Tuition and Costs
We know costs are an important factor in any decision to invest in a college education. We want to help you to make an informed choice.
Penn State Tuition
Below are the most recent tuition rates with room and board estimates for an academic year (fall and spring semesters). These costs are set by the Board of Trustees each year in July. We encourage students and families to budget for additional cost including travel, personal expenses, books, and supplies. Penn State's tuition rates vary by campus, program, student level, and residency.
Please visit the Office of Summer Session website to see an estimate of the costs for Penn State's summer session.
All World Campus students pay the same tuition rate, regardless of residency.
Visit the World Campus website for tuition details.
Cost Tools
Residency Information
When students apply to Penn State, most times residency is set automatically based on the location of a student’s high school. If this is the case when you apply, and your high school no longer reflects your state of residency, or you believe you have been incorrectly classified as an out-of-state student, you will need to submit a residency appeal. Details about this process are available on the Office of the Bursar website.
For residency appeals prior to enrollment, please send the following documentation to the Undergraduate Admissions Office by mail or fax. Be sure to include your full name and Penn State ID or MyPennState user ID with your appeal. Appeals should include a written explanation, as well as the following items:
Students 24 and Under
Copy of your parents' lease, deed, or mortgage
Copy of your parents’ first page of the Federal and Pennsylvania income tax returns for the most recent year (you may block out financial information)
Copy of your parents’ current Pennsylvania driver's license or state-issued photo identification card
Adult Students
Copy of your lease, deed, or mortgage
Copy of the first page of your Federal and Pennsylvania income tax returns for the most recent year (you may block out financial information)
Copy of your current Pennsylvania driver's license or state-issued photo identification card
Attention Military-Connected Students!
Recent state legislation now requires public institutions of higher learning, State-related institutions, State-owned institutions, and private institutions in Pennsylvania to charge resident tuition rates to veterans, their spouses, and dependent children who do not currently reside in Pennsylvania. Resident tuition rates will also be extended to guard/reservists/active-duty members, their spouses, and dependent children regardless of residency, as well as any civilian personnel, their spouses, and dependent children employed at a Department of Defense facility who are transferred to Pennsylvania by the Department of Defense and who reside in Pennsylvania.
Please note, under this legislation, “Veteran” is defined as “an individual who served in the United States Armed Forces, including a reserve component or the National Guard and who was discharged or released from service under conditions other than dishonorable. The term includes an individual described in 38 U.S.C. § 3319(b) (relating to authority to transfer unused education benefits to family members).
Please see the full act by visiting the Pennsylvania General Assembly webpage.
In order to receive the in-state tuition, veteran and/or dependent status must be verified. For more information about the process to request in-state tuition based on this legislation, please go to the Office of Veterans Programs webpage.
*Please note, those students using Department of Veterans Affairs education benefits automatically receive in-state tuition and are therefore not required to complete this process.
Scholarships and Awards
Penn State Discover Award
The Discover Award is awarded to first-time, first-year domestic students who enroll at a Penn State campus other than Penn State University Park or Penn State World Campus for both the fall and spring semester immediately following their high school graduation. Transfer students who enroll in a degree program that can be completed at a Penn State campus other than Penn State University Park or Penn State World campus are also eligible.
Penn State Provost's Award
The Provost's Award is a four-year award that is available to first-time, first-year students with offers of admission to any of Penn State’s twenty undergraduate campuses, excluding Penn State World Campus. Both Pennsylvania and non-Pennsylvania residents are considered for this award, as well as international students, and it is very competitive. This award is not available for transfer students to Penn State.