Penn State Acceptance Rate & Chances CDS VERIFIED
University Park, Pennsylvania (Mid-Atlantic) · 42,619 undergrads · ~37 avg class size · 17:1 student-faculty · $20,644/yr sticker
public Tier 4
Median earnings (10yr)
$63K
CDS-based estimates from recent admissions cycles. Verify on the school's official site.
57.6% is the average applicant's shot. Your odds depend on your GPA, scores, and hooks. See where you actually stand.
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Acceptance by round
same school, very different odds by round
By application round
Early Action57.0%
Regular Decision54.0%
State residency
In-state62.0%
Out-of-state46.0%
By college within the university
Schreyer Honors CollegeSchreyer is one of top public honors programs nationally
14.0%Smeal College of Business
40.0%College of Engineering
45.0%College of Information Sciences & Technology
50.0%Stuckeman School of Architecture
30.0%
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Career outcomes · 11 sources
Median graduate earnings · 2.5 yrs to pay back 4 yrs of cost · est. lifetime ROI $675K.
Earnings cross-referenced across 11 sources (College Scorecard, Opportunity Insights, Georgetown CEW, FREOPP, PayScale, and more).
Where this leads
Real career pipelines from this school, based on alumni outcomes and recruiting patterns.
- Energy/utilities sector via alumni network in Pittsburgh and Appalachia, stable but not glamorous
- Mid-tier investment banking pipeline through NYC recruiting, solid but loses to Ivy League targets
- Supply chain/logistics roles at regional manufacturers and distribution hubs, real demand, less competitive
- Oil and gas companies in Houston tap Penn State engineering heavily, cyclical industry though
- Chemical/materials engineering into DuPont, Dow facilities in Delaware Valley, strong regional placement
About Penn State
Smeal business, top-tier engineering, large alumni network. Very strong PA-state pipeline; OOS still well-priced.
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