Public · University

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg

Middletown, Pennsylvania · Large suburb

97.6%
Admit rate
$23,330
Avg net price
26%
Graduation rate
$63,435
Median earnings

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Middletown, Pennsylvania (large suburb setting), enrolling 4,031 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 4,031 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 98% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold winters

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
97.6%
SAT (mid 50%)
1120–1310
Avg GPA (est.)
3.45

Enter a test score to see where you land against Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg'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 Harrisburg's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Middletown, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg is located in Middletown, Pennsylvania, a large suburb setting.

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
57 miles
Nearest airport
1 mile to Harrisburg (MDT)

How Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg compares

Selectivity97.6%

More selective than 8% · #104 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania

SAT average1227

Higher than 66%

Graduation rate26%

Higher than 9% · #106 of 116 in Pennsylvania

First-year retention82%

Higher than 68%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$63,435

Higher than 75% · #33 of 116 in Pennsylvania

Average net price$23,330

Cheaper than 34% · #56 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment4,031

Larger than 74%

Percentiles compare Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg 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

4,462students
  • Undergraduate4,03190%
  • Graduate43110%

Undergraduates by gender

4,031undergrads
  • Women2,02050%
  • Men2,01150%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White46%
  • Black10%
  • Hispanic9.6%
  • Asian14%
  • Other or multiracial20%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,031
Graduate enrollment
431
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
26%
First-generation students
29%
Students over 25
7%
Median family income
$61,924
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$99,963
Endowment
$85,500,576

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

Admissions

Admission rate
97.6%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1120–1310
SAT average
1227
SAT reading
550–650
SAT math
570–660
ACT composite
22–31
Average GPA (estimated)
3.45

Cost

In-state tuition
$15,972
Out-of-state tuition
$26,958
Room & board
$14,474
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$32,521
Average net price
$23,330

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)
26%
Graduated on time (4 years)
18%
First-year retention
82%
Transferred to another college
46%
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
41%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
64%

About 8% 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
18%
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
699
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
17%
Housing charge (year)
$10,558
Meal plan (year)
$5,312
Application fee
$65
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
326 (177 men · 149 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 (11)

Soccer63
Baseball50
Track and Field (Outdoor)39
Track and Field (Indoor)38
Basketball28
Tennis23
Softball22
Cross Country20
Field Hockey18
Volleyball17
Golf8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
17
Property offenses (2022–2024)
8

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (4,478 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.

8.3reported offenses a year
5.7 violent a year2.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
2.7
Fondling
2.0
Burglary
1.3
Motor vehicle theft
1.0
Aggravated assault
0.7
Robbery
0.3
Arson
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
$16,219
$30–48k
$16,221
$48–75k
$21,176
$75–110k
$25,103
$110k+
$29,834

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
$94,189

$21,176/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.

53%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,773
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 53% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,773. 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 1,189 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
87°F
Winter low
23°F
Annual rain
44.2″
Annual snow
29.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Middletown Harrisburg Intl AP, PA US station (1.4 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 Harrisburg

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

Colleges near Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg

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.