I am going to walk you through what official Department of Education data say about this school in Sharon, Pennsylvania. I am not going to sell you anything or scare you. I am going to show you the map as it is, so that when the time comes to decide with your child, you can decide with your eyes open.
What kind of school it is, and how far it is from your home
Penn State Shenango is a public four-year university. It offers bachelor’s degrees—that is the highest level it reports—and is classified as a degree-granting institution, primarily awarding bachelor’s degrees or higher. That tells you the type of school, not its quality or prestige: those are different categories, and you should not confuse them.
It is in Sharon, in Mercer County, in a setting the government classifies as a town near an urban area, not within a large urban area. If your family does not live nearby, this means you will have to work out two things separately: where your child would live and how they would get around each day, because this information only locates the school’s address, not the daily life around it.
One note worth clarifying at the outset: in the 2021 Carnegie Classification, this university appears outside the classified universe. That does not say whether it is good or bad. Carnegie simply did not assign it a label. Before committing to the first semester, ask admissions what accreditation it has and the exact name of the degree it awards, and verify that name yourself on the Department of Education website. No classification saves you from making that call.
It is also helpful to know this now: this school has none of three specific designations—it is not a historically Black college or university, not a tribal college or university, and not a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in this national directory, 138 have at least one. Penn State Shenango’s lack of one says nothing about whom it serves or how your child would feel there. Ask directly: what cultural centers exist today, what student organizations are available, and better yet, speak with someone who already studies there.
A small community, and what that means in real numbers
Here, size is everything. In the official fall count, Penn State Shenango had 332 enrolled students, all undergraduates—there is no graduate enrollment in this count. Compared with 519 selective-admission public four-year schools in this same census, it is among the smallest: at least nine out of ten have more students.
Of those 332, IPEDS calculates a full-time equivalent of 260 students, and only 69 are first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students. With so many part-time students, do not assume a traditional schedule: ask directly when courses are offered for the major that interests your child.
Within that small community, there are more women than men—64 out of every 100 undergraduate students are women—and 17 out of every 100 are between the ages of 25 and 64, so this is not solely a campus of recent high school graduates.
And here is a fact worth pausing over: out of every 100 undergraduate students, only 3 identified as Hispanic or Latino. Compared with those same 519 similar schools, it is among the lowest: nine out of ten reported a higher share. Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, just as having many would not automatically make it good. This is information about who is enrolled, nothing more. If your child will be one of the few, ask during the visit what student group or cultural center is available, or who in the office speaks Spanish. And remember: this number is for the entire school; the specific major may feel different.
How the academic year works and how flexible the offerings are
The calendar here follows traditional semesters: two terms of about 15 weeks each, with the same dates for everyone.
The university reported that it accepts credit from AP exams and also what IPEDS calls credit for life experience—independent study, courses for adults, work experience, portfolios, prior licenses, and military experience. It also enrolls high school students in college courses through a formal dual-enrollment program and accepts credit for military training. Reporting these pathways does not mean the university automatically grants credit for every exam or experience: request a written transfer-credit evaluation before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
As for academic offerings, in the most recently reported year it awarded 25 bachelor’s degrees across 6 program families—what the government calls CIP families. The family awarding the most degrees was health professions, with 28 out of every 100 degrees, but no other area is far behind or accounts for the entire total. Compared with 514 similar schools, it falls in the quarter with the fewest program families represented. With numbers this small, the figure can shift considerably from year to year: ask for the last three years of data for the exact program that interests your child rather than relying on a snapshot of a single year.
One figure that often sounds reassuring: the ratio of students to instructional staff is 7 to 1, among the lowest across 519 similar schools. But a low ratio does not guarantee small classes or individual attention—it is an aggregate calculation, 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: cocurricular undergraduate research and a full program that can be completed exclusively during evenings or weekends.
Getting in here is likely. The question is what comes next
This is one of the most important facts in the entire article: out of every 100 people who applied for admission in the 2023 cycle, 91 received an offer of admission. Compared with 519 selective public schools, it is on the more accessible side—seven out of ten or more in that group accepted an equal or smaller percentage.
