Where this school stands
Penn State New Kensington is located in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, in Westmoreland County. The code the government uses to classify its setting places it in a rural area near a city, not within a large urban area. That does not tell you how much driving is involved day to day or how close it is to your home: you need to find that out by looking at a map using your family’s actual address. If you do not live nearby, ask this question separately from everything else: where would your child live, and how would your child get to campus each day?
It is a four-year public institution, and the highest level it reports offering is the bachelor’s degree. That confirms the type of school, not that the exact program your child wants is available there or that it leads to that degree—that must be verified program by program. And here is something that can save you an uncomfortable call later: because it is public, it charges different rates depending on whether you are a Pennsylvania resident or an out-of-state resident. Always ask which of those two prices you are being quoted.
One technical note worth understanding clearly: under the Carnegie Classification, which groups colleges and universities by type, this school appears outside the classified universe. That does not say whether it is good or bad—Carnegie simply did not assign it a category. And it does not appear under any of the three special designations tracked by the federal government—historically Black college or university, Tribal College or University, or land-grant institution. That does not tell you which students it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask directly which cultural centers and student organizations exist today.
A small school—truly small
Here is the first number that changes how you read everything else: Penn State New Kensington had an official fall enrollment of 456. Compared with the 519 selective-admission, four-year public schools that make up its comparison group in this census, it is among the smallest. At least nine out of ten of those schools have more students.
The entire enrollment of 456 is undergraduate—there is no graduate enrollment in the count. Of that enrollment, the institution reports a full-time equivalent of 415. That does not tell you whether classes are small or whether your child will know a professor by name. What this scale does tell you is something practical: at small schools, some courses are not offered every semester. Ask directly whether the courses in your child’s program are offered once or twice a year, because that affects how long completing the program takes.
Of those 456 students, 42 out of every 100 are women—there are more men. Students ages 25 to 64 are few, at 11 out of every 100: this is a campus where almost everyone enrolls directly after high school. Hispanic or Latino students account for 6 out of every 100—a small minority, below the midpoint of its comparison group. That does not make the school good or bad. If your child will be one of the few, the right question is not the percentage: it is which student groups and support services exist, and whether your child can speak with someone already there before deciding.
The student-to-instructional-staff ratio is 9 to 1—one of the lowest among its peers, in the bottom quartile. That sounds like a lot of attention, and it may be. But the ratio does not count seats in a classroom. Ask directly how many students are in first-year classes.
The calendar, credits, and the range of offerings
The academic year is organized into semesters—two periods of about 15 weeks each. The school reports accepting credit for AP exams, as well as what IPEDS calls credit for life experience: independent study, work experience, prior licenses or certifications, and other avenues, in addition to credit for military training. Reporting that it accepts these forms of credit does not mean your child will receive credit automatically. Request a written transfer-credit evaluation before enrolling, and do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand. The school also enrolls high school students in college courses for credit through a formal dual-enrollment program.
In the most recently reported year, the school awarded 66 bachelor’s degrees across 8 program families. The program family awarding the most degrees was business and management, with 24 out of every 100 degrees—the largest share, but not a majority. Compared with its peers, the school falls in the quartile with the fewest program families represented in the reported detail. With numbers this small, a single year can vary considerably from one period to another. If your child’s area of interest appears here, request the last three years for that exact program, not just a one-year snapshot.
The institution also reports structured opportunities: study abroad, co-curricular undergraduate research, and a complete program that can be taken exclusively in the evenings or on weekends.
Getting in is easier here than at most peer schools
Let’s get to the number you probably want most quickly: out of every 100 people who applied for admission in the most recent cycle, 93 were admitted. Compared with its 519 peers, it ranks on the high side—seven out of ten schools in that group, or more, admit an equal or smaller percentage. This is one of the schools that does open the door.
For admission, the school requires review of three things: the high school record, the high school GPA, and an English proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. If your child studied outside the United States or attended high school in another language, ask now whether that exam is required and what provides an exemption—it is one of those things families discover late, complicating their timelines. The SAT and ACT are not required: if your child submits them, the school considers them; if not, the application remains valid. The published application fee is $65.
But a likely admission does not make what follows easy. Out of every 100 admitted students, only 21 ultimately enrolled here that fall—the other 79 had a place and did not take it. Do not read that as a stain on the school: the federal record does not say why each person made that decision. What matters is this: what other people did does not predict what you will be offered. Wait for your letter showing the actual net price before deciding whether this school stays on your list.
Here is a separate figure, with a note of candor: among students who transferred without completing their program here, the share is high—41 out of every 100 from the cohort that entered in 2017 left for another school without graduating here. Compared with its peers, this school is among those that see the most people leave. The data record the movement, not the reason, and they also do not say whether those students did poorly afterward. This is important to remember when you see the graduation rate later: a student who transfers and finishes elsewhere is not counted as a graduate of this school.
Money: what it costs on paper and what is actually paid
At Pennsylvania State University-Penn State New Kensington, among 11 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and paid the in-state or in-district rate, and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $12,821. Among 18 students from that same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $18,165; among 19 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $24,058. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band, which included 11 students, and the average for the highest-income band, which included 19 students, is $11,237. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $19,294.
