Public · University

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College

Erie, Pennsylvania · Midsize suburb

96.8%
Admit rate
$24,558
Avg net price
44%
Graduation rate
$63,435
Median earnings

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Erie, Pennsylvania (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 3,240 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 3,240 undergradsMidsize suburbAccessible · 97% admitNCAA Division III with footballCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College's admitted students.

Admit rate
96.8%
SAT (mid 50%)
1120–1310
Avg GPA (est.)
3.46

Enter a test score to see where you land against Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College's admitted students.

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

About Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Sommerheim Park Archaeological District in Millcreek Township, west of the city, includes artifacts from the Archaic period in the Americas and the early and middle Woodland Period, roughly a span from 8,000 BCE to 500 CE. The Erie Art Museum is the city's main art gallery, located in the Old Customshouse on State Street. Its collection has an emphasis on folk art and modern art, and it hosts a popular blues and jazz concert series. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
5 miles to Erie, PA
To Great Lakes shore
4 miles
Nearest airport
10 miles to Erie International Tom Ridge Field (ERI)

How Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College compares

Selectivity96.8%

More selective than 10% · #98 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania

SAT average1228

Higher than 66%

Graduation rate44%

Higher than 29% · #88 of 116 in Pennsylvania

First-year retention83%

Higher than 71%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$63,435

Higher than 75% · #33 of 116 in Pennsylvania

Average net price$24,558

Cheaper than 30% · #65 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment3,240

Larger than 71%

Percentiles compare Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College 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

3,332students
  • Undergraduate3,24097%
  • Graduate923%

Undergraduates by gender

3,240undergrads
  • Women1,62450%
  • Men1,61650%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White75%
  • Black4.0%
  • Hispanic5.1%
  • Asian5.2%
  • Other or multiracial10%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,240
Graduate enrollment
92
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
29%
First-generation students
29%
Students over 25
4%
Median family income
$61,924
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$92,997
Endowment
$81,700,550

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

Admissions

Admission rate
96.8%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1120–1310
SAT average
1228
SAT reading
560–650
SAT math
560–660
ACT composite
25–31
Average GPA (estimated)
3.46

Cost

In-state tuition
$15,972
Out-of-state tuition
$26,958
Room & board
$14,474
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$34,081
Average net price
$24,558

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)
44%
Graduated on time (4 years)
32%
First-year retention
83%
Transferred to another college
24%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$55,620
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$63,435
Median debt at graduation
$25,000
Students with federal loans
55%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
64%

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
32%
Low-income (Pell)
49%
First-generation
52%

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
1,603
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
49%
Housing charge (year)
$9,462
Meal plan (year)
$5,312
Application fee
$65
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Varsity athletes
525 (318 men · 207 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 (Indoor)86
Track and Field (Outdoor)86
Soccer62
Swimming and Diving (combined)52
Baseball37
Basketball36
Water Polo33
Volleyball29
Wrestling26
Cross Country22
Tennis21
Softball17
Golf11
Bowling7

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
20
Property offenses (2022–2024)
6

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,336 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.

8.7reported offenses a year
6.7 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
4.7
Aggravated assault
1.3
Burglary
1.0
Motor vehicle theft
1.0
Fondling
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
$16,092
$30–48k
$17,884
$48–75k
$20,539
$75–110k
$26,914
$110k+
$29,692

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
$90,658

$20,539/year × about 4.4 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.

64%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,547
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 64% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,547. 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 829 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)
$63,435
Typical debt at graduation
$25,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
39%
Out-earn a HS grad
70%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.9 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
$56,403
Men
$70,839

Men out-earn women by $14,436 (26%) 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
81°F
Winter low
21°F
Annual rain
43″
Annual snow
104.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.24.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Erie Intl AP, PA US station (10.5 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 Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College side by side →

Colleges near Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College

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.