Paying for Penn State

How much does Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus tuition cost?

The 2025 tuition & fees of Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus is $20,644 for in-state and $41,790 for out-of-state students. Its tuition & fees is a little bit higher than the average tuition for R1 Universities' tuition of $39,763 based on out-of-state tuition rate.

Based on the last year increase rate, The 2026 estimated tuition & fees at Penn State is $21,062 for Pennsylvania residents and $43,456 for out-of-state students, a 4.0% increase compared to 2025's rate.

Penn State 2025 Tuition & Fees
YearIn-StateOut-of-StateR1 Universities' Average
2023-2024$20,234 $40,188$38,374
2024-2025$20,644$41,790$39,763
Change % 2024-20252.03%3.99%3.62%
2025-2026 Estimate$21,062$43,456$41,202
Explore Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus

How much do you actually pay at Penn State?

The living costs at Penn State is $19,494 when living on campus. The on-campus living costs increased by 9.41% compared to the previous year. The off-campus living costs increased by 11.29%.

The Penn State's 2025 COA is $41,338 for in-state and $62,484 for out-of-state students for living on campus. The off-campus COA is $42,138 for in-state and $63,284 for out-of-state students.

50% of enrolled students have received grants or scholarships, and the average aid amount is $14,013. It could cover 33.53% of the full tuition amount.

After receiving the financial aid, the net price is $27,325 for in-state and $48,471 for out-of-state students..

Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus 2025 Cost of Attendance (COA)
On-CampusOff-Campus
In-StateOut-StateIn-StateOut-State
Tuition & Fees$20,644$41,790$20,644$41,790
Room & Board$14,474$15,274
Personal Expenses$5,020$5,020
Books & Supplies$1,200$1,200
COA$41,338$62,484$42,138$63,284
COA with Financial Aid$27,325$48,471$28,125$49,271

Penn State 4-Years Tuition

How Much is Penn State tuition for 4 years?

Penn State's 4-years tuition is $83,606 for in-state and $171,204 for out-of-state students, based on current tuition and change rate.

Since the tuition & fees at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus have risen very slightly (very lower than national average) over the last 4 years, the actual costs may differ from the estimation based on the school or University system's new tuition policy.

Penn State 4 Years Tuition & Fees Estimates
ResidencyFreshmenSophomoreJuniorSenior4 Years Total
Class of 2029 (Entering Fall 2025)In-State$20,747$20,850$20,953$21,057$83,606
Out-of-State$42,191$42,595$43,003$43,415$171,204
Class of 2030 (Entering Fall 2026)In-State$20,850$20,953$21,057$21,162$84,021
Out-of-State$42,595$43,003$43,415$43,831$172,844
Class of 2031 (Entering Fall 2027)In-State$20,953$21,057$21,162$21,267$84,438
Out-of-State$43,003$43,415$43,831$44,251$174,501
Class of 2032 (Entering Fall 2028)In-State$21,057$21,162$21,267$21,372$84,858
Out-of-State$43,415$43,831$44,251$44,675$176,173
Class of 2033 (Entering Fall 2029)In-State$21,162$21,267$21,372$21,478$85,279
Out-of-State$43,831$44,251$44,675$45,104$177,862

Net Price for 4 Years at Penn State

Based on recent tuition increase rate, for the students who were admitted in Fall 2025, the estimated 4-years COA is $169,263 for Pennsylvania residents and $256,860 for out-of-state students.

Penn State 4 Years COA
ResidencyFreshmenSophomoreJuniorSenior4 Years Total
Class of 2029 (Entering Fall 2025)In-State$41,700$42,092$42,633$43,183$169,263
Out-of-State$63,144$63,837$64,562$65,317$256,860
Class of 2030 (Entering Fall 2026)In-State$42,092$42,512$43,063$43,624$170,992
Out-of-State$63,837$64,562$65,317$66,099$259,816
Class of 2031 (Entering Fall 2027)In-State$42,512$42,959$43,520$44,091$172,823
Out-of-State$64,562$65,317$66,099$66,907$262,885
Class of 2032 (Entering Fall 2028)In-State$42,959$43,429$44,000$44,582$174,746
Out-of-State$65,317$66,099$66,907$67,739$266,062
Class of 2033 (Entering Fall 2029)In-State$43,429$43,922$44,504$45,096$176,757
Out-of-State$66,099$66,907$67,739$68,595$269,340

Actual COA after Receiving Financial Aid

After receiving the financial aid, the net price for 4 years of attending the school is $113,211 for Pennsylvania residents and $200,808 for out-of-state students.

