Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg Acceptance Rate, Admissions & Graduation

That is exactly what this article is: the questions you can answer with official data before your child gets in the car and heads to Middletown, Pennsylvania. It will not tell you whether Penn State Harrisburg is the right school for your family. That depends on what your child wants to study, what you can afford, and things no federal report knows. But it will give you solid ground to stand on as you begin deciding.

What Kind of School It Is, and What a Missing Label Does Not Tell You

Penn State Harrisburg is in Middletown, Pennsylvania, in Dauphin County, within the Harrisburg-Carlisle metropolitan area. Its census code places it in a suburb: inside the urbanized area but outside the principal city’s center. If your child plans to live at home and drive every day, do not trust the map. Drive the route yourself on a weekday, at the exact time your child would have class. Actual traffic is almost never what Google Maps promises.

It is a four-year public university. IPEDS—the federal system that compiles these data—records the doctorate as the highest level it reports offering and classifies it as an institution that awards primarily bachelor’s degrees or higher. That is institutional information, not a promise about your child’s specific major: it does not tell you whether the program connects undergraduate and graduate study. Ask that separately.

Here is something unusual, and I want you to understand it clearly because it causes needless confusion. Penn State Harrisburg does not appear in the Carnegie Classification 2021—an academic catalog that groups universities by their research and teaching profiles. That is not a low rating. The catalog simply did not assign it a label. We do not know why. What you can do before paying for the first semester is ask admissions what accreditation the school holds and the exact name of the degree it awards, then independently verify that name on the Department of Education website. No Carnegie label saves you that call.

And one point worth making right away: Penn State Harrisburg is not recorded as a historically Black university, a tribal university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in this federal directory, 138 have at least one of those three designations; this school has none. That does not tell you which students this school serves or how your child will feel there. You find that out by asking what cultural centers exist today, what student organizations are available, and by speaking with someone who already studies there.

A Small Community, and an Even Smaller Minority Within It

In fall 2023, Penn State Harrisburg reported total enrollment of 4,651: 4,164 undergraduate students and 487 graduate students. It is primarily an undergraduate school, not a graduate school. Compared with the 519 selective four-year public schools in this census, it is small: seven out of ten of those schools, or more, have higher enrollment.

Within the undergraduate population, 8 out of every 100 students are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority, and compared with similar schools, its share falls below the comparison-group midpoint. There are also more men than women—out of every 100 students, 38 are women—and adults ages 25 through 64 account for only 7 out of every 100.

None of these figures makes the school good or bad. They only describe who is enrolled today. If your child will be among the few Latino students on that campus, that does not automatically remove it from your list, but it does warrant a call: ask what student group exists, whether there is a cultural center, and whether anyone in the admissions office speaks Spanish. And speak with a current student before deciding. The number you just read applies to the entire school; your child’s experience in a specific major may look different.

One piece of information the school simply did not report was where new students in 2023 came from geographically. IPEDS does not provide it for this institution. It is not estimated or filled in. It remains a gap.

How the Academic Year Is Organized, and How Broad the Range of Majors Is

The school uses a semester calendar: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. That, at least, is consistent and predictable for the whole family.

The school identified two ways for what your child already knows to count for credit: it accepts AP exams, and it also accepts what IPEDS calls credit for life experience—independent study, adult courses, work experience, portfolios, and prior licenses or certifications, including military opportunities. It also reports accepting credit for military training and enrolling high school students in college courses for credit through a formal dual-enrollment program.

Here is the hard truth no one tells you in the brochure: saying they accept AP does not mean they award credit for every exam. The report does not say what score they require, how many credits they award, or whether those credits count toward your child’s specific major. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not include the savings in your budget until you have it in hand.

