Address: 201 Old Main, 16802 University Park, Pennsylvania, United States
Engineering, Business (Smeal College), Earth and Mineral Sciences
Established in 1855, Penn State is a public research university with its main campus at University Park and numerous commonwealth campuses across Pennsylvania. It is known for its strong programs in engineering, business, earth sciences, and meteorology.
Pennsylvania State University began in 1855 as the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania, created to teach scientific agriculture, and it later became a land-grant college and a research university. The main campus, University Park, lies in State College, in the centre of the state, among mountains and farmland. Old Main, a brick building on the edge of campus, is the symbol. The university has about 90,500 students across the whole system and about 15,000 staff, which makes it one of the largest in the country.
Penn State is unusual in its network of Commonwealth Campuses, about twenty locations across Pennsylvania, so students can begin in their region and finish at University Park. The World Campus, launched in 1998, offers degrees online. The university is also the home of the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, which includes the College of Medicine, and of Dickinson Law, one of the oldest law schools in the country.
Programmes in engineering, earth and mineral sciences, agriculture, business and information sciences are well known. The meteorology programme is among the largest in the United States, and the Smeal College of Business is a leading school for supply chain management. The Applied Research Laboratory carries out defence research, and the Materials Research Institute supports work in nanotechnology. The Palmer Museum of Art and the Creamery, known for its ice cream, are popular visitor places.
Sports are central to campus life. The Nittany Lions play football at Beaver Stadium, which holds more than 100,000 spectators. THON, a student-run dance marathon of 46 hours, raises money for children with cancer and is among the largest student-led philanthropies in the world. Admission is by application, and tuition is higher for non-residents and international students. Check the current tariff. Teaching is in English.
State College is a college town, and much of the town life revolves around the university calendar. The campus can be reached by road, and there is a small regional airport.
Domains taught:
Agriculture, AI and Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Engineering, Geotechnics, Materials, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
A multi-campus public research university. Strong research in materials science, engineering, agriculture, and applied research via ARL (Applied Research Lab). Member of Big Ten Academic Alliance and AAU. World Campus offers extensive online programs.
Research:
A major research university with strengths in engineering, materials science, information sciences, agricultural sciences, geosciences, and meteorology. High research activity.
Famous Alumnis:
Keegan-Michael Key, J. Robert Oppenheimer (attended briefly), Guion Bluford, Lisa Salters, Adam McKay, Ty Burrell
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
15200
Current students***:
90500
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
705000
Pros
Large comprehensive university with strong programs across many fields, extensive alumni network (one of the largest globally), strong school spirit (“We Are Penn State”), diverse campus locations.
Cons
Main campus (University Park) is very large and located in a smaller town (State College), commonwealth campuses vary significantly in offerings and resources.
Best For
Students seeking a large, comprehensive public university with strong academics, research opportunities, a vibrant campus life with a massive alumni network, and options for various campus settings or online learning.
Ohio State University shares the core fields of this institution, namely agriculture, materials and data analytics; it covers life sciences as well, and is slightly smaller, at about 68,300 students against roughly 90,500 here.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of agriculture, geotechnics and AI and machine learning can consider Texas A&M University, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers aerospace and life sciences as well.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is the closest domestic counterpart for agriculture, materials and data analytics; it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
University of Florida follows much the same lines as this university, with agriculture, materials and data analytics as common ground, and it is smaller, enrolling about 60,000 students against roughly 90,500 here, and is also a public institution.
Arizona State University is the closest domestic counterpart for data analytics, AI and machine learning and software engineering; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers ecology and sustainability and life sciences as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Indian Institute of Technology Dhanbad (IIT ) in India shares the geotechnics, materials and AI and machine learning orientation of this institution, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
For a study option in India with a comparable spread of agriculture, materials and AI and machine learning, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur is the reference point: it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
Nanyang Technological University offers an international parallel to this university, with materials, data analytics and AI and machine learning as common ground; it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers chemistry and physics as well.
University of Wollongong, based in Australia, is built around materials, data analytics and software engineering much like this institution, and it is smaller, enrolling about 31,908 students against roughly 90,500 here, and is also a public institution.
Students considering a move abroad can look at La Trobe University in Australia, where agriculture, data analytics and software engineering also form the core, and it is smaller, enrolling about 36,128 students against roughly 90,500 here, and is also a public institution.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is Penn State?
The main campus, University Park, is in State College, in central Pennsylvania.
When was it founded?
In 1855, as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania.
How large is it?
About 90,500 students across the whole system and about 15,000 staff.
What are the Commonwealth Campuses?
About twenty locations across Pennsylvania where students can begin their studies and finish at University Park.
What is the World Campus?
The online campus, launched in 1998, which offers degrees online.
Where is the medical school?
At the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey.
What is Beaver Stadium?
The football stadium that holds more than 100,000 spectators.
What is THON?
A student-run dance marathon of 46 hours that raises money for children with cancer.
What is it known for in sciences?
Engineering, earth and mineral sciences, agriculture, business and one of the largest meteorology programmes in the country.
What does it cost?
Tuition is higher for non-residents and international students. Check the current tariff.
Agriculture, Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Lean Manufacturing, Materials, Sustainable Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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