Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus

University Park, PA 16802
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The main campus of Pennsylvania State University (PSU or Penn State) is in University Park, Pennsylvania. PSU is a public institution offering both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It is also part of Pennsylvania State University, which operates ten campuses. It was established in 1855 as the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania, later becoming the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania. Over the years, the university has expanded and now includes 24 campuses. The main campus is in University Park in the center of the state. During the 2016 fall semester, over 40,000 undergraduate students were enrolled in the university. 

The Penn State College of Nursing offers a wide range of CCNE-accredited nursing programs, including undergraduate and graduate-level programs. The undergraduate programs include traditional BSN, RN to BSN, and accelerated BSN. The graduate degree programs include MSN, Ph.D., and BSN to Ph.D. The university also offers an associate’s degree in nursing and an LPN to ADN program. Some of these programs allow you to start your curriculum at one campus and complete your program at a second campus. The college also has a strict policy for transfers. When completing the traditional BSN program, students get to receive hands-on training at healthcare facilities in the region.

Institution Overview

Campus LocaleSmall City
Number of Students47,119
Student to Faculty Ratio16:1
Is Admission OpenNo
Religious Affiliation -
Level4-year
TypePublic
On Campus HousingYes
Retention Rate93%

Nursing Programs

Nursing Programs Graduates (2017-2018 academic year)

Number of Graduates
Degree type Men Women
Associate's degree 0 0
Bachelor's degree 12 118
Postbaccalaureate certificate 0 1
Master's degree 6 35
Doctor's degree - research/scholarship 0 4
Certificate 0 0
Average NCLEX pass rate
  • NCLEX-RN: 95.7%

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Accreditations

Institutional Accreditations
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
07/01/1921 - Current
Nursing Programs Accreditations
Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
ACEN
02/01/1995 - Current
Nursing (MNUR) - Master's program
ACEN
12/01/1975 - 12/31/2015
Nursing (NUR) - Baccalaureate program
ACEN
04/01/1969 - 12/31/2015
Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels
CCNE
09/22/2016 - Current
Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
CCNE
09/22/2000 - Current
Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels
CCNE
09/22/2000 - Current

Admission

50%

Acceptance Rate
Enrolled students test score (Fall 2017)
SAT1160 to 1340
ACT25 to 30
Admission considerations
Secondary school GPA Required
Secondary school rank Recommended
Secondary school record Required
Completion of college-preparatory program Recommended
Recommendations Neither required nor recommended
Formal demonstration of competencies Neither required nor recommended
Admission test scores (SAT/ACT) Required
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) Required
Other Test (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.) Neither required nor recommended

In addition to the college's admission requirements each nursing program might have its own admission criteria (such as: TEAS score, HESI A2 score, nursing prerequisites GPA, etc).
Application fee
Undergrads $65
Graduates $65

Cost to Attend

The following table details the reported cost of attendance per credit hour for the 2017-2018 academic year.

Undergrad courses
In District Students$726/credit
In State Students$726/credit
Out of State Students$1,360/credit
Graduate courses
In District Students$864/credit
In State Students$864/credit
Out of State Students$1,483/credit

Tuition Estimates

Based on the above credit hour costs, here is a sample tuition for different nursing programs.

Program Credit Hours In district In State Out of State
LPN 45 $32,670 $32,670 $61,200
ADN 70 $50,820 $50,820 $95,200
BSN 125 $90,750 $90,750 $170,000
FNP 50 $43,200 $43,200 $74,150
Please note that the above cost estimate does not include school fees, books, supplies, etc.You need to allot additional money for that.
If you attend a private, for-profit school, usually the additional cost (besides tuition) is about 10% of the tuition. If you attend a public school or a not-for-profit private school, the additional cost is around 50% of the tuition.

Financial Aid

In 2017-2018 academic year, 64% of Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus's students received financial aid. Below is the breakdown of the financial aid provided to students.

Students Receiving Aid Average Amount/Student
Pell Grant 13% $4,340
Other Federal Grant 4% $1,337
State Grant & Scholarships 11% $3,713
Institutional Grant & Scholarships 31% $7,736
Federal Student Loans 46% $5,415
Private Loans 12% $21,394

$25,346

Average Net Price
The average net price is calculated by subtracting the average amount of financial aid received by students from the total cost of attendance.
Average Net Price by Family Income
Less than $30,000$21,514
$30,001 to $48,000$22,101
$48,001 to $75,000$26,602
$75,001 to $110,000$32,131
Over $110,000$34,177

Calculate your net price

Student Population

40,835

Undergrads

6,284

Graduates

21,907

Women

25,212

Men

96%

Full-time

4%

Par-time

Ethnic Diversity
White
63%
Non-resident alien
16%
Hispanic
6%
Asian
6%
Black/African American
4%
Two or more races
3%
Race/ethnicity unknown
2%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0%

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Data source: https://nces.ed.gov (2017-2018 colleges survey) and Pennsylvania state board of nursing.
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
201 Old Main
University Park, PA 16802
Website

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