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Colleges / Penn State University Park

Penn State University Park

University Park, PA 4-Year Public
Acceptance Rate58%
Acceptance Rate58%

Penn State Student Life

Penn State is on a 7,958-acre campus in the small town setting of University Park, Pennsylvania, not far from Harrisburg.

Penn State Student Activities

There are many activities and organizations for Penn State students to join – including band, chorus, theater groups, a campus newspaper, a radio station and more.

Interested in Greek life? Penn State has fraternities and sororities.

Penn State students' favorite campus traditions are Homecoming, Four Diamonds Dance Marathon and Parent's Weekend.

Penn State Housing

This table offers information on housing at Penn State.

Housing Options Offered? Details
On-Campus Housing Yes Required for freshman
Guaranteed Housing Yes Guaranteed for freshman
Co-ed Housing Available Yes
Housing for Students with Disabilities Yes
Percentage of Students Living On-Campus –– 25%
Spots Available in On-Campus Housing ––
Number of Students Living On-Campus ––
Percentage of Students Living Off-Campus –– 75%

Penn State offers housing for students. Students are required to live on campus through freshman year. First year students are guaranteed on-campus housing.

Most Penn State students live off campus. In 2022, 25% of undergrads at Penn State lived in some kind of on-campus housing and 75% of students lived off-campus or commuted to Penn State. First year students are not allowed to park a car on campus.

Penn State offers coed housing and housing for students with disabilities.

Penn State Athletics

At Penn State there are a variety of athletic options for students interested in joining a sports program.

Intercollegiate sports are the highest tier of college sports and can be very competitive. Intercollegiate teams are regulated by the NCAA, funded by the university, and compete against teams from other universities. The division of a sports team depends on the size of the university, funding, and competition level. An intercollegiate school team will be Division I, II or III, with Division I being the highest level.

Club sports are not regulated by the NCAA and are a great option for students not interested in trying out for an intercollegiate team. Club sports are usually student run but can also be funded by the university.

Intramural sports are the most casual and informal. Intramural sports are often free and require very little time commitment.

Let's take a look at the athletic options available at Penn State:

Sport Men's Intramural Women's Intramural Men's Division Women's Division Men's Scholarships Women's Scholarships
Basketball NCAA Division 1 NCAA Division 1
Fencing NCAA Division 1 NCAA Division 1
Golf NCAA Division 1 NCAA Division 1
Gymnastics NCAA Division 1 NCAA Division 1
Lacrosse Club Teams Club Teams NCAA Division 1 NCAA Division 1
Soccer NCAA Division 1 NCAA Division 1
Swimming And Diving NCAA Division 1 NCAA Division 1
Tennis NCAA Division 1 NCAA Division 1
Track And Field NCAA Division 1 NCAA Division 1
Volleyball NCAA Division 1 NCAA Division 1
Cross Country Running NCAA Division 1 NCAA Division 1
Ice Hockey Intercollegiate Club Teams Intercollegiate Club Teams

Is Penn State Safe?

College is like a home away from home. Whether you're walking to class or coming back from late-night studying (or partying!), it's important to feel safe on campus.

Penn State - University Park is patroled 24 hours a day by trained security. The Penn State campus has emergency telephones or alarms for students to use anytime of day or night. The school also has student security patrols.

Penn State offers late-night transportation or safety escorts for students. Dorms can only be accessed with secure key cards so that students can feel confident that they are safe in on-campus housing.

Plan a Visit to Penn State

Visiting colleges is one of the best ways to get a sense of the campus and student body. If you'd like to visit Penn State, take Route 322 to University Park, PA. If you need to fly, book your flight to University Park airport.

While you're planning, check out other schools in Pennsylvania you may want to visit too. Click the heart at the top of each school's page to save it to your college list.

Want to visit but can't make the trip? Explore Penn State's campus without leaving home by taking a virtual campus tour

Keep Reading About Penn State

Click below to find out more about the admissions requirements and deadlines, student life, academics, majors and more.

Overview

Admissions

Academics

Tuition & Aid

Join the conversation about about Penn State in the College Confidential forums.

Penn State Students

47%

Women

53%

Men

97%

Full Time

3%

Part Time

66%

In State

34%

Out-of-State

Ethnicity

65%

10%

8%

7%

4%

4%

2%

0.08%

0.07%

Undergraduate Students

40,600

Graduate Students

6,960

Non-Resident / International Students

4,063

Penn State Campus Services

Student Services
  • 1E1A89E0-A58D-422D-B45D-7554EC36A535 Counseling
  • 1E1A89E0-A58D-422D-B45D-7554EC36A535 Health Clinic
  • 1E1A89E0-A58D-422D-B45D-7554EC36A535 Women's Center
  • 1E1A89E0-A58D-422D-B45D-7554EC36A535 Veterans Affairs
  • 1E1A89E0-A58D-422D-B45D-7554EC36A535 Career Planning
  • 1E1A89E0-A58D-422D-B45D-7554EC36A535 Alumni Networking
  • 1E1A89E0-A58D-422D-B45D-7554EC36A535 ESL
Campus Security
  • 1E1A89E0-A58D-422D-B45D-7554EC36A535 Late-Night Transport / Escort
  • 1E1A89E0-A58D-422D-B45D-7554EC36A535 24-Hour Emergency Phone / Alarm
  • 1E1A89E0-A58D-422D-B45D-7554EC36A535 24-Hour Security Patrol

Data Source: IPEDs and Peterson's Databases © 2022 Peterson's LLC All rights reserved

Quick Facts

Total Enrollment

47,560

Campus Setting

Small Town

Acceptance Rate

58%

Tuition and Fees

In State

$18,898

Out-of-State

$36,476

Fall Freshmen
Application Deadline

Continuous processing
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