by our College Data Analytics TeamThe majority of students will never be charged the complete price tag of a school. Rather, they are presented a financial aid deal that includes a mix of loans, grants, scholarships, and possibly work-study opportunities. The price tag of going to Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Wilkes-Barre can appear overpowering, but remember that the majority of students obtain some kind of financial assistance.
Just what financing solutions does Penn State Wilkes - Barre provide, and just what are you going to be eligible for? Keep scrolling for answers. Keep reading to discover how much school funding could be available to you.
The amount of financial aid and scholarships you are eligible for will vary depending on your family’s income. The figures below will help you estimate the aid you might receive from Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Wilkes-Barre.
Aid such as grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships helps colleges decrease the real cost of attendance for most students. Keep in mind that certain forms of assistance are more beneficial than others, and aid amounts differ from student to student.
For freshmen starting at Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Wilkes-Barre, 93% of the incoming full-time class was awarded financial aid (about 84 freshmen).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 89% | $9,742 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 87% | $5,127 |
| Federal Pell grants | 40% | $5,767 |
| State/local grants | 30% | $4,818 |
| Federal student loans | 56% | $5,143 |
Gift aid — grants and scholarships — beats loans every time because none of it has to be repaid. Here, around 79% of undergraduates were awarded grant or scholarship aid averaging $10,286 (among about 276 undergraduates).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 79% | $10,286 |
| Federal Pell grants | 39% | $5,810 |
| Federal student loans | 54% | $6,121 |
For students living on campus and receiving title-IV aid, grants averaged $9,546.
Need-based aid means lower-income families typically pay far less than the sticker price suggests.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $9,755 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $13,304 |
| Over $75,000 | $21,362 |
The numbers above are post-aid net prices, so they already account for grants and scholarships.
Net price is the cost remaining after grant and scholarship aid is subtracted from the sticker price, and it is the most useful single number for estimating real cost.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $16,448 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $15,775 |
To get a personalized net price estimate, try Penn State Wilkes - Barre’s official net price calculator: tuition.psu.edu/student-tuition-calculators.
The middle student in the debt distribution at Penn State Wilkes - Barre owes $19,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| 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 |
Spreading the median graduate debt over a standard 10-year repayment schedule works out to roughly the monthly payment shown above.
Looking only at the median can be misleading because it hides the spread. The four reference points below map the debt distribution at Penn State Wilkes - Barre.
| 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 |
How much a student borrows depends heavily on family income, first-gen status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,000 |
| Middle income | $20,000 |
| High income | $19,700 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,500 |
| Independent students | $19,486 |
The figure below distills the debt data into a single burden category for Penn State Wilkes - Barre.
Stafford loans make up the bulk of federal direct lending to undergraduates. The totals below capture Stafford lending at Penn State Wilkes - Barre:
| 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.
GI Bill volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 4 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $69,854 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $17,464 |
DoD program volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 0 |
| Total DoD amount | $0 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.