As for majors: in the most recently reported year, Penn State Harrisburg awarded 729 bachelor’s degrees across 18 distinct academic fields. Engineering was the largest, accounting for 27 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year—no other field surpassed it, but it does not dominate the total either. The offerings are broad, without a single major accounting for most of the degrees. Put another way, 18 fields with at least one row in the report do not mean there are 18 active majors with students graduating; an academic field groups several programs, and some may report zero. Verify the exact program that interests your child, not just the broad category.

Regarding class size: the reported ratio is 15 students per full-time-equivalent faculty member. That figure falls in the middle, neither among the lowest nor the highest at similar schools. And here is an important clarification: this ratio does not tell you how many students are in each classroom. It is an institutional average and does not report first-year class sizes.

The Academic Paths the School Says It Offers

Penn State Harrisburg reports offering these structured options: study abroad, undergraduate research alongside regular coursework, a complete program that can be taken only during evenings or weekends, teacher-certification preparation below the bachelor’s level, the ability to complete preparation in certain teacher-specialization areas at the institution itself, and state approval of its initial teacher-certification program.

The school’s report that these options exist does not tell you how accessible they are or how they work for your child’s major. Ask the appropriate department directly.

Getting In Is Easy. Enrolling Is Another Story.

We have reached one of the most important parts of this article, so let’s take it slowly.

Penn State Harrisburg does not have open admission: it reviews applicants’ records before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations in the federal report, it marks three as required: the high school record, high school GPA, and—when applicable—an English-proficiency exam. If your child studied outside the United States or attended high school in Spanish, ask now whether that exam applies and what qualifies for an exemption. This is the kind of issue people discover late, when there is no longer enough time to resolve it comfortably.

Other materials are not required but are considered if submitted: completion of the college-preparatory curriculum recommended by the university and the personal essay. The published application fee is $65.

Now for the figure you probably did not expect:

Out of every 100 students who applied for admission in 2023, 96 received an offer of admission.

It has one of the highest acceptance rates among the 519 selective public schools in this census. Nearly nine out of ten of those schools accept an equal or smaller percentage. For your child, this means something concrete: the effort your child puts into meeting the deadline and submitting a complete application will pay off more than worrying about competing for a scarce place.

But—and here is the counterweight, because easy admission is not the whole story—being easy to get into does not mean it is inexpensive or that most students finish there. Before deciding, two numbers matter far more than the acceptance rate: net price and graduation rate. We will get to both.

There is another figure worth keeping in mind because it tells a different story from “almost everyone gets in.” Out of every 100 students admitted, only 12 enrolled. Put another way, out of every 8 young people who received a yes from this school, about one ultimately took the place. That is not a mark against the university—the federal record does not say why each person made that choice—but it tells you something real: receiving an acceptance letter is not the same as deciding to attend. What others decided also does not tell you what the school will offer you. Wait for your own letter showing the net price—what the year will actually cost your family—before crossing this school off your list or confirming it.

Regarding standardized tests: the SAT and ACT are not required. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application remains equally valid. Among the students who enrolled, 27 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores, and the middle half of those students scored between 560 and 650 in reading and writing and between 550 and 670 in mathematics. That range is not a minimum for admission or a guarantee of anything: it is only a snapshot of students who were already admitted and chose to submit their scores.

An Important Exit That Must Be Faced Directly

Here is a hard truth, stated plainly: at this school, out of every 100 students who began their bachelor’s-degree studies as part of a first-time entering cohort, 39 transferred to another institution without completing their degree there. In absolute terms, the count was 370 from a cohort totaling 947. Compared with 395 similar selective public schools, it is among those from which the largest share of students transfer.

The figure tells you how many transferred. It does not say why—the reason differs from one household to another—and it does not say whether they did well or poorly afterward. But there is something you need to know in order to read the graduation figures later in this article correctly: a student who transfers and finishes a degree at another university does not count as a Penn State Harrisburg graduate. Remember that; you will need it in a couple of sections.

The Sticker Price: Two Numbers and a Large Gap Between Them

This is where many families pause to take a breath, so let’s look at the full figures.

