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Middletown , PA
Penn State Harrisburg is a campus of Pennsylvania State University, located in Middletown, Pennsylvania. Established in 1966, the campus offers a wide range of academic programs and degrees across various disciplines. With its commitment to research, teaching, and community engagement, Penn State Harrisburg provides a vibrant and enriching environment for students.
The campus boasts state-of-the-art facilities and resources, including modern classrooms, laboratories, and research centers. Penn State Harrisburg offers over 60 undergraduate programs, including business, engineering, humanities, and social sciences, to cater to the diverse interests of its students. In addition to undergraduate studies, the campus also offers graduate programs in fields such as business administration, public affairs, and engineering, providing opportunities for further specialization and career advancement.
Aside from academic excellence, Penn State Harrisburg has a strong focus on community engagement and service. The campus encourages students to participate in service-learning programs and community-based research projects, fostering a sense of social responsibility and civic engagement. Moreover, Penn State Harrisburg offers numerous extracurricular activities, including sports, clubs, and organizations, allowing students to get involved and make the most of their college experience. Overall, Penn State Harrisburg provides a dynamic and diverse educational experience within a supportive and inclusive community.
Penn State Harrisburg is a public comprehensive higher education institution located in Middletown, PA. This institution follows a semester-based calendar. It has an acceptance rate of 97%. The freshman retention rate at Penn State Harrisburg is 82.1% and the six-year graduation rate is 72%.
Find out more about what you can expect if you get into Penn State Harrisburg.
Quick Facts
4,047
Total Number of Undergraduate Students
15:1
Student to Faculty Ratio
72%
Graduation Rate
Admissions
Discovering as much as possible about the school's criteria for admission increases your chances of getting admitted. Here are the most vital facts you need to know about admission at Penn State Harrisburg.
According to the newest information reported, this school uses standardized test scores for admission and it admitted 9,092 in 2025. As far as admission difficulty is considered, based on data self-reported by the institution this school is very difficult to get into. Having a long tradition of academic success and a dedication to encouraging intellectual curiosity, Penn State Harrisburg provides a superior educational experience.
Test Scores
Out of the number of those who submitted test scores, the percentage of first-time, first-year degree-seeking students who submitted SAT scores was 23.29% and ACT scores 2.64%. 9.24% of the freshmen submitted SAT composite scores between 1,400 and 1,600, 53.36% between 1,200 and 1,399, 32.35% between 1,000 and 1,199, 4.62% between 800 and 999, and 0.42% of the students between 600 and 799. The percent of new students who submitted ACT Composite scores in the range between 30-36 was 41, 19 between 24-29, 41 in the range between 18-23, and 4.17 between 12-17.
The ACT composite average score for all the accepted students in 2025 was 25 while the average GPA was 3.41. Therefore, the chances are that you'll need a GPA higher than the average for acceptance, and the same goes for your ACT score.
The SAT Critical Reading average score was 565 for the newly enrolled students, while the average SAT Math score was 510.
Retention Rate
The student retention rate is the percentage of students who re-enroll from one year to the next. That information can tell you if the majority of new students liked their first year enough to come back.
As reported in 2025, the freshman retention rate for Penn State Harrisburg was 82.1%, which is considered an above-average retention rate and is indicative of the quality of educational experience at this school.
The graduation rate is another indicator to take into account. It provides valuable insight into the percentage of students who complete their studies within a designated timeframe. This academic institution has the six-year graduation rate of 72%, which is considered an above-average graduation rate.
Student Body
It is never easy to figure out which school is the best match for you. You can get a better insight into a school's culture and life by finding out more about its student body.
Main Student Body
The total number of students enrolled at Penn State Harrisburg in 2025 was 4,493.
That year, the school had 24.62% of students coming from another state. The total number of undergraduate students enrolled at the school was 4,047, 570 of which were international students. The school admitted a total of 222 transfer students.
Student Population Gender Ratio
The student body is coeducational, with 2,319 male and 1,616 female full-time students in 2025. There were 96 full-time graduate male and 109 full-time graduate female students at this school.
Student Population Diversity
In order to enhance a sense of inclusion and belonging among its students, higher education is dedicated to increasing student diversity. In a diverse learning space, you will be exposed to people from different backgrounds, which promotes the feeling of inclusion and acceptance. Find out more about different ethnic groups you can meet at Penn State Harrisburg.
This school had 582 Asian students and 408 Afro-American students in 2025. 387 students at this school identified as Hispanic/Latino and 156 identified with more than one race. There were also 70 students whose ethnicity is unknown.
Cost
One of the most crucial things to take into consideration when applying to any college or university is the financial component. Here are some details you should know about the cost of attendance for Penn State Harrisburg.
Tuition and Fees
Wondering about tuition at Penn State Harrisburg? Here is what you need to know.
