Pennsylvania State University: Statistics

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Position Category
#22 of 14,131 In the World
#18 of 2,597 In North America
#17 of 2,496 In the United States
#2 of 155 In Pennsylvania
#1 of 2 In University Park
#2 of 1,623 For Engineering Management
Top10 For 36 other topics
Subject rankings

Quick Review

Acceptance rate
61%
Average SAT
1330
Average ACT
30
Aid receiving
67%
Undergraduates
42,604
Graduates
8,133
Male:Female Ratio
52:48
Control
Public
Highest Degree
Doctor's degree
Website
www.psu.edu

Pennsylvania State University Acceptance rate and admissions statistics

Pennsylvania State University has an acceptance rate of 61% and is among the top 23% of the most difficult universities to gain admission to in the United States. The university reports the admission statistics without distinguishing between local and international students.

Total Men Women
Acceptance Rate 61% 58% 63%
Applicants 88,478 40,752 47,118
Admissions 53,579 23,582 29,600
Freshmen enrolled full time 9,144 4,441 4,638
Freshmen enrolled part time 25 18 7

20,178 students enrolled in some distance education courses.

321 enrolled exclusively in distance education.

SAT scores

Among admitted applicants
2,848 or 31%
submitted SAT

25% of them
had 1240
or below

75% of them
had 1420
or below

Typical SAT scores of first-years in Pennsylvania State University are 1240-1420 (middle 50% range).

ACT scores

Among admitted applicants
494 or 5%
submitted ACT

25% of them
had 27
or below

75% of them
had 32
or below

Typical ACT scores of first-years in Pennsylvania State University are 27-32 (middle 50% range).

Admissions requirements

Secondary school GPA Required
Secondary school record Required
TOEFL Required
College-preparatory program Considered but not required
SAT/ACT Considered but not required
Formal demonstration of competencies Neither required nor recommended
Other Tests Neither required nor recommended
Recommendations Neither required nor recommended
Secondary school rank Neither required nor recommended

Enrollment demographics by race or ethnicity

White 29392 (58%)
Nonresident Alien 7539 (15%)
Hispanic 4396 (9%)
Asian 3589 (7%)
Black or African American 2199 (4%)
Two or more races 1899 (4%)
Race or Ethnicity unknown 1639 (3%)
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 29 (0.1%)
American Indian or Alaska Native 25 (0%)

Costs per year: Tuition, Housing, Fees

The final cost of attendance varies for each student based on household income, residency, program, and other factors.

Average aid awarded
$11,336
Students receiving aid
67%

Tuition and fees

UndergraduatesGraduates
Tuition in-district $20,066$25,456
Tuition in-state $20,066$25,456
Tuition out-of-state $41,212$44,996
Fee in-district $578$578
Fee in-state $578$578
Fee out-of-state $578$578

Room and board costs

Dormitory capacity 14,580
Combined charge for room and board $15,044
Room charge $9,006
Meal charge $6,038

Pennsylvania State University majors

Pennsylvania State University has granted 10,914 bachelor's degrees across 134 programs, 1,687 master's across 107 programs, and 1,108 doctorate degrees across 91 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at Pennsylvania State University.

