Public · University

Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania

Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania · Distant town

93.1%
Admit rate
$15,699
Avg net price
54%
Graduation rate
$52,416
Median earnings

Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania (distant town setting), enrolling 9,210 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 9,210 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 93% admitNCAA Division II with football · Pennsylvania State Athletic ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania's admitted students.

Admit rate
93.1%
SAT (mid 50%)
990–1190
Avg GPA (est.)
3.12

Enter a test score to see where you land against Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania

Bloomsburg is a town in and the county seat of Columbia County, Pennsylvania. The first signs of European settlement date to the year 1772, when James McClure established a log cabin in the area. Until the mid-19th century, it was just a small village, known as Bloom Township. Bloomsburg is home to the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, founded in 1978 to establish a resident professional ensemble for the production of quality entertainment and educational programs for the region, and to promote the arts. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
49 miles to Scranton, PA
To the ocean
98 miles
Nearest airport
30 miles to Williamsport (IPT)

How Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania compares

Selectivity93.1%

More selective than 17% · #84 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania

SAT average1090

Higher than 27%

Graduation rate54%

Higher than 49% · #76 of 116 in Pennsylvania

First-year retention78%

Higher than 54%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$52,416

Higher than 46% · #88 of 116 in Pennsylvania

Average net price$15,699

Cheaper than 69% · #10 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania

Median debt at graduation$26,000

Lower than 24%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 14%

Undergraduate enrollment9,210

Larger than 88%

Percentiles compare Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Pennsylvania.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

10,455students
  • Undergraduate9,21088%
  • Graduate1,24512%

Undergraduates by gender

9,210undergrads
  • Women5,26457%
  • Men3,94643%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White80%
  • Black5.1%
  • Hispanic7.3%
  • Asian1.1%
  • Other or multiracial6.6%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
9,210
Graduate enrollment
1,245
Student–faculty ratio
19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
32%
First-generation students
34%
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$65,570
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$105,570
Endowment
$85,141,554

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 2,441 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Pennsylvania91%
  • Other U.S. states8.6%
  • International0.7%

Most first-years stay in state — Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania draws overwhelmingly from Pennsylvania.

1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
93.1%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
990–1190
SAT average
1090
SAT reading
500–600
SAT math
490–590
ACT composite
Average GPA (estimated)
3.12

Cost

In-state tuition
$11,046
Out-of-state tuition
$22,870
Room & board
$11,868
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$25,161
Average net price
$15,699

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
54%
Graduated on time (4 years)
42%
First-year retention
78%
Transferred to another college
24%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$44,053
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$52,416
Median debt at graduation
$26,000
Students with federal loans
54%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
66%

About 12% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
42%
Low-income (Pell)
45%
First-generation
49%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
6,301
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
68%
Housing charge (year)
$7,286
Meal plan (year)
$4,552
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
1,704 (983 men · 721 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (14)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)585
Football236
Soccer153
Baseball119
Basketball89
Wrestling88
Field Hockey85
Swimming64
Softball63
Lacrosse59
Other Sports58
Volleyball40
Golf33
Tennis32

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
45
Property offenses (2022–2024)
8

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 5 campuses (11,092 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

18reported offenses a year
15 violent a year2.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
6.0
Aggravated assault
5.7
Fondling
3.3
Burglary
2.0
Arson
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$11,374
$30–48k
$11,370
$48–75k
$13,877
$75–110k
$17,989
$110k+
$20,099

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$60,269

$13,877/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

70%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,379
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 70% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,379. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 2,155 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$52,416
Typical debt at graduation
$26,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
50%
Out-earn a HS grad
66%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.0 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$49,557
Men
$57,329

Men out-earn women by $7,772 (16%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
84°F
Winter low
19°F
Annual rain
48″
Annual snow
33.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bear Gap, PA US station (13.2 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania side by side →

Colleges near Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.