For the students who live in the area, the tuition cost was $15,388, as reported by public county or municipal institutions. For students who don't live in the state in which the university is located, the tuition was $26,638 in 2025. For international students, tuition fees at this school were $26,638, as well. Full-time students in 2025 were mandated to pay additional fees in the amount of $616.
| Category | Tuition | Fees | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Out-of-State | $26,638 | $616 | $27,254 |
| In-State | $15,388 | $616 | $16,004 |
Books and Supplies
Another important expense to take into consideration is the estimated price of books and supplies for a college or university. The estimated expense of books and supplies for full-time students of this school is $1,200.
Boarding
Besides tuition, another cost to consider is the price of housing in the dorms and eating at the school cafeteria. What do schools typically charge for room and board?
In 2025, room and board cost at Penn State Harrisburg amounted to $15,346 a year. Room-only (on campus) cost per academic year at this school stood at $9,006, according to the data from 2025. The estimated expense of room-only (on campus) for commuters not living at home was $11,936.
| Expense Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $ 15,388 |
| Room and Board | $ 15,346 |
| Book and Supplies | $ 1,200 |
| Total Expense | $ 31,934 |
Financial Aid
Be it a grant, loan, scholarship, or work-study program, any type of financial help can be a great deal for a number of students. Check out some recent data to get the information about need-based and non-need-based aid you might get at Penn State Harrisburg.
The most recent figures show that financial help was given to 614 freshmen. The average financial aid package awarded to students came to $13,295.
Need-based
Need-based financial aid is exactly what it sounds like — it’s awarded based on the determined financial need.
There were 1,309 students who secured need-based financial aid of any kind. Need-based college-administered scholarship and grant aid at Penn State Harrisburg isn't available to international students. The total number of students (including freshmen) who were determined to have financial need came to be 2,108. The amount of federal need-based scholarships/grants awarded to the students at this institution stood at $6,754,346, and state $3,951,951. The students of Penn State Harrisburg received the -institutional need-based aid in the amount of $8,794,137, and external in the amount of $1,813,902.
$4,575
Average Amount of Aid Received
Non-Need Based
Any financial aid given to a student who does not meet the requirements for need-based aid is considered non-need-based aid. Most students get non-need-based financial aid as Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, Graduate PLUS Loans, Parent PLUS Loans, and the TEACH Grant.
1,540 students, including freshmen, received institutional non-need-based scholarship or grant aid at this institution in 2025. 497 full-time freshmen were awarded institutional non-need-based scholarship or grant aid. Federal non-need-based scholarships and grants totaled $6,754,346 for students at this institution, while state aid came to $20,000. The total amount of non-need-based institutional scholarships/grants was $2,541,267. This includes endowment, alumni, other institutional awards, and also external funds awarded by the institution, but doesn't include athletic aid and tuition waivers. $3,011,556 was the amount that the students at this institution got from external sources (like Kiwanis and National Merit).
Majors
Faculty
15:1
Student to Faculty Ratio
Knowing more about a school's faculty can help you gauge the caliber of the education it can provide to you.
In 2025, this ratio at Penn State Harrisburg was 15:1. That means that there were 15 times more students than teachers at this school. According to the most recent information, there are 382 teachers at this school. Out of that number, there were 226 male and 156 female faculty members.
Student Population Diversity Graph
Campus Life
Knowing what to expect out of campus life at a college or university can set you up for success. Find out some details about students' life at Penn State Harrisburg.
Student Organizations
Student organizations are run by students of an institution, and its membership typically consists exclusively of current students and/or alumni.
For students with a talent for acting, there is a drama club. Interested in media and communication? Penn State Harrisburg publishes its own newspaper and has its own radio station.
Student Services
Penn State Harrisburg offers a number of services necessary for a comfortable and secure life on campus.
24/7 emergency phone and alarm devices are available. The school's dormitory entrances are operated electronically. There is a security patrol available 24/7. Theer is a nighttime transportation/escort service.
All in all, campus life at Penn State Harrisburg is rich and vibrant and provides everything most students need.
Career Services
Having career services at a college or university can mean a great deal for your career planning, so find out what you can expect at Penn State Harrisburg.
Career Counselling
At Penn State Harrisburg, there is both group career counseling for all students and individual career counseling for all students. There are a library and job fairs. The school has campus employer recruitment for all the students. Individual job placement is available to all students at this school.
FAQ
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Penn State Harrisburg is located in Middletown, PA.
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Penn State Harrisburg doesn't offer need-based college-administered scholarship and grant aid to international students.
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This school uses standardized test scores for admission.
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The most recent data indicate that the acceptance rate for Penn State Harrisburg is 97%.
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The most recent data indicate that the freshman retention rate for Penn State Harrisburg is 82.1%.
Contact Information
Data Source: IPEDS and Peterson's Databases © 2023 Peterson's LLC All rights reserved. Portions of this content were co-written with OpenAI's GPT-3.5 model.
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Data Source: IPEDS and Peterson's Databases © 2023 Peterson's LLC All rights reserved.
Portions of this content were co-written with OpenAI's GPT-3.5 model.