Penn State 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

Smeal business, top-tier engineering, large alumni network. Very strong PA-state pipeline; OOS still well-priced.

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Stats below are CDS-based estimates from recent admissions cycles. Verify on the school's official site before making application decisions.

Acceptance rate

60.6%

most recent reported cycle

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 College

Schreyer 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%

Liberal Arts

65.0%

GPA range

3.55–3.97

middle 50% of admitted students (unweighted)

SAT mid-50%

1250–1410

middle 50% admitted SAT score

ACT mid-50%

27–32

middle 50% admitted ACT score

Median earnings (10-yr)

$63K

Federal data — 10 yrs after college entry, all majors combined

≈ 2.5 years of post-grad earnings cover 4 yrs of attendance

Career outcomes · 11 sources

$55K

Entry

$63K

10-year

$82K

Mid-career

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).

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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

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Reference links

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