Private nonprofit · University

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania · Small city

87.4%
Admit rate
$15,376
Avg net price
34%
Graduation rate
$52,374
Median earnings

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (small city setting), enrolling 615 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitSmall · 615 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 87% admitOtherCold winters

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
Graduate
Nearest big city
1 mile to Harrisburg, PA
To the ocean
64 miles
Nearest airport
8 miles to Harrisburg (MDT)

How Harrisburg University of Science and Technology compares

Selectivity87.4%

More selective than 30% · #66 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania

Graduation rate34%

Higher than 15% · #99 of 116 in Pennsylvania

First-year retention74%

Higher than 42%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$52,374

Higher than 46% · #90 of 116 in Pennsylvania

Average net price$15,376

Cheaper than 71% · #8 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 18%

Undergraduate enrollment615

Larger than 25%

Percentiles compare Harrisburg University of Science and Technology 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

3,559students
  • Undergraduate61517%
  • Graduate2,94483%

Undergraduates by gender

615undergrads
  • Women30149%
  • Men31451%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White47%
  • Black20%
  • Hispanic17%
  • Asian7.1%
  • Other or multiracial8.5%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
615
Graduate enrollment
2,944
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
47%
First-generation students
44%
Students over 25
16%
Median family income
$29,132
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$82,125
Endowment
$1,528,280

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

Admissions

Admission rate
87.4%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$24,400
Room & board
$11,040
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$35,893
Average net price
$15,376

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)
34%
Graduated on time (4 years)
23%
First-year retention
74%
Transferred to another college
5%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$34,365
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$52,374
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
56%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
39%

About 11% 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
23%
Low-income (Pell)
27%

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
231
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
38%
Housing charge (year)
$7,180
Application fee
Free
Athletics
Other
Varsity athletes
8 (8 men · 0 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 (1)

Other Sports8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (3,650 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.

0.7reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.3
Fondling
0.3

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
$12,637
$30–48k
$11,292
$48–75k
$15,063
$75–110k
$19,420
$110k+
$20,871

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
$67,423

$15,063/year × about 4.5 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.

96%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$14,376
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 96% — get grant money from Harrisburg University of Science and Technology itself, averaging $14,376, which softens the sticker price.

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 132 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)
$52,374
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
52%
Out-earn a HS grad
49%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.2 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
$41,195
Men
$57,397

Men out-earn women by $16,202 (39%) 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

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Harrisburg 1 NE, PA US station (1.5 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 Harrisburg University of Science and Technology

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

Colleges near Harrisburg University of Science and Technology

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.