College · Public · Middletown, PA · Suburb
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg
Middletown, PA
Admit rate98%
6-yr median pay$56k
Net price / yr$23k
Undergrad size4,031
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $23k/yr for a shot at a $56k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 98% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1227.
If you get in
4,031 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.
Where you live
Suburban — a short drive to the nearest city, greener but still connected.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $33k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $23k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$130k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$93k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$37k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.7x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $16.0k
- Tuition · out-of-state
- $27.0k
- Room & board
- $14.5k
- Books & supplies
- $1,200
How students pay for it.
Pell grants26%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans41%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$25k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $10k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
Graduation · 6 yr26%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$56k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$63k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out46%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- Suburb
- Control
- Public
- Undergrad size
- 4,031
- Location
- Middletown, PA
- Region
- Mid East (DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
- Accreditor
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education
- Also known as
- Penn State
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White46%
- Asian14%
- International14%
- Black10%
- Hispanic10%
- Two or more races4%
- Unknown2%
First-gen students29%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time6%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Veterans0%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$62k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 34
What you can study.