Penn State (Main campus)

122nd
World University Rankings 2024
=40th
Impact Rankings 2023
=141st
US College Rankings 2022
201 Old Main, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, United States

About Penn State (Main campus)

Pennsylvania State University is one of the “Public Ivies”: a publicly funded institution that is thought to provide a standard of education comparable to that offered by the elite Ivy League.

Penn State is one of the largest universities in the US.

It runs more than 160 undergraduate degree programmes and a similar number of postgraduate qualifications, while conducting more than $800 million-worth of research every year.

The majority of students are based on the main campus, University Park, located in the centre of the state, but many students begin their studies on another campus before transferring to the main site.

The university has two law schools, as well as the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, which treats more than 1 million patients every year.

The institution also operates Penn State World Campus, allowing students from around the world to study for the university’s qualifications online.

All this is a far cry from Penn State’s humble beginnings in 1855, when it was founded as the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania.

The institution gradually diversified its offering but did not gain university status in 1953, a move which was followed by a tripling of student numbers.

The university’s mascot is the Nittany Lion – referring to the mountain lions which are thought to have once roamed nearby Mount Nittany – and alumni take the same name.

Penn State is also home to the world’s largest student-run fundraising event, the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, which sees dancers strut their stuff around the clock over the course of a weekend, raising millions of dollars for charity.

Explore rankings data for Penn State (Main campus)

All ranked institutions have an overall score and 4 pillar scores. However for each pillar, only institutions ranked in the top 500 overall or the top 500 in this pillar have a publicly visible score

Compare universities on their key stats

Key statistics

  • 15%
    Percentage of International Students
    (1)
  • 14.2
    No. of students per staff
    (1)
  • 48 : 52
    Student Ratio of Females to Males
    (1)
  • 45,875
    Number of FTE Students
    (1)
  • 32%
    Proportion of ISR Publication
    (1)
  • $35,514
    Out-of-state Tuition and Fees
    (2)
  • $48,767
    Salary after 10 years
    (2)
  • $11,884
    On-campus Room and Board
    (2)
Based on data collected for the (1) 2024 World University Rankings and (2) 2022 US Rankings

Subjects taught at Penn State (Main campus)

  • Education

    • Education
  • Business & economics

    • Economics & Econometrics
    • Accounting & Finance
    • Business & Management
  • Life sciences

    • Agriculture & Forestry
    • Veterinary Science
    • Biological Sciences
    • Sport Science
  • Arts & humanities

    • Archaeology
    • Languages, Literature & Linguistics
    • Art, Performing Arts & Design
    • History, Philosophy & Theology
    • Architecture
  • Social sciences

    • Geography
    • Communication & Media Studies
    • Sociology
    • Politics & International Studies (incl Development Studies)
  • Law

    • Law
  • Physical sciences

    • Mathematics & Statistics
    • Geology, Environmental, Earth & Marine Sciences
    • Physics & Astronomy
    • Chemistry
  • Engineering & technology

    • Electrical & Electronic Engineering
    • General Engineering
    • Chemical Engineering
    • Civil Engineering
    • Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
  • Clinical, pre-clinical & health

    • Medicine & Dentistry
    • Other Health
  • Computer science

    • Computer Science
  • Psychology

    • Psychology