Public · University
Pennsylvania Western University
California, Pennsylvania · Distant town
- 94.3%
- Admit rate
- $18,256
- Avg net price
- 52%
- Graduation rate
- $47,295
- Median earnings
Pennsylvania Western University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in California, Pennsylvania (distant town setting), enrolling 7,451 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Pennsylvania Western University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 94.3%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 940–1140
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.05
Enter a test score to see where you land against Pennsylvania Western University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Pennsylvania Western University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About California, Pennsylvania
California is a borough on the Monongahela River in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. Upon its founding in 1849, name suggestions included Columbia and Sagamore. Because the town's founding coincided with the California Gold Rush, it was named California to symbolize growth and prosperity. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant town
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 27 miles to Pittsburgh, PA
- To Great Lakes shore
- 136 miles
- Nearest airport
- 29 miles to Morgantown Municipal Airport Walter L. (Bill) Hart Field (MGW)
How Pennsylvania Western University compares
More selective than 14% · #87 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania
Higher than 19%
Higher than 44% · #80 of 116 in Pennsylvania
Higher than 36%
Higher than 31% · #102 of 116 in Pennsylvania
Cheaper than 58% · #24 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania
Lower than 47%
Lower than 18%
Larger than 84%
Percentiles compare Pennsylvania Western University 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
- Undergraduate7,45170%
- Graduate3,24830%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women4,22257%
- Men3,22943%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White71%
- Black8.4%
- Hispanic4.5%
- Asian0.9%
- Other or multiracial15%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 7,451
- Graduate enrollment
- 3,248
- Student–faculty ratio
- 18 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 38%
- First-generation students
- 37%
- Students over 25
- 15%
- Median family income
- $46,425
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $106,830
- Endowment
- $123,168,203
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 1,617 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Pennsylvania89%
- Other U.S. states9.3%
- International1.7%
Most first-years stay in state — Pennsylvania Western University 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.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 94.3%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 940–1140
- SAT average
- 1063
- SAT reading
- 480–580
- SAT math
- 460–560
- ACT composite
- 17–25
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.05
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $11,436
- Out-of-state tuition
- $16,054
- Room & board
- $12,690
- Books & supplies
- $1,260
- Total cost of attendance
- $26,916
- Average net price
- $18,256
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)
- 52%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 38%
- First-year retention
- 72%
- Transferred to another college
- 20%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $38,474
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $47,295
- Median debt at graduation
- $23,725
- Students with federal loans
- 60%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 58%
About 14% 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)
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
- 4,565
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 61%
- Housing charge (year)
- $6,822
- Meal plan (year)
- $4,600
- Application fee
- $35
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II with football
- Football conference
- Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 1,312 (742 men · 570 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 (12)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.7 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 20
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 3
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 6 campuses (10,834 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.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$16,517/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.
Modest institutional aid: 83% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,877. 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 1,914 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)
- $47,295
- Typical debt at graduation
- $23,725
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 50%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 60%
Typical debt would take roughly 5.0 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 $8,253 (19%) 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
- 21°F
- Annual rain
- 40.9″
- Annual snow
- 10.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Charleroi Lock 4, PA US station (5.7 mi from campus).
What Pennsylvania Western University 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 Pennsylvania Western University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Pennsylvania Western University side by side →
West Texas A & M University
Canyon, Texas · Fringe town · 17 mi to Amarillo
- Students
- 6,917
- Admission
- 99%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1050
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $51k
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, Pennsylvania · Distant town · 46 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 6,764
- Admission
- 91%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1082
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $51k
Stephen F Austin State University
Nacogdoches, Texas · Remote town · 82 mi to Shreveport
- Students
- 8,728
- Admission
- 94%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1066
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $50k
Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania
Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania · Distant town · 49 mi to Scranton
- Students
- 9,210
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1090
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $52k
Troy University
Troy, Alabama · Remote town · 44 mi to Montgomery
- Students
- 9,805
- Admission
- 96%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1088
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $42k
Northwestern State University of Louisiana
Natchitoches, Louisiana · Remote town · 66 mi to Shreveport
- Students
- 5,519
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1088
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $47k
Colleges near Pennsylvania Western University
Douglas Education Center
Monessen, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 178 students
Laurel Technical Institute
Uniontown, PA · Private for-profit · Associate · 515 students
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Fayette- Eberly
Lemont Furnace, PA · Public · Bachelor's · 402 students
Fayette County Career & Technical Institute Practical Nursing Program
Uniontown, PA · Public · Certificate · 71 students
Greene County Career and Technology Center
Waynesburg, PA · Public · Certificate · 16 students
Waynesburg University
Waynesburg, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,009 students
Empire Beauty School-West Mifflin
West Mifflin, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 82 students
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Greater Allegheny
McKeesport, PA · Public · Bachelor's · 349 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.