Major Associate Bachelor Master Doctoral
Finance, General 533
Psychology, General 512
Mechanical Engineering 385 36 29
Information Science & Studies 427 1 11
Computer and Information Sciences, General 426
Marketing & Marketing Management, General 393
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 340 9 13
Accounting 219 138
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other 330 7 14
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication, Other 319
Biology & Biological Sciences, General 299 1 6
Computer and Information Systems Security & Auditing & Information Assurance 272 19
Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement Administration 253
Exercise Science and Kinesiology 221 4 7
Law 230
Teacher Education, Multiple Levels 229
Political Science and Government, General 190 8 12
Electrical and Electronics Engineering 133 42 34
Civil Engineering, General 165 16 18
Architectural Engineering 110 75 12
Industrial Engineering 139 36 20
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical & Space Engineering, General 150 32 8
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other 17 173
Journalism 183
Programs for Foreign Lawyers 176 3
Digital Communication and Media & Multimedia 176
Organizational Behavior Studies 168
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 140 12 13
Chemical Engineering 130 11 24
Communication Sciences and Disorders, General 124 30 4
Mathematics, General 136 2 9
Medicine 135
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Other 132 1 2
Data Science, General 122
Hospitality Administration & Management, Other 109 2
Biological and Physical Sciences 106
Biochemistry 93 3 8
Health & Health Care Administration & Management 86 14 4
English Language and Literature, General 71 18 12
Secondary Education and Teaching 99
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations, Other 97
International Relations and Affairs 97
Chemistry, General 57 7 32
Labor and Industrial Relations 76 20
Statistics, General 64 13 11
Management Information Systems, General 87
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management, General 83 1 2
Physics, General 62 3 20
Agribusiness & Agricultural Business Operations 84
Animal Sciences, General 74 7 3
Informatics 43 23 17
Computer Science 59 21
Pre-Veterinary Studies 80
Nutrition Sciences 72 1 6
Human Development and Family Studies, General 53 14 10
Speech Communication and Rhetoric 68 5 4
Architecture 64 6 5
Sociology, General 63 4 8
Cinematography and Film & Video Production 71
Mass Communication & Media Studies 56 15
Computer Engineering, General 70
Engineering, Other 29 27 12
Geology & Earth Science, General 48 8 12
History, General 58 2 8
Petroleum Engineering 68
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other 66
International & Globalization Studies 60
Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, General 32 20 5
Materials Science 57
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, Other 53
Forensic Science and Technology 43 8
Management Science 50
Astronomy 33 7 8
Pre-Medicine & Pre-Medical Studies 48
Spanish Language and Literature 36 7 5
Art & Art Studies, General 35 11
Human-Centered Technology Design 45
Philosophy 36 4 5
Agricultural Engineering 32 7 5
Engineering Science 25 10 9
Food Science 34 6 4
Research and Experimental Psychology, Other 22 20
Financial Mathematics 41
Public Health, General 36 5
Plant Sciences, General 35 4 1
Nuclear Engineering 22 6 11
Natural Resources and Conservation, Other 34 4
Anthropology, General 34 3
Landscape Architecture 29 8
Special Education and Teaching, General 16 18 2
Materials Engineering 11 24
Curriculum and Instruction 17 17
Geological and Earth Sciences & Geosciences, Other 34
Veterinary Microbiology and Immunobiology 33
Business Administration and Management, General 25 7
Geography and Environmental Studies 22 4 5
Physician Assistant 31
Natural Resources & Conservation, General 28
Biology & Biotechnology Technology & Technician 27
Counselor Education & School Counseling and Guidance Services 22 5
Music, General 27
Actuarial Science 25
Agriculture, General 25
Public Policy Analysis, General 25
Environmental & Environmental Health Engineering 19 2 2
Music Teacher Education 21 1
Technical Theatre & Theatre Design and Technology 22
Acting 20
Biomedical Sciences, General 3 17
Art History, Criticism and Conservation 13 6
Higher Education & Higher Education Administration 10 9
Trade and Industrial Teacher Education 2 4 13
French Language and Literature 12 2 4
Comparative Literature 8 3 6
Landscaping and Groundskeeping 17
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research, Other 16
Development Economics and International Development 15
Forest Sciences and Biology 15
Agricultural and Extension Education Services 10 3 1
Ecology 7 7
Graphic Design 14
Sustainability Studies 6 6 2
Art Teacher Education 10 1 2
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 13
German Language and Literature 7 6
Music Performance, General 1 12
Toxicology 13
Design and Applied Arts, Other 12
Science, Technology and Society 12
Architectural and Building Sciences & Technology 11
Turf and Turfgrass Management 11
African-American & Black Studies 10
Visual and Performing Arts, General 10
Women's Studies 10
Acoustics 6 3
Biotechnology 9
Neuroscience 3 6
Criminology 4 4
Entomology 6 2
Photography 8
Plant Pathology & Phytopathology 4 4
Social Sciences, Other 3 5
Animal Physiology 7
Bioinformatics 7
Chinese Language and Literature 7
Humanities & Humanistic Studies 7
Linguistics 7
Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology 7
Plant Sciences, Other 1 6
Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education 2 5
Anatomy 1 5
Data Processing and Data Processing Technology & Technician 6
Educational Psychology 5 1
Foreign Language Teacher Education 6
Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language & ESL Language Instructor 6
Asian Studies & Civilization 5
Epidemiology 2 3
Forest Management & Forest Resources Management 3 2
Italian Language and Literature 5
Keyboard Instruments 3 2
Manufacturing Engineering 5
Pathology & Experimental Pathology 2 3
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other 4
Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General 4
Human Resources Management & Personnel Administration, General 4
Liberal Arts and Sciences & Liberal Studies 2 2
Soil Science and Agronomy, General 1 3
Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching 3
Conducting 3
Educational & Instructional Technology 3
Horticultural Science 2 1
Nanotechnology 3
School Psychology 1 2
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas, Other 3
Japanese Language and Literature 2
Mining and Mineral Engineering 2
Agronomy and Crop Science 1
Athletic Training & Trainer 1
Comparative and Laboratory Animal Medicine 1
Computer Software Engineering 1
Environmental & Natural Resources Management and Policy, Other 1
Korean Language and Literature 1
Music Theory and Composition 1
Near and Middle Eastern Studies 1
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication 1
Russian Language and Literature 1
Grand Total 5 10,914 1,687 1,108

Pennsylvania State University has a graduation rate of 86%, which is among the 7% highest for universities in the US.

Total Men Women
Graduation rate 86% 83% 89%
  • Full-time retention rate - 93%
  • Part-time retention rate - 85%

Publications & Citations

Pennsylvania State University is a world-class research university with 309,578 scientific papers published and 11,582,475 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Engineering, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Environmental Science, Computer Science, Quantum and Particle physics, Medicine, and Materials Science.

