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Middletown, PA · Public · 4,031 undergraduates · suburban

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg

Less selective

Penn State Harrisburg offers Penn State resources in a smaller campus setting tailored to Pennsylvania’s capital-region workforce.

Campus image / Publicly hosted campus image

Institutional profile

Regionally focused Strongest in career outcomes and academic standing.
Academic Steady Affordability Steady Career Steady Mobility Steady Experience Steady
Academic standing Steady
Affordability Steady
Career outcomes Steady
Mobility Steady
Student experience Steady
Admission
96.4% admitted

10,296 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Resident and nonresident prices differ

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
40%

$63,435 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets Penn State Harrisburg apart

Academic design

More than 70 undergraduate and graduate programs span business, engineering and technology, public affairs, behavioral sciences, education and humanities.

Campus pattern

The Middletown campus is suburban and self-contained, with Harrisburg’s government, employers and cultural institutions a short drive away.

Career & value signal

Its location is especially useful for public policy, engineering and business students seeking internships with state government and regional employers.

Can I get in?

96.4% admitted

Applicants should distinguish degrees completed at Harrisburg from Penn State 2+2 pathways that may begin there and finish at another Penn State campus.

Recent applicant pool

10,296

About 96 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 96.4%
Entering class

Academic range

SAT middle 50%1110–1320
9801460
ACT middle 50%26–30
2333

Of admitted students, 27% submitted an SAT, and 2% submitted an ACT. Because ACT scores came from few admitted students, the range describes that self-selected group rather than the full class.

Academic benchmarkLess selective

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Penn State Harrisburg, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Penn State Harrisburg weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

More than 70 undergraduate and graduate programs span business, engineering and technology, public affairs, behavioral sciences, education and humanities.

02

Make institutional fit specific

Penn State Harrisburg offers Penn State resources in a smaller campus setting tailored to Pennsylvania’s capital-region workforce.

03

Use the application route carefully

Applicants should distinguish degrees completed at Harrisburg from Penn State 2+2 pathways that may begin there and finish at another Penn State campus.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Applicants should distinguish degrees completed at Harrisburg from Penn State 2+2 pathways that may begin there and finish at another Penn State campus.

Early ActionNov 1
Regular Decisionrolling
Application routeInstitution application

$65 application fee

Major and program admission

Some fields have their own entry path.

The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.

BusinessAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Computer scienceAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Teacher preparationAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

EngineeringAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

NursingAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$32,920
Average annual cost after aid, in-state$23,000
Affordability profileSteady

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Penn State Harrisburg

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. One university-wide earnings figure does not describe every student path.

Complete within 8 years40%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one81.8%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$63,435

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

What is campus life like?

Penn State Harrisburg beyond the classroom

The Middletown campus is suburban and self-contained, with Harrisburg’s government, employers and cultural institutions a short drive away.

Academics

A defining academic feature

More than 70 undergraduate and graduate programs span business, engineering and technology, public affairs, behavioral sciences, education and humanities.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

The Middletown campus is suburban and self-contained, with Harrisburg’s government, employers and cultural institutions a short drive away.

Career & value

Where the degree can lead

Its location is especially useful for public policy, engineering and business students seeking internships with state government and regional employers.

4,031 undergraduatesMid-Atlanticsuburban settingCampus housing available