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.

PublicMidsize · 7,451 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 94% admitNCAA Division II with football · Pennsylvania State Athletic ConferenceCold winters

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
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

Selectivity94.3%

More selective than 14% · #87 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania

SAT average1063

Higher than 19%

Graduation rate52%

Higher than 44% · #80 of 116 in Pennsylvania

First-year retention72%

Higher than 36%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$47,295

Higher than 31% · #102 of 116 in Pennsylvania

Average net price$18,256

Cheaper than 58% · #24 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania

Median debt at graduation$23,725

Lower than 47%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 18%

Undergraduate enrollment7,451

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

10,699students
  • Undergraduate7,45170%
  • Graduate3,24830%

Undergraduates by gender

7,451undergrads
  • 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)

All students
38%
Low-income (Pell)
33%
First-generation
34%

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)

Football316
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)294
Soccer116
Swimming and Diving (combined)109
Basketball94
Baseball89
Wrestling71
Volleyball62
Softball59
Golf39
Tennis38
Lacrosse25

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.

7.7reported offenses a year
6.7 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
4.0
Rape
2.7
Burglary
0.7
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
$13,944
$30–48k
$14,171
$48–75k
$16,517
$75–110k
$20,633
$110k+
$23,272

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
$72,835

$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.

83%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,877
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$43,821
Men
$52,074

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

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.14.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Charleroi Lock 4, PA US station (5.7 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 Western University

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

Colleges near Pennsylvania Western University

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.