Public · University

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

Shippensburg, Pennsylvania · Fringe town

86.5%
Admit rate
$23,726
Avg net price
56%
Graduation rate
$56,351
Median earnings

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania (fringe town setting), enrolling 4,086 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 4,086 undergradsFringe townAccessible · 87% admitNCAA Division II with football · Pennsylvania State Athletic ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania's admitted students.

Admit rate
86.5%
ACT (mid 50%)
16–28
Avg GPA (est.)
3.21

Enter a test score to see where you land against Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania's admitted students.

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

About Shippensburg, Pennsylvania

Shippensburg is a borough in Cumberland and Franklin counties in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Shippensburg is the oldest community of the Cumberland Valley, and the second oldest west of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania (after York to the east). (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
73 miles
Nearest airport
26 miles to Hagerstown Regional Richard A Henson Field (HGR)

How Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania compares

Selectivity86.5%

More selective than 32% · #64 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania

SAT average1120

Higher than 37%

Graduation rate56%

Higher than 52% · #73 of 116 in Pennsylvania

First-year retention77%

Higher than 52%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$56,351

Higher than 58% · #76 of 116 in Pennsylvania

Average net price$23,726

Cheaper than 33% · #61 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 18%

Undergraduate enrollment4,086

Larger than 74%

Percentiles compare Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania 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

4,876students
  • Undergraduate4,08684%
  • Graduate79016%

Undergraduates by gender

4,086undergrads
  • Women2,15453%
  • Men1,93247%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White75%
  • Black10%
  • Hispanic7.8%
  • Asian1.1%
  • Other or multiracial6.0%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,086
Graduate enrollment
790
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
30%
First-generation students
34%
Students over 25
5%
Median family income
$65,945
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$108,297
Endowment
$71,110,523

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 1,096 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Pennsylvania90%
  • Other U.S. states9.1%
  • International0.5%

Most first-years stay in state — Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania draws overwhelmingly from Pennsylvania.

1% 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
86.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
1120
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
16–28
Average GPA (estimated)
3.21

Cost

In-state tuition
$13,720
Out-of-state tuition
$15,974
Room & board
$13,340
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$30,785
Average net price
$23,726

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)
56%
Graduated on time (4 years)
41%
First-year retention
77%
Transferred to another college
22%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$45,010
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$56,351
Median debt at graduation
$25,000
Students with federal loans
58%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
69%

About 15% 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
41%
Low-income (Pell)
44%
First-generation
49%

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
2,538
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
62%
Housing charge (year)
$7,900
Meal plan (year)
$5,064
Application fee
$45
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
606 (303 men · 303 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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)229
Football95
Soccer58
Swimming37
Baseball31
Basketball27
Lacrosse27
Field Hockey26
Softball23
Wrestling22
Volleyball20
Tennis11

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)
6
Property offenses (2022–2024)
10

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (5,161 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.

5.3reported offenses a year
2.0 violent a year3.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
3.3
Rape
1.0
Fondling
0.7
Statutory rape
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
$18,709
$30–48k
$18,515
$48–75k
$21,386
$75–110k
$25,469
$110k+
$28,387

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
$94,194

$21,386/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.

69%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,817
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 69% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,817. 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 1,077 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)
$56,351
Typical debt at graduation
$25,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
44%
Out-earn a HS grad
65%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.4 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
$51,616
Men
$63,074

Men out-earn women by $11,458 (22%) 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
22°F
Annual rain
42.5″
Annual snow
33.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.14.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Shippensburg, PA US station (0.1 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 Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

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

Colleges near Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

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.