by our College Data Analytics TeamA large number of students will never be charged the full, advertised sticker price of a school. Instead, they will be given a financial aid offer that will include a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study. The price tag of going to Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus can appear tremendous, but do not forget that almost all students obtain some kind of financial help.
What financial assistance options will Penn State University Park offer you, and what will you qualify for? Read on for more information. Scroll down to learn what amount of financial assistance will be accessible to you.
The amount of financial aid and scholarships you are eligible for will vary depending on your family’s income. Use the information below to understand how much financial assistance you may get from Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus.
Colleges use loans, grants, scholarships and work-study to minimize what students actually pay out of pocket. Bear in mind that not all aid is equal, and the amount any one student receives can vary widely.
At Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus, 67% of first-year full-time students received aid of some kind around 6008 freshmen).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 37% | $11,336 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 34% | $8,668 |
| Federal Pell grants | 13% | $5,555 |
| State/local grants | 11% | $4,225 |
| Federal student loans | 44% | $5,302 |
The best aid is gift aid: grants and scholarships that carry no repayment obligation. At Penn State University Park, around 50% of undergrads got grants or scholarships worth on average $14,013 (among about 20991 students).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 50% | $14,013 |
| Federal Pell grants | 14% | $5,677 |
| Federal student loans | 40% | $6,407 |
For on-campus title-IV students, average grant aid came to $6,819.
Since aid is largely need-based, the real cost of attendance falls steeply for lower-income families.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $19,582 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $23,494 |
| Over $75,000 | $36,482 |
These figures reflect what title-IV aid recipients pay after grant and scholarship aid is applied.
The net price strips out grant and scholarship aid from the sticker price to show roughly what families really pay.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $32,875 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $32,598 |
To get a personalized net price estimate, try Penn State University Park’s net price tool: tuition.psu.edu/student-tuition-calculators.
The median federal debt load at Penn State University Park comes to $19,500 of federal borrowing.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $19,500 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $25,000 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $265.04/mo |
The 10-year payment estimate assumes a standard federal repayment plan and the median graduate debt amount.
A single median figure conceals how much debt outcomes differ student to student. The four reference points below map the debt distribution at Penn State University Park.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $8,750 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,000 |
Outcomes differ by income bracket, by first-generation status, and by whether a student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,000 |
| Middle income | $20,000 |
| High income | $19,700 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Median Debt
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Students
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,500 |
| Independent students | $19,486 |
A handful of calculated indicators summarize the debt outlook at Penn State University Park.
Most undergraduate borrowing runs through the federal Stafford loan program. The totals below capture Stafford lending at Penn State University Park:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 238368 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $4,885,479,531 |
The GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the main federal aid routes for veterans and service members.
Post-9/11 GI Bill activity
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 690 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $12,709,755 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $18,420 |
DoD Tuition Assistance activity
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 24 |
| Total DoD amount | $106,500 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $4,438 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.