For the 2023-24 year, the total cost of attendance—tuition, housing, food, books, and an estimate of other expenses—was $38,442 per year for students paying the in-state rate and living on campus, and $49,166 for out-of-state students.

The difference between the two rates is $10,724 per year. That is not a minor detail: it is almost the cost of a full year of housing and food. Ask the institution what requirements it uses to classify a student as an in-state resident and when they take effect. The rules are not the same everywhere, and sometimes a student can change categories over time.

Compared with 483 similar schools, this cost of attendance at the in-state rate is among the highest in the group. Again, this figure is the sticker price before any financial aid. It is not the bill your family will receive.

The Actual Price Changes Considerably With Family Income

At Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg, among 64 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid, paid the in-state or in-district rate, and had EFC records showing family income below $30,000, the average net price was $16,081. Among 57 students from the same population whose EFC family income was between $48,001 and $75,000, it was $22,006; among 112 students whose EFC family income was above $110,000, it was $29,925. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.

The difference between the average for the lowest-income band, which included 64 students, and the average for the highest-income band, which included 112 students, is $13,844. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $22,406.

Among the 519 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same period of coverage, this school falls within the most expensive quarter for the lowest-income families. That does not mean you should rule it out. It means you should request the aid offer before deciding.

Because the price changes 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 with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The aid offer you receive is what matters.

How Aid Is Distributed, and How Much Arrives as a Loan

Among degree-seeking students here, 64 out of every 100 received some form of aid that does not have to be repaid—a grant or scholarship. That is more than half, but not everyone. Among those who received it, the annual average was $9,583. Compared with similar schools, this share of students receiving grants or scholarships falls within the group’s lowest quarter.

The Pell Grant—federal aid specifically for low-income families—reached 26 out of every 100 students. That figure is lower than the overall percentage receiving aid, and the difference may come from federal aid other than Pell or from state, local, or institutional funds; the report does not make it possible to determine the exact composition. When your financial aid offer arrives, separate it by hand into three piles: what does not have to be repaid, what must be repaid with interest, and what must be earned through work. Many offers mix all of that into a single column to make the total look larger.

Regarding loans: 43 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan during the 2022-23 school year. Among those who borrowed, the average amount was $6,227 that year. Pay attention to the difference between these two figures: 43% applies to the entire undergraduate population; $6,227 is only the average among those who borrowed. And that amount covers just one year and only federal loans in the student’s name—it does not include Parent PLUS loans that a parent sometimes signs for, credit card debt, or the total debt owed upon graduation. That final figure, combining all years, is not in this report. What your child would ultimately owe is determined by your child’s own financial aid offer, not by this percentage describing other families.

The institution also reports that an installment tuition-payment plan is available.

Housing, ROTC, Athletics, and Distance Education

Penn State Harrisburg has institution-controlled housing and does not require all first-year students to live there—although that does not tell you whether a particular program requires it. It also offers meal plans, with the number of meals varying by the plan selected. IPEDS reports a maximum housing capacity of 699 students, on or off campus. The existence of a room does not guarantee an available bed for your child: request this year’s rate, the housing application deadline, and written confirmation of whether a place is guaranteed or your child will be placed on a waiting list.

Regarding ROTC: the school reported that an opportunity is available, and the only branch confirmed in writing is Army. Navy and Air Force are not marked. That does not mean they are impossible—it means you need to ask directly, because the report also does not clarify whether the program is offered on this specific campus.

In athletics, the school is affiliated with the NCAA and reports membership in basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. The question of whether it competes actively in intercollegiate sports does not apply in this federal record, so membership alone does not confirm that teams currently compete in each sport. If athletics matters to your child, write directly to the coach and request the current schedule in writing.

Regarding distance education: the school does offer distance courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, but in the fall count, fewer than 1 out of every 100 undergraduate students took their entire course load exclusively through distance education. In addition, the institution specifically reported that it does not offer a complete undergraduate program that can be finished entirely through distance education. If this matters to your family, confirm it in writing with the exact program that interests your child.