Publications
309,578
Citations
11,582,475

Publication / Citation count by topic

Engineering
156,294 / 5,769,419
Biology
154,241 / 6,873,523
Physics
147,733 / 5,907,277
Chemistry
143,142 / 6,217,415
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
133,398 / 4,771,462
Environmental Science
126,679 / 4,792,049
Computer Science
123,605 / 4,905,198
Quantum and Particle physics
103,732 / 4,357,983
Medicine
102,352 / 4,093,140
Materials Science
79,334 / 3,050,452
Organic Chemistry
74,750 / 3,254,750
Geology
70,579 / 2,821,463
Psychology
68,215 / 2,906,393
Geography and Cartography
67,233 / 2,447,472
Political Science
67,034 / 2,242,502
Biochemistry
65,951 / 3,460,935
Law
62,996 / 2,138,628
Genetics
62,332 / 3,168,980
Mathematics
61,119 / 2,373,710
Philosophy
60,554 / 2,208,931
Sociology
57,320 / 2,139,453
Business
50,265 / 1,900,791
Ecology
49,979 / 2,090,057
Statistics
44,655 / 1,889,779
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
42,387 / 1,592,035
History
41,883 / 1,291,205
Optical Engineering
41,203 / 1,564,792
Paleontology
40,726 / 1,717,951
Economics
36,449 / 1,310,564
Pathology
36,412 / 1,572,088
Electrical Engineering
36,188 / 1,371,329
Archaeology
34,541 / 1,175,642
Metallurgical Engineering
32,041 / 1,367,888
Linguistics
30,714 / 1,106,419
Psychiatry
28,564 / 1,255,429
Mechanical Engineering
27,493 / 807,688
Astrophysics and Astronomy
26,712 / 1,405,891
Art & Design
25,867 / 742,182
Social Psychology
24,533 / 1,262,272
Neuroscience
23,767 / 1,088,652

Annual publication & citation counts

Year Publications Citations
1993 3726 41660
1994 3770 46247
1995 3668 49732
1996 4240 56792
1997 4220 61063
1998 4337 68384
1999 4353 75705
2000 4730 90115
2001 4982 100607
2002 6535 120677
2003 6247 139001
2004 6467 154786
2005 6987 180543
2006 7583 208140
2007 7486 234299
2008 8076 259143
2009 7888 288262
2010 8618 323378
2011 9179 363667
2012 8696 400790
2013 9279 433702
2014 9456 465047
2015 9678 478507
2016 9961 493966
2017 10529 517398
2018 10952 565114
2019 11688 620207
2020 13759 711409
2021 12339 774725
2022 11663 732865
2023 12068 746764
2024 10212 728682
2025 7292 654973
Academic rankings

Pennsylvania State University alumni

  1. Keegan-Michael Key

    Keegan-Michael Key
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1971-.. (age 55)
    Occupations
    television actoractortelevision producervoice actorfilm producer
    Biography

    Keegan-Michael Key is an American actor, comedian, producer, and writer. He and Jordan Peele co-created and co-starred in the sketch series Key & Peele (2012–2015) for which he received one Primetime Emmy Award from ten nominations. He also acted in the sketch series Mad TV (2004–2009), sitcom Playing House (2014–2017), the comedy series Friends from College (2017–2019) and the series Reboot (2022). He also appeared alongside Peele in the first season of the series Fargo in 2014, and had a recurring role on Parks and Recreation from 2013 to 2015. Key later starred in the musical comedy series Schmigadoon! (2021–2023).

  2. Gene Kelly

    Gene Kelly
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1912-1996 (aged 84)
    Occupations
    dancerproducerchoreographerfilm screenwriterfilm director
    Biography

    Eugene Curran Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessible to the general public, which he called "dance for the common man". He starred in, choreographed, and, with Stanley Donen, co-directed some of the best-regarded musical films of the 1940s and 1950s.

  3. Ross Ulbricht

    Ross Ulbricht
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1984-.. (age 42)
    Occupations
    computer scientisthackermotivational speakervisual artist
    Biography

    Ross William Ulbricht is an American who created and operated Silk Road, the first modern darknet market, from 2011 until his arrest in 2013. Silk Road was an online marketplace that facilitated the trade in narcotics and other illegal products and services. Sales were anonymous, using bitcoin. It operated as a hidden service on the Tor network. Ulbricht ran the site under the pseudonym "Dread Pirate Roberts" after the fictional character from The Princess Bride.

  4. Ty Burrell

    Ty Burrell
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1967-.. (age 59)
    Occupations
    stage actortelevision actorvoice actoractorfilm actor
    Biography

    Tyler Gerald Burrell is an American actor. Burrell is best known for playing Phil Dunphy on the ABC sitcom Modern Family (2009–2020), for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and five Screen Actors Guild Awards.

All 100 notable alumni

General info

Alternative names Penn State
PSU
Founded 1855
Motto Making life better
Colors blue, white
Academic calendar September to May (August - December; January-May)
Total FTE staff 16,727
Carnegie classification Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity

Location and contacts

Address 201 Old Main
University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802-1503
United States
Phone 8148654700

Pennsylvania State University in social media