I am going to tell you what the official IPEDS data—the U.S. Department of Education system that gathers information from nearly every college and university in the country—say about Penn State DuBois. I am not going to tell you whether it is the right school for your child. No federal report knows that. But if you finish reading this, you will understand what kind of place it is, what it costs, who stays, who leaves, and what questions you need to ask before signing anything.
Where it is and what kind of school it is
Penn State DuBois is in DuBois, Pennsylvania, in Clearfield County. The area around the campus is classified as a remote town, not an urban area. That does not say how far your family lives from there or how long it would take your child to get there, so if you do not live nearby, that is a separate calculation you need to make: where your child would live, how your child would get around, and how often your child would come home.
It is a public four-year institution. The highest level it reports offering is the bachelor’s degree, and IPEDS classifies it within a group of degree-granting schools that are not primarily bachelor’s-degree institutions or higher. That is an institutional category, not a description of the credential awarded by each program. If your child has a particular major in mind, verify exactly what it leads to: a bachelor’s degree, a certificate, or something else.
One curious detail: in the 2021 Carnegie Classification, the school appears outside the classified universe. That does not say it is worse. It says Carnegie did not assign it a label that year. Do not let the absence of a label replace the call you can make: ask admissions what accreditation it has and exactly what degree it awards. No catalog can save you that call.
It also does not appear under any of three specific designations: it is not a historically Black college or university, it is not a tribal college or university, and it is not a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 colleges and universities in this directory, 138 have at least one of the three designations. Penn State DuBois not being on that list does not say which students it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask that directly: what cultural centers and student organizations exist today.
A small community, and an even smaller Latino community
Exact numbers matter here. Penn State DuBois had 353 students enrolled in the most recent official fall count. All were undergraduates; no graduate enrollment was reported. Compared with the 519 selective-admission, four-year public schools in this census, it is among the smallest: at least nine out of ten have more students.
Being small does not make it better or worse. But it does change what daily life feels like, and it raises a practical question: whether the courses in your child’s major are offered every semester or only once a year. That affects how long it takes to finish.
Within this small community, 2 out of every 100 undergraduate students were reported as Hispanic or Latino. That is among the lowest shares across the 519 comparable schools: nine out of ten in that group report a higher share. There are also more men than women—43 out of every 100 are women—and few adult students: only 5 out of every 100 are between the ages of 25 and 64.
Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, just as having many would not make it good. This number only tells you who is enrolled. If your child would be one of the few, the task is concrete: ask what student groups and support services exist, and talk with someone who is already there before deciding. The number covers the entire school; the experience in a specific major may look different.
How the year is organized and how flexible the school is about what your child already knows
The calendar follows semesters: two terms of about 15 weeks, with matching dates for everyone. The school reported accepting credit for AP exams and also what IPEDS calls credit for life experience: independent study, adult courses, work experience, portfolios, licenses, previous certifications, and even military training. It also enrolls high school students in college courses for credit through a formal dual-enrollment program.
Here is the hard truth beneath the good news: reporting that it accepts AP does not mean it awards credit for every exam. It does not say what score is required or whether those credits count toward your child’s specific major. Before enrolling, request the equivalency evaluation in writing. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
As for what can be studied: in the most recently reported year, the school’s bachelor’s-degree total was 36, and the number of program families represented was 8. The family and consumer sciences family awarded the most, accounting for 28 out of every 100 degrees that year, but no other family accounts for the bulk. Compared with similar schools, it falls within the quarter with the fewest program families represented in its bachelor’s-degree details. With numbers this small, the count can change substantially from one year to the next: ask for the last three years of data for the exact program your child is considering instead of relying on a snapshot of a single year.
The ratio of students to instructional staff is 8 to 1, one of the lowest among its comparables. That sounds good, but do not confuse the number with class size: it is an institutional average, not a count of seats in a classroom. Ask directly how many students are in first-year classes.
The institution also reports two structured academic opportunities: study abroad and cocurricular undergraduate research.
How your child gets in, and what happens after the school says yes
Penn State DuBois does not have open admission. It reviews application components before making a decision. Of the nine possible considerations measured by this report, it marked three as required: the high school transcript, the high school GPA, and the English proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. The college-preparatory course plan and personal essay are not required, but they are considered if submitted.