Finally, the school reports these services and forms of support as available: combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, a postsecondary transition program for students with intellectual disabilities, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, a dedicated point of contact for veterans and military families, a student veterans organization, and a published webpage for disability services. The fact that these services are reported does not tell you how accessible they are in practice or how effective they are for each student.

How Many Stay, and How Many Finish With a Degree From This School

We have reached the part that carries the most weight, and I want you to read it all without skipping anything.

Retention: of the cohort that entered in fall 2022 as full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students, 82 out of every 100 were still enrolled here or had already completed their degrees one year later. Compared with similar schools, this figure is in the upper range: Penn State Harrisburg retains a larger share than most of its peers. That is a genuinely positive sign. But remember something we saw earlier: “still enrolled” does not distinguish between someone who remains there happily and someone who remains undecided, and “did not return” is not the same as leaving school altogether—sometimes it means the student transferred and continued studying elsewhere.

Graduation within six years: of the 947 students who entered in 2017 as first-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students with no prior college attendance, 277 had graduated from this same school six years later. That is 29 out of every 100. At the four-year mark, the figure falls to 19 out of every 100.

Here is the full breakdown for that cohort of 947, because isolated figures can mislead if you do not see the whole picture:

Notice something? The largest group after those who graduated is the group that transferred—the count was 370, more than the number who graduated. As we already saw, a student who transfers and finishes a degree at another university does not count as a Penn State Harrisburg graduate in this rate. The figure of 29 out of every 100 is real, but it counts only those who finished at this same school, not everyone who eventually earned a degree somewhere. Compared with 518 similar schools, this six-year graduation rate is at the very bottom of the table: nine out of ten similar schools, or more, report a larger share of graduates.

And here is an extremely valuable clarification: this percentage applies to the entire school. IPEDS does not report graduation by major. If your child is pursuing a specific program, request that figure directly from the department, and in the meantime, it is wise for your child’s college list to include more than one option.

At eight years, with a broader view: when all undergraduate students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016 are included—not only first-time, full-time students, but also those with prior college experience and part-time students—43 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school within eight years. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure rises to 49 out of every 100—eight points higher than among those who did not receive it. And within that same broad cohort, the subcohort that began as first-time, full-time students—the group most comparable to those “just out of high school”—stands at only 31 out of every 100, twelve points below the broad group.

This eight-year measure is a snapshot as of August 31, 2023, not a measure of eight continuous years of study, and it does not measure how much each person paid or how much income each person gave up along the way. Before signing anything, request in writing how long the specific program that interests your child takes to complete, how its required courses are scheduled, and how the total cost changes if the path takes longer.

What You Already Know, and What Is Still Yours to Discover

You now have a real piece of the picture in your hands: how people enter Penn State Harrisburg, how much it costs based on family income, how many stay, how many leave, and how many finish with a degree from this school. No one handed you that information through adjectives or glossy brochures. These are figures the institution itself reported to the federal government.

What this article cannot do—because no article can—is tell you whether this is the right school for your child. That depends on three things only your family knows: what your child wants to study and how comfortable your child is with the idea of living far from home; what your child has built so far in the academic record; and what your family can afford and what combination of savings, aid, and loans you are willing to commit to.

If you are just beginning this list, use this article as a question template for the next five universities you research. If Penn State Harrisburg is already on the shortlist, request the financial aid offer before ruling it out or falling in love with it. And if your child already has the acceptance letter in hand, sit down together and read the actual net price, not the sticker price, before deciding anything.

You now understand one of the plan’s three pieces in depth. Put it together with the other two, and from there you can reach a decision your family can stand behind with eyes open.

Source: The information in this article comes from data reported by the institution to the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS system, corresponding primarily to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg or any government agency; this article organizes public information to help families understand it.