It does not have open admission. The university reviews specific items: the high school record, high school GPA, and an English proficiency exam for those to whom it applies are required. The recommended course plan and personal essay are not required, but the university considers them if you submit them. The application fee is $65.
If your child studied outside the United States or attended high school in Spanish, ask now whether the English proficiency exam applies and what would qualify them for an exemption. This is the kind of issue people discover late, when there is no longer time to address it calmly.
Regarding the SAT and ACT: they are not required. Only 8 out of every 100 enrolled students submitted SAT scores, such a small sample—fewer than 30 people—that the reported ranges, between 550 and 620 in reading and writing and between 490 and 610 in mathematics, should not be read as either a threshold or a guarantee.
Now, the part that truly matters to understand: a high likelihood of admission says nothing about how likely your child is to stay and finish. Those are completely different questions, and this is where the first sign of tension appears.
Out of every 100 students admitted for their first year in 2023, only 38 ultimately enrolled here. The other 62 had the letter in hand and decided to go elsewhere. This does not measure how difficult admission is—we have already seen that; it measures what other families decided after receiving the same letter your child might receive. When the admission offers arrive, place the letters side by side and compare net price, major, and distance before the deposit deadline.
As for those who leave without finishing: from a very small first-time cohort that entered in 2017, 22 out of every 100 transferred to another institution before completing. Changing schools is not the same as failing. But your child should know before starting how to request the paperwork needed to transfer if that ever becomes necessary. With cohorts this small, this figure jumps sharply from year to year: ask for the last three years before using it to make an important decision.
The sticker price, and the price actually paid
At Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Shenango, among 12 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students 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 average net price was $9,852. Among 4 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $17,350; among 3 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $21,875. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
There is a difference of $12,023 between the average for the lowest-income band, which included 12 students, and the average for the highest-income band, which included 3 students. 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 $14,895.
The advertised price is not the same as the price paid. Here, for low-income students, the average net price was $9,852 in the 2022-23 academic year.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly identifying yours 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 for students receiving grants or 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.
The aid that arrives, and the loans that must be understood clearly
Almost everyone here receives something: 97 out of every 100 degree-seeking students received a grant or scholarship that does not have to be repaid. Among those who received one, the annual average was $11,232. And Pell—the federal aid for low-income families—reached 51 out of every 100 students: more than half.
This is not a promise for your child. It is what happened with other students in the 2022-23 school year. Ask in writing which applications must be completed, what the deadlines are, and what happens to the scholarship if your child’s grades fall.
Regarding loans, here is the plain truth: 44 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal student loan that year. Among those who borrowed, the average amount per borrower was $5,825. Compared with 519 similar schools, this share is in the middle of the group—neither among those generating the most debt nor among those generating the least.
This number describes other families, not yours. And that $5,825 average is for only one year, only the student, and only federal loans—it does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes end up signing for, bank debt, or credit-card debt, and it certainly is not the total debt with which someone graduates. That would require adding all years together, and that figure is not in this report. Wait for the actual financial aid letter before committing to any number you have read here.
The institution also reports an installment tuition payment plan, in case that makes the family logistics easier.
Campus life: what is available, and what specifically is not
This is where we need to be direct, without embellishment.
Penn State Shenango does not offer institution-owned housing. There are no dormitories or apartments under the institution’s control, either on or off campus. It also does not report meal plans. This does not mean the official financial aid budget ignores the cost of living off campus—IPEDS does collect estimates for that—but if your child studies here, your family will have to arrange day-to-day housing and food, and you need to confirm with the financial aid office what budget they are actually using.
Regarding ROTC: the university did not mark any ROTC opportunity in its report, neither the general box nor any of the three service branches. Among the four-year universities in this guide, 926 out of 1,786 did mark it. The fact that it is not marked here does not prove that no nearby pathway exists—it only means one was not reported in this field. If that scholarship matters to your family, ask admissions about it directly before assuming it is unavailable.