If your child studied outside the United States or attended high school in Spanish, you need to resolve this now: ask whether the English proficiency exam applies and what qualifies your child for an exemption. This is one of those things families discover late, when it is already harder to resolve.
The published application fee is $65.
Now for the central figure: 93 out of every 100 applicants received an offer of admission in the most recent cycle. Compared with similar schools, it is on the accessible side: seven out of ten in that group, or more, accepted an equal or lower percentage. Only 36 out of every 481 applicants did not receive an offer. This is a school that does accept students. Even so, the application must be submitted completely and on time.
But getting in and deciding to attend are two different things, and here is one of the numbers most worth understanding clearly. Of every 100 admitted students, only 22 enrolled. The other 78 had a place here and did not take it. That percentage falls in the middle of the pack compared with similar schools: it is not unusual; it is typical.
Do not read that as a mark against the school. The federal record does not say why each person made the choice they made. What I can tell you is this: what other people decided does not tell you what the school will offer you. Wait for your letter showing the net price—what the year will actually cost your family—and, with that number in hand, decide whether the school stays on the list.
As for standardized tests, the SAT and ACT are not required. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application remains valid just the same. Among enrolled students, 29 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores, and those percentiles were calculated from fewer than 30 people. With such a small sample, do not turn those numbers into a threshold that must be exceeded.
One detail many families do not anticipate: among students who entered in 2017 seeking a bachelor’s degree, 42 out of every 100 transferred to another school without finishing here within the expected period. That is among the highest departure rates across its comparables: nine out of ten in that group report an equal or lower share. The figure says how many moved, not why, and the reason differs from household to household. But remember this: a student who transfers and completes a degree at another school does not count as a Penn State DuBois graduate. That is important to keep in mind when we look at the graduation rate later.
What it costs, in two numbers that are not the same number
At Pennsylvania State University-Penn State DuBois, among the first-time, full-time, credential-seeking population who received federal Title IV aid, paid the in-state or in-district rate, and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the student count was 11 and the average net price was $7,198. Among the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, the student count was 15 and the average was $16,179; among those with EFC family income above $110,000, the student count was 18 and the average was $23,705. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (student count: 11) and the average for the highest-income band (student count: 18) is $16,507. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship, the average was $18,960.
Among the 519 schools of the same type and control in this census that reported this figure with the same time coverage, it falls within the least expensive quarter for the lowest-income families after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a figure that matters when you build the list of schools to which your child will apply.
Because the price varies so much from one income band to another, identifying yours correctly comes first. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average after grants and scholarships, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The aid letter you receive is what matters.
Aid, grants and scholarships, and the debt that is recorded
Of every 100 degree- or certificate-seeking students, 86 received a grant, scholarship, or other aid that did not have to be repaid, with an average of $10,590 among recipients. That is a high share compared with similar schools. The Pell Grant—federal aid for low-income families—reached 29 out of every 100. The difference between those two figures may come from state, institutional, or other sources of aid; it cannot be attributed directly to the school. Ask which programs make up that difference and what requirements each one has.
And now the hard truth, stated plainly: 53 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal student loan in the most recently reported year. That is a high share compared with its peers: seven out of ten similar schools, or more, have a lower share. Here, financing through debt is the norm, not the exception.
Among borrowers, the average was $5,683 that year. If your child borrowed a similar amount each year over the four years in the plan, the total would be around $22,732, not including interest. That number is decided before the first signature, not at the end. And take note: this figure covers only federal loans in the student’s name. It does not include PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, bank debt, or credit cards. Nor is it the total debt someone has upon graduating; that would require adding all four years, and that number is not in this report.
This percentage describes other families, not yours. The amount your child would need to borrow comes from your child’s own financial aid letter. Wait for that letter before ruling out the school and before committing to it.
The institution also reports an installment tuition payment plan as an option for managing the cost.
