Colleges / Pennsylvania Western University
College · Public · California, PA · Town
PWU

Pennsylvania Western University

California, PA

Address250 University Avenue, California, PA 15419
Websitewww.pennwest.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate94%
6-yr median pay$38k
Net price / yr$18k
Undergrad size7,451
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $18k/yr for a shot at a $38k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 94% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1063.

If you get in

7,451 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.

Where you live

Town setting — self-contained, social life mostly on campus.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $27k/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$108k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$73k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$35k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.9x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$11.4k
Tuition · out-of-state
$16.1k
Room & board
$12.7k
Books & supplies
$1,260

How students pay for it.

Pell grants38%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans60%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$24k
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?

1-yr retention71%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr52%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$38k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$47k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out20%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
Town
Control
Public
Undergrad size
7,451
Location
California, PA
Region
Mid East (DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
Carnegie class
Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Accreditor
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Also known as
PennWest University
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White71%
  • Unknown10%
  • Black8%
  • Hispanic4%
  • Two or more races3%
  • International1%
  • Asian1%
First-gen students37%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time13%
Mixed full-time and part-time.
Veterans1%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$46k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 73

What you can study.

Colleges / Pennsylvania Western University
College · Public · California, PA · Town
PWU

Pennsylvania Western University

California, PA

Address250 University Avenue, California, PA 15419
Websitewww.pennwest.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate94%
6-yr median pay$38k
Net price / yr$18k
Undergrad size7,451
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $18k/yr for a shot at a $38k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 94% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1063.

If you get in

7,451 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.

Where you live

Town setting — self-contained, social life mostly on campus.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $27k/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$108k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$73k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$35k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.9x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$11.4k
Tuition · out-of-state
$16.1k
Room & board
$12.7k
Books & supplies
$1,260

How students pay for it.

Pell grants38%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans60%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$24k
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?

1-yr retention71%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr52%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$38k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$47k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out20%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
Town
Control
Public
Undergrad size
7,451
Location
California, PA
Region
Mid East (DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
Carnegie class
Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Accreditor
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Also known as
PennWest University
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White71%
  • Unknown10%
  • Black8%
  • Hispanic4%
  • Two or more races3%
  • International1%
  • Asian1%
First-gen students37%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time13%
Mixed full-time and part-time.
Veterans1%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$46k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 73

What you can study.