It is affiliated with an athletic association: the USCAA (United States Collegiate Athletic Association), not the NCAA or the NAIA. The specific question about whether it competes in intercollegiate athletics does not apply in this federal record, so the affiliation alone does not confirm that active teams are currently competing. If sports are part of the plan, contact the coach directly, ask whether there is a place on the team, what division it competes in, and whether that sport offers scholarships. Ask for the answers in writing.
As for course delivery: it does offer undergraduate distance education, but that is the exception, not the rule. Only 2 out of every 100 students took all their classes at a distance; the other 98 took at least one in person. The university explicitly reported that it does not offer a full program that can be completed entirely at a distance. If this matters to your family, confirm the exact level and major before assuming anything.
On the support side, the institution reports 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, a student veterans’ organization, and a published web address for disability services. The fact that these services are reported does not by itself establish their quality or effectiveness—that must be asked about and verified in person.
What happens after admission: the part that requires careful reading
Here we reach the heart of what this university needs you to understand before deciding, because the retention and graduation figures are the hardest in this entire article, and they deserve your full attention.
From a cohort of 25 first-time, full-time students who entered in the fall of 2022, only 13—52 out of every 100—were still enrolled here or had already completed a bachelor’s degree one year later. The other 48 percent fell outside that outcome, and the data do not reveal what happened to them: they do not say whether they transferred, paused their studies, or were prevented from continuing by money or work. With a cohort of only 25 people, this percentage shifts sharply based on just two or three individual decisions, so we will not compare it directly with other schools.
Graduation is the figure that truly calls for you to sit down and discuss it with your child. Of the 36 first-time, full-time students who began a bachelor’s degree here in 2017, only 4 had earned a degree from this school six years later. That is 11 out of every 100. At four years, the figure is only 6 out of every 100—a small gap between the two time frames, which says something in itself. Compared with 518 similar selective public schools, this university is at the very bottom of that table: nine out of ten or more of those schools report a higher share of graduates within six years.
Put plainly: out of every 100 who entered, 89 did not have a bachelor’s degree from this school six years later. That does not mean 89 failed—some may have earned a shorter credential here, while others may have graduated from another university—but the data do not distinguish among those paths. This is a figure for the entire school, not for each program; if your child is pursuing a specific major, graduation data for that major must be requested directly from the department.
There is a broader view at eight years that softens the picture somewhat without erasing it. From a cohort of 130 undergraduate students—including first-time entrants, prior transfers, and full-time and part-time students—who entered between July 2015 and June 2016, 47 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this institution by the August 2023 reporting date. Among Pell grant recipients, the figure was 44 out of every 100—just 6 points below the group without Pell. But within that same cohort, the exclusively first-time, full-time subcohort—with no prior experience and no part-time attendance—falls to 30 out of every 100, 17 points below the broader figure. In other words, the traditional path—starting here full time immediately after high school—is the one showing the most difficult outcome.
This eight-year measure is a snapshot taken on a specific day, not a measure of how much time or money it took to get there. Before making any commitment, ask in writing how long it takes to complete the exact program that interests your child, how its required courses are scheduled with such a small enrollment, and how the total cost changes if the path takes longer.
What is up to you, what is up to your child, and what is up to the school
Penn State Shenango is responsible for admitting students, charging them, awarding aid, and reporting what it reported. It has done so. It is a small school with accessible admission and a net price that can fall considerably based on family income, but with graduation figures that demand serious questions before making a commitment.
Your child is responsible for their effort, curiosity, decision about what to study, and how to make use of a student-to-faculty ratio that, at least on paper, is among the lowest in the country. If your child decides to come here, they are also responsible for understanding that the traditional full-time path is the one these data show to be the most demanding.
You are responsible for the money, documents, deadlines, and an honest conversation about housing, distance, and what the actual financial aid letter—not the average in this article—says when it arrives.
You now understand one of the pieces you need to make a decision in depth. Combine it with what your child wants to study, what they have built so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay. A plan emerges from that combination, not from any single number.
Source note: the information in this article comes from official data reported by the institution to the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), primarily corresponding to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Shenango or the United States government.