Public · Community college
Harrisburg Area Community College
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania · Small city
- 23%
- Transfer rate
- $14,471
- Avg net price
- 21%
- Grad / completion
- $42,007
- Median earnings
Harrisburg Area Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (small city setting), enrolling 9,533 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In 1719, John Harris, Sr., an English trader, settled here and 14 years later secured grants of 800 acres (3.2 km2) in this vicinity. In 1785, John Harris, Jr. made plans to lay out a town on his father's land, which he named Harrisburg. Harrisburg is the metropolitan center for some 400 communities. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 2 miles to Harrisburg, PA
- To the ocean
- 66 miles
- Nearest airport
- 10 miles to Harrisburg (MDT)
How Harrisburg Area Community College compares
Higher than 5% · #147 of 151 in Pennsylvania
Higher than 14%
Higher than 76% · #55 of 137 in Pennsylvania
Cheaper than 52% · #44 cheapest of 152 in Pennsylvania
Lower than 9%
Lower than 67%
Larger than 96%
Percentiles compare Harrisburg Area Community College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Pennsylvania.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women5,98163%
- Men3,55237%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White56%
- Black12%
- Hispanic15%
- Asian6.5%
- Other or multiracial9.4%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 9,533
- Student–faculty ratio
- 13 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 33%
- First-generation students
- 49%
- Students over 25
- 31%
- Median family income
- $30,040
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $64,827
- Endowment
- $42,498,610
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 1,633 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Pennsylvania98%
- Other U.S. states0.9%
- International1.5%
Most first-years stay in state — Harrisburg Area Community College draws overwhelmingly from Pennsylvania.
2% 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.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $6,975
- Out-of-state tuition
- $12,472
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,950
- Total cost of attendance
- $18,369
- Average net price
- $14,471
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
- 21%
- First-year retention
- 54%
- Transferred to another college
- 23%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,499
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $42,007
- Median debt at graduation
- $17,500
- Students with federal loans
- 30%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 36%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
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
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division III
- Varsity athletes
- 36 (25 men · 11 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 (3)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 6 campuses (12,585 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
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.
Modest institutional aid: 3% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,367. 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 823 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)
- $42,007
- Typical debt at graduation
- $17,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 42%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 52%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $9,322 (24%) 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
- 85°F
- Winter low
- 22°F
- Annual rain
- 45.2″
- Annual snow
- 23.9″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Harrisburg 1 NE, PA US station (1.3 mi from campus).
What Harrisburg Area Community College graduates study — and earn
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 Harrisburg Area Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Harrisburg Area Community College side by side →
Community College of Allegheny County
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · Large city · 1 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 9,544
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 17%
- Earnings
- $39k
Northampton County Area Community College
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 10 mi to Allentown
- Students
- 7,667
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 20%
- Earnings
- $42k
Community College of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Large city · 1 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 11,948
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 12%
- Earnings
- $41k
Montgomery County Community College
Blue Bell, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 16 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 7,301
- Tuition
- $7k
- Transfer
- 19%
- Earnings
- $46k
Lehigh Carbon Community College
Schnecksville, Pennsylvania · Fringe rural · 7 mi to Allentown
- Students
- 4,148
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 19%
- Earnings
- $42k
Reading Area Community College
Reading, Pennsylvania · Small city · 28 mi to Lancaster
- Students
- 3,703
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 13%
- Earnings
- $39k
Colleges near Harrisburg Area Community College
Barber and Beauty Academy of Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 47 students
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
Harrisburg, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 615 students
Central Penn College
Summerdale, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 662 students
Empire Beauty School-Harrisburg
Harrisburg, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 152 students
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg
Middletown, PA · Public · Bachelor's · 4,031 students
Messiah University
Mechanicsburg, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,259 students
Dickinson College
Carlisle, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,273 students
Elizabethtown College
Elizabethtown, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,868 students
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.