Among the 519 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same period coverage, this school falls in the most expensive quartile for the lowest-income families. That does not mean you should rule it out. It means you should request the financial aid letter before deciding.
The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at this public institution, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average for students 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; it also uses that rate. If your family lives outside the state or district, the calculation is different. Ask for it before applying.
Aid, grants, and loans: who pays what
Out of every 100 degree-seeking students here, 80 received a grant or scholarship that does not have to be repaid, averaging $8,550 per year among recipients. The Pell Grant, which is federal aid specifically for low-income families, reached 33 out of every 100. The difference between those two figures may come from other sources—state or institutional—and this breakdown does not make it possible to say exactly which ones. Ask which programs account for that difference.
And here is the hard number in this section: 54 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan in the most recently reported year—more than half. Compared with its 519 peers, the school ranks on the high side: seven out of ten schools in that group, or more, had a smaller share of students in debt. Those who borrowed took out an average of $6,072 that year. If your child borrowed a similar amount in each of the four years, the total would be around $24,288—excluding interest and excluding anything parents might borrow separately through a Parent PLUS Loan, which this figure does not include.
Financing through debt is common here, not the exception. Calculate the full amount before the first signature, not afterward. And remember: this percentage describes other families. The amount your child would need to borrow comes from your child’s own financial aid letter—wait for it before ruling out or committing to this school. The institution also offers an installment tuition payment plan if that helps manage cash flow during the year.
Campus life: no residence halls, with some targeted support
Penn State New Kensington does not offer institution-owned housing or meal plans under its control. If your child attends, your child will live at home, with family, or independently—that must be planned separately, and the official cost-of-attendance budget does include an estimate for living off campus that you can request.
ROTC is available, but the report confirms only the Air Force branch; Army and Navy were not marked. Not confirmed does not mean impossible—ask directly if your child is interested in another branch.
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 are currently competing actively in each sport. If athletics matter to your child, write directly to the coach and request the current schedule in writing.
It does offer undergraduate distance-education courses, but in the fall count, fewer than 1 out of every 100 students took their entire course load that way, and the school reports that it does not have a complete program that can be finished entirely through distance education. If that interests your child, confirm it in writing before building a plan around the idea.
The support services it does report include combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, a dedicated point of contact for veterans and military families, and a published disability-services webpage.
Who stays and who finishes
This is the section most worth reading carefully, because this is where the numbers say something that needs to be held clearly, without dressing it up or being frightened by it.
Of the cohort that entered in the fall of 2022 as full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students, 77 out of every 100 met the official retention criterion one year later: they were still enrolled here or had already finished. That result is in the middle of the table compared with its peers—neither among the best nor among the worst. But this figure does not separate students who were still studying from those who had already graduated, and it also does not say what happened to the rest: not returning is not always the same as leaving higher education.
Now for the graduation rate, and it is worth taking a breath before reading: of the students who entered in 2017 as full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students, only 20 out of every 100 had earned a degree from this school six years later. At four years, the figure is 14 out of every 100—just six points lower, which indicates that almost no one finishes here within the “normal” four-year period. Compared with its 519 peers, the school ranks at the very bottom of the table: nine out of ten of those schools, or more, graduate a larger share.
That does not mean that 80 out of every 100 failed. The remainder may include students who earned a shorter credential at this same school or finished their degree at another university after transferring—something we have already seen happens frequently here. The data do not separate those stories. What you can do is ask directly, in admissions or in the department for the program that interests your child, what happened to that specific cohort and what concrete support exists to help your child avoid being the exception.
One final measure, over a longer period: following a cohort that entered between 2015 and 2016—including full-time and part-time students, first-time students, and those who entered with prior college experience—only 34 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school eight years later. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 30 out of every 100, seven points below the figure for nonrecipients. Compared with its peers, this school also ranks at the very bottom on this measure. This figure is not a judgment on any individual student: it is a snapshot of circumstances at the time of measurement, not a measure of how much time or money completion cost each person. Before committing, request in writing how long it takes to complete the exact program your child wants and how the total cost changes if completion takes longer.
Putting the pieces together
You now know one important piece of this decision: what kind of school Penn State New Kensington is according to the figures the federal government requires it to report. It is small, admission is accessible, its tuition alone costs more than at most peer schools, more than half of its students finance their education with debt, and few graduate within the expected time—although many who leave do so to continue studying elsewhere, not necessarily to stop.
None of this tells you whether it is the right school for your child. That depends on two other pieces that only you and your child have: what your child wants to study and has built so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay. When those three pieces come together—the university, the student, and the family budget—that is where a real plan begins, not a list of attractive names.
If your child has this school on the list, your specific task is clear: request the financial aid letter before deciding, confirm the transferability of credits in writing if your child has AP or dual-enrollment credit, and ask directly about the exact program—how long it takes, when its courses are offered, and how likely students are to finish it on time. The university will not do that work for you, and your child should not have to do it alone.
This article is based on official data from IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and the United States Department of Education, primarily covering the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Pennsylvania State University-Penn State New Kensington or any government agency.