Public · University

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State York

York, Pennsylvania · Midsize suburb

97.4%
Admit rate
$19,047
Avg net price
16%
Graduation rate
$63,435
Median earnings

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State York is a public bachelor's-granting institution in York, Pennsylvania (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 668 undergraduates.

PublicSmall · 668 undergradsMidsize suburbAccessible · 97% admitUSCAACold winters

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
97.4%
SAT (mid 50%)
1050–1245
Avg GPA (est.)
3.25

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

About York, Pennsylvania

York is a city in York County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. York was also known as Yorktown in the mid-18th to early 19th centuries. It was founded in 1741 by settlers from the Philadelphia region and named for the English city of the same name. By 1777, most of the area residents were of German or Scots-Irish descent. Historic sites include the 1741 Golden Plough Tavern, the 1751 General Horatio Gates House, the 1766 York Meetinghouse, the 1863 Billmeyer House, the 1888 York Central Market, and the 1907 Moorish Revival Temple Beth Israel. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
41 miles
Nearest airport
17 miles to Harrisburg (MDT)

How Pennsylvania State University-Penn State York compares

Selectivity97.4%

More selective than 8% · #103 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania

SAT average1140

Higher than 43%

Graduation rate16%

Higher than 4% · #114 of 116 in Pennsylvania

First-year retention77%

Higher than 52%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$63,435

Higher than 75% · #33 of 116 in Pennsylvania

Average net price$19,047

Cheaper than 55% · #28 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment668

Larger than 27%

Percentiles compare Pennsylvania State University-Penn State York 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

670students
  • Undergraduate668100%
  • Graduate20%

Undergraduates by gender

668undergrads
  • Women33550%
  • Men33350%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White64%
  • Black8.1%
  • Hispanic12%
  • Asian5.4%
  • Other or multiracial11%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
668
Graduate enrollment
2
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
30%
First-generation students
29%
Students over 25
11%
Median family income
$61,924
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$92,124
Endowment
$15,200,102

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

Admissions

Admission rate
97.4%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1050–1245
SAT average
1140
SAT reading
530–620
SAT math
520–625
ACT composite
22–28
Average GPA (estimated)
3.25

Cost

In-state tuition
$15,208
Out-of-state tuition
$25,392
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$27,826
Average net price
$19,047

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)
16%
Graduated on time (4 years)
8%
First-year retention
77%
Transferred to another college
49%
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
49%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
64%

About 9% 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
8%
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
No
Application fee
$65
Athletics
USCAA
Varsity athletes
100 (79 men · 21 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 (6)

Baseball33
Basketball29
Soccer14
Volleyball12
Golf8
Cross Country4

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

Campus safety

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

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (677 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
0.3 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
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
$11,582
$30–48k
$11,156
$48–75k
$16,261
$75–110k
$20,054
$110k+
$24,411

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
$77,862

$16,261/year × about 4.8 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.

78%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,760
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 78% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,760. 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 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
88°F
Winter low
21°F
Annual rain
46.5″
Annual snow
24.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, York 3 Ssw Pump Stn, PA US station (3.5 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 York

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

Colleges near Pennsylvania State University-Penn State York

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.