Penn State Tuition & Cost · 2026–27
Tuition & fees at Pennsylvania State University University Park include Board-approved undergraduate tuition ($20,878) and estimated mandatory fees. Cost of attendance is Penn State's estimated total annual amount for an undergraduate living on-campus, adding housing and food (~$14,275), transportation (~$2,244), books and supplies (~$1,290), and personal expenses (~$3,112). These are Penn State's 2026–27 figures for lower-division (first-year and sophomore) students in most colleges at University Park. Upper-division students and students in Smeal College of Business, College of Engineering, College of Information Sciences and Technology, and Bellisario College of Communications pay higher tuition. Commonwealth Campuses charge different rates.
Tuition & fees include Board-approved nonresident undergraduate tuition ($44,574) and estimated mandatory fees. Cost of attendance is Penn State's estimated total annual amount for an undergraduate living on-campus, adding housing and food (~$14,275), transportation (~$2,244), books and supplies (~$1,290), and personal expenses (~$3,112). These are Penn State's 2026–27 figures for lower-division nonresidents in most colleges at University Park. Upper-division students and students in Smeal College of Business, College of Engineering, College of Information Sciences and Technology, and Bellisario College of Communications pay higher tuition. Commonwealth Campuses charge different rates.
But that's not necessarily what your family will pay.
Financial aid changes the price, but there's no single tier.
Pennsylvania State University does not publish a single income-threshold commitment that guarantees free tuition. What Penn State does publish is a set of named programs. Roughly half of Penn State undergraduates receive some form of financial aid; the actual amount depends on individual family circumstances.
A competitive four-year merit-based award for first-time first-year students at University Park with demonstrated financial need. Provides $5,000 per year during the freshman and sophomore years.
The Provost Award increases to $7,000 per year during the junior and senior years for students who maintain eligibility.
The Provost Award is highly competitive and requires U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, first-time first-year status at University Park, FAFSA filing with demonstrated financial need, and continued Satisfactory Academic Progress. Recipients cannot combine the Provost Award with the Discover Penn State Award. Penn State also offers the Discover Penn State Grant (need-based aid for eligible students at Commonwealth Campuses), Complete Penn State (support