College · Public · Center Valley, PA · Suburb
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Lehigh Valley
Center Valley, PA
Admit rate97%
6-yr median pay$56k
Net price / yr$18k
Undergrad size859
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $18k/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 97% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1210.
If you get in
859 undergrads. Tiny. Every professor will know your name.
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 $28k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $18k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$112k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$73k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$40k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.3x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $15.2k
- Tuition · out-of-state
- $25.4k
- Books & supplies
- $1,200
How students pay for it.
Pell grants35%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans43%
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 yr18%
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 out43%
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
- 859
- Location
- Center Valley, 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.
- White50%
- Hispanic21%
- Asian12%
- Black8%
- Two or more races4%
- Unknown3%
- International1%
First-gen students29%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time8%
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 · 15
What you can study.