Campus life: no dormitories, with some concrete support services
Here is something that can change the entire family’s logistics: Penn State DuBois does not offer institution-owned housing. It has no dormitories or apartments under institutional control, and it does not report meal plans. That does not remove off-campus living estimates from the official financial aid budget—those estimates still exist for calculating aid—but it does mean you need to confirm directly what that budget is and how your child’s daily life would work if your child decides to attend.
As for ROTC, the school did not mark any opportunity in its report, either in the general field or for any specific branch. Of the four-year institutions in this directory, 926 out of 1,786 did mark one; this school was not among them. That does not prove no nearby path exists, only that none was reported in this field. If that scholarship matters to your family, ask about it directly before assuming it is unavailable.
In athletics, the school is affiliated with the USCAA (United States Collegiate Athletic Association), not the NCAA or the NAIA. The federal record does not confirm whether teams currently compete in every sport. If athletics matters to your child, write directly to the coach: ask whether there is room on the team, what division it competes in, and whether that sport offers scholarships. Ask for the answer in writing.
As for course format, it does offer undergraduate distance education, but that is the exception, not the rule. Only 1 out of every 100 students took all their classes at a distance; the other 99 took at least one class in person. It reports no complete program that can be finished entirely at a distance.
Among the services it does report are combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, a dedicated point of contact for veterans and members of the military, a student veterans organization, and a published web address for disability services. The reporting of these services confirms that they exist as declared resources; it does not confirm their quality or actual scope. Ask about that in person.
Who stays, and who finishes with a degree
Here we reach the numbers that carry the most weight, and they deserve to be read slowly.
Of the full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking cohort, 79 out of every 100 were still enrolled or had already completed their degree the following year. This places the school a little above the midpoint among its comparables: neither among the best figures nor among the worst. This measure does not distinguish between those still enrolled here and those who have already graduated, and it does not explain what happened to the rest. It also does not count someone who transferred and is still studying elsewhere as having dropped out.
Now for the figure that needs the most context. The full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking cohort that entered in 2017 had a student count of 85; six years later, the number holding a degree from this school was 19. That is 22 out of every 100. At four years, the figure was 15 out of every 100—a difference of only 7 percentage points, suggesting that almost no one who finishes does so outside the six-year period. Compared with the 518 similar schools in this census, Penn State DuBois is at the very bottom: nine out of ten, or more, report a higher share of graduates at six years.
Stated as clearly as possible: out of every 100 who entered, 78 did not have a bachelor’s degree from this school six years later. That may include people who earned a shorter credential there and people who transferred and graduated elsewhere—remember what we saw earlier: 42 out of every 100 leave. The figure does not distinguish among those paths. And it is a number for the entire school, not for a particular major; if your child has a specific program in mind, you need to request that number directly from the department.
There is another measure, at eight years, that follows a different cohort with a size of 204, encompassing students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016 and including both full-time and part-time attendance. By the August 2023 cutoff, 38 out of every 100 had a degree or certificate from this school. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure falls to 31 out of every 100—a 13-percentage-point gap from those who did not receive it. Compared with similar schools, it also sits at the very bottom of the table.
I am not going to soften this. It is a number that needs to be faced before deciding, not afterward. It is also a number that does not tell you what happened to each person or why. What you can do is ask the school what specifically exists to support a student through to the goal: an assigned adviser, emergency assistance, and whether the institution’s scholarship renews each year. Ask for the answer in writing.
What you already know, and what you still need to build
You now know an important part of this university: how your child gets in, what it really costs, who receives aid and who does not, who stays, and who finishes. That is the foundation, and it is solid because it comes from official reports, not brochures or promises.
But this piece by itself decides nothing. What your child wants to study and what your child has already built—grades, interests, and the direction your child imagines taking—is a piece only your child has. What your family can pay and is willing to take on, with the actual aid letter in hand, is a piece only you can calculate. Neither of those two pieces lives in a federal report.
Put them together. A plan that truly works for your family comes from that combination, not from any single number.
Note on sources: The information in this article comes from IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), the U.S. Department of Education’s data system, with figures from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, depending on the indicator. Best College Aid does not represent Pennsylvania State University-Penn State DuBois or any government agency; this piece is an informational guide to help you understand public data, not an admissions recommendation or a promise of any outcome.