	13	—	—national $50,984	$27,000
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences	3	$53,216	—national $63,448	—
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants	3	$59,098	$63,384national $56,073	—
Journalism	0	$42,179	$63,138national $55,137	$25,125
Geography and Environmental Studies	0	—	—	$19,500
Business Administration, Management and Operations	0	—	$79,292national $47,440	—
Accounting and Related Services	0	—	$87,526national $44,589	—
Hospitality Administration/Management	0	$51,779	—national $40,962	$21,500
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other	0	$61,875	$82,162national $79,067	$21,000

Master's degrees (36)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Business Administration, Management and Operations	368	$122,042	$127,665national $103,485	$44,875
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods	146	$116,437	$139,676national $124,807	$28,431
Human Resources Management and Services	104	$92,380	$103,541national $83,558	$41,000
Homeland Security	97	$84,946	$106,535national $96,660	$39,600
Geography and Cartography	89	$79,400	$102,798national $79,784	$36,671
Computational Science	87	$120,316	$137,367national $138,757	$26,776
Special Education and Teaching	59	$60,560	$63,109national $64,397	$35,499
Curriculum and Instruction	51	$59,068	$62,403national $63,399	$31,500
Statistics	49	$117,206	$129,392national $123,816	—
Public Administration	49	$74,027	$87,710national $81,408	$44,375
Computer Engineering	45	$131,945	$140,393national $136,736	$35,500
Information Science/Studies	43	$129,630	$158,815national $112,705	$41,000
Psychology, Other	40	$107,800	$99,841national $61,796	—
Educational Administration and Supervision	37	$57,192	$63,797national $71,685	$35,314
Engineering, Other	36	$95,734	$107,278national $129,974	$40,650
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations	36	$138,103	—national $97,366	—
Systems Engineering	35	$112,580	$145,507national $144,565	$38,146
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management	34	$119,536	—national $121,855	$36,202
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods	32	$69,658	—national $59,916	—
Manufacturing Engineering	30	$118,435	—national $122,873	—
Health and Medical Administrative Services	22	$81,337	$111,065national $89,981	$48,158
Accounting and Related Services	22	$81,321	$110,498national $95,833	$20,500
Marketing	22	$91,554	—national $79,106	$33,000
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	21	$83,910	—national $80,125	—
Nutrition Sciences	21	$60,104	—national $67,126	—
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	19	$107,187	$117,728national $120,193	$41,000
Educational/Instructional Media Design	18	$80,769	—national $70,644	—
Criminal Justice and Corrections	18	$47,359	—national $66,714	$30,750
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering	16	$111,392	—national $133,654	—
Physics	16	$106,704	$150,865national $96,478	—
Applied Mathematics	15	$102,245	—national $116,060	$35,625
Computer and Information Sciences, General	13	$133,941	$166,387national $124,201	—
Mechanical Engineering	9	$114,915	—national $115,974	—
Community Organization and Advocacy	9	$80,894	$84,981national $67,597	—
Public Health	8	$62,094	$90,383national $82,751	$20,500
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	0	$61,781	$69,663national $63,707	—

Graduate certificates (1)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Geography and Cartography	135	$72,514	—national $72,959	$20,500

A dash means the Department of Education suppressed the figure because too few graduates were measured — not zero. 66 more programmes at this college have every figure suppressed and are not listed. These figures are calculated for all 22 campuses that share this college's federal student-aid ID, so a branch campus shows its institution's figures.

Contact and accreditation

Address: President's Office 201 Old Main, University Park, PA 16802-1503
Phone: (814) 865-5403
Institutional accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher Education

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts) and IPEDS Fall Enrolment for international student counts. College Scorecard, October 2026 release: net price calculator link, mission flags and religious affiliation (2025–26), enrolment shares, test policy, SAT/ACT ranges and student-to-faculty ratio (fall 2024), cost-of-attendance components (2025–26), and earnings and debt by field of study. IPEDS Institutional Characteristics 2023–24 for the application fee and the IPEDS 2024 directory for the phone number. IPEDS Admissions 2023–24 (ADM2023, provisional release) for admission requirements and first-time applicants, admits and enrolments (fall 2023). IPEDS Student Financial Aid 2022–23 (SFA2223, provisional release) for grants and loans to full-time, first-time students. All are U.S. Department of Education data in the public domain. Verify current costs and requirements with the school.

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