Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg
A good fit for students who want accessible admissions and students who prefer a mid-size campus. graduation rate is below 40%. solid earnings of $57,200 within 10 years.
About This School
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg is a public institution located in Middletown, Pennsylvania with approximately 4,031 undergraduate students enrolled. Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg has an open or accessible admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 98%. The average net price after financial aid is $23,330 per year. The graduation rate is 26%, and the typical graduate earns $57,200 within 10 years of enrollment.
Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg—Capital College, commonly known as Penn State Harrisburg, is an undergraduate college and graduate school of the Pennsylvania State University located in Lower Swatara Township, Pennsylvania. The campus is 9 miles (14 km) south of Harrisburg. Penn State offers 2 associate, 34 baccalaureate, 19 master's, and three doctoral degree programs as well as certificate, certification, and joint degree programs. It was an upper division college from its founding in 1966 until accepting freshmen and sophomores in 2004.
Students who are working adults, career-changers, or commuters in the Harrisburg region — particularly those eyeing public administration, engineering technology, or business — will find this campus genuinely well-suited to their lives, with strong ties to Pennsylvania's state government hub just nine miles away. The Penn State name carries real weight with regional employers, and median earnings of $57,200 a decade out suggest graduates do land on their feet, especially relative to the median debt load of $25,000, which is manageable by most standards. That said, the 26% graduation rate is a serious red flag that every family needs to sit with — it means nearly three out of four students who start here don't finish, and while the school's history as a commuter-focused upper-division college partially explains the pattern, it still points to real completion challenges. The 82% freshman retention rate is more encouraging and suggests the first year isn't the problem, so if you or your student commits fully and uses academic support early, the odds improve. My honest advice: this is a smart choice if you're disciplined, locally rooted, and targeting a specific career pathway — but if you need a high-touch, residential experience to stay on track, look carefully before committing.
Popular Programs
Percentage of degrees awarded. Source: College Scorecard.
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg in the news
Posts that mention Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg (or its abbreviation) by name.
Admissions
SAT Scores
ACT Scores
Cost & Financial Aid
Net Price by Family Income
Average annual cost after grants/scholarships, by household income. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Financial Aid
Full Cost
After Graduation
Earnings 6 Years After Enrollment, by Gender
Gap: 17% less for female graduates. National avg ~16%.
What Each Major Actually Earns
Median earnings four years after graduation, by major, next to the national median for that same major at every college. The school-wide average hides this: at most schools the spread between the best- and worst-paying majors is far wider than the gap between schools.
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg graduates earn most above the national rate in Computer and Information Sciences, General ($120,729 vs $92,374 nationally), and most below it in Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering ($93,277 vs $100,647).
| Major | Grads | Here | National | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering | 78 | $87,997 | $92,135 | −$4,138 |
| Civil Engineering | 72 | $81,403 | $86,517 | −$5,114 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 54 | $91,032 | $88,910 | +$2,122 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 47 | $120,729 | $92,374 | +$28,355 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 47 | $93,277 | $100,647 | −$7,370 |
| Information Science/Studies | 40 | $91,671 | $85,294 | +$6,377 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 38 | $96,714 | $83,343 | +$13,371 |
| Biology, General | 37 | $64,910 | $57,214 | +$7,696 |
| Psychology, General | 35 | $49,543 | $50,706 | −$1,163 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 27 | $56,877 | $55,378 | +$1,499 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 27 | $67,399 | $54,562 | +$12,837 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 25 | $53,362 | $47,382 | +$5,980 |
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data. Median earnings of graduates working and not enrolled four years after completing a bachelor's degreehere. Majors with too few graduates to report are omitted for privacy, so this is not the school's full program list.
Will This School Pay Off?
Solid return. Earnings outpace debt, though major choice matters.
Earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. These are means across all graduates, not specific to any major.
Student Body
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (4,031 undergraduates).
Contact & Location
Address
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg
777 West Harrisburg Pike
Middletown, PA 17057-4846
Official Links
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See How Colleges Compare
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg is one of thousands of colleges in our data studies, each built from the same U.S. Department of Education data shown on this page. Compare schools head to head:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg?
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg has an acceptance rate of 98%, based on the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education.
Is Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg hard to get into?
Not especially. Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg has an acceptance rate of 98%, so admissions are relatively accessible for applicants who meet the requirements.
How much does Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg cost?
The average net price at Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg is about $23,330 per year after grants and scholarships, based on federal data. Your actual cost depends on your family's finances and aid package.
What is the graduation rate at Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg?
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg has a graduation rate of 26%, according to U.S. Department of Education data.
Sources & Methodology
Primary data source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Accessed via automated sync. Latest values may come from different reporting years depending on the metric.
School overview from Wikipedia. Used for context only, not as a primary data source for admissions, cost, or outcomes claims.
- Earnings figures are institution-level averages, not major-specific.
- Some metrics are based on Title IV financial aid recipients only.
- Some values may be privacy-suppressed or rolled up by the Department of Education.
- Contact the school directly for current admissions requirements and costs.
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