Penn State 4 Years COA after Receiving Financial Aid
ResidencyFreshmenSophomoreJuniorSenior4 Years Total
Class of 2029 (Entering Fall 2025)In-State$27,687$28,079$28,620$29,170$113,211
Out-of-State$49,131$49,824$50,549$51,304$200,808
Class of 2030 (Entering Fall 2026)In-State$28,079$28,499$29,050$29,611$114,940
Out-of-State$49,824$50,549$51,304$52,086$203,764
Class of 2031 (Entering Fall 2027)In-State$28,499$28,946$29,507$30,078$116,771
Out-of-State$50,549$51,304$52,086$52,894$206,833
Class of 2032 (Entering Fall 2028)In-State$28,946$29,416$29,987$30,569$118,694
Out-of-State$51,304$52,086$52,894$53,726$210,010
Class of 2033 (Entering Fall 2029)In-State$29,416$29,909$30,491$31,083$120,705
Out-of-State$52,086$52,894$53,726$54,582$213,288

Penn State's Graduate Tuition

The graduate school tuition at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus is $26,034 for in-state and $45,574 for out-of-state students. Detailed graduate program tuition and majors can be found at Penn State graduate program page.

Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus has law school and medical school and their tuition is different from other graduate programs, usually higher. The law school tuition is $61,938. See the detailed law school tuition at Penn State Law page.

Penn State Graduate Tuition & Fees
YearIn-StateOut-of-State
2023-2024$25,518 $43,828
2024-2025$26,034$45,574
Change % 2024-20252.02%3.98%
2025-2026$26,560$47,390

Tuition Per Credit Hour

For part-time and/or full-time students who take additional credits at Penn State is $836 for Pennsylvania residents and $1,717 for out-of-state students. The graduate tuition per credit hour is $1,061 for Pennsylvania residents and $1,875 for out-of-state students.

Per Credit Hour Charge at Penn State
YearIn-StateOut-of-State
Undergraduate2023-2024$820$1,651
2024-2025$836$1,717
2025-2026 (Estimate)$852$1,786
Graduate2023-2024$1,040$1,803
2024-2025$1,061$1,875
2025-2026 (Estimate)$1,082$1,950

Penn State Tuition Charts

The following charts visualize tuition, fees, living costs, and other expenses at Penn State. You can enlarge the chart to view detailed information.

Compare Tuition with Similar Colleges

The following table compares tuition & fees between Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus and its similar schools.

Compare Details
Tuition Comparison between Penn State and Similar Colleges
In-StateOut-of-State
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus$20,644$41,790
The Pennsylvania State University$15,890$25,574
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus$21,926$41,430
Temple University$23,005$38,805
West Chester University of Pennsylvania$10,775$22,599
Pennsylvania State University-World Campus$15,356$15,356

Penn State Tuition Frequently Asked Questions

For the academic year 2024-2025, the undergraduate tuition & fees at Penn State are $20,644 for Pennsylvania residents and $41,790 for out-of-state students.
The total cost of attendance (COA) at Penn State for the academic year 2024-2025 includes tuition & fees, books & supplies, and living expenses. For in-state students, the estimated COA is $41,338 and $62,484 for out-of-state students. Actual costs may vary depending on housing choices and personal expenses.
It has been risen by 2.03% for Pennsylvania residents and increased by 3.99% for out-of-state rates compared to the previous year. The graduate tuition has been risen by 2.02% for Pennsylvania residents and increased by 3.98% for out-of-state rates compared to the previous year.
50% of Penn State undergraduates receive grants or scholarships, with an average aid amount of $14,013 per student. Additional financial aid options are available through Penn State's financial aid office.

In-State (Pennsylvania Residents): The projected 4-year cost for a degree is approximately $169,263, including tuition, fees, room and board, books, supplies, and other expenses. The tuition and fees alone are approximately $21,057 per year, which would total around $83,606 over four years.

Out-of-State: The projected 4-year cost for a degree is approximately $256,860. The tuition and fees are around $43,415 per year, totaling about $171,204 over four years.

Penn State charges $836 per credit hour for in-state undergraduates and $1,717 for out-of-state undergraduates. Graduate students pay $1,061 (in-state) or $1,875 (out-of-state) per credit hour.

The in-state undergraduate tuition at Penn State is much higher than the average for similar schools ($12,338 - public Research University (very high research activity)).

The out-of-state undergraduate tuition at Penn State is higher than the average for similar schools ($31,723 - public Research University (very high research activity)).

The in-state graduate tuition at Penn State is much higher than the average for similar schools ($14,181 - public Research University (very high research activity)).

The out-of-state graduate tuition at Penn State is much higher than the average for similar schools ($29,952 - public Research University (very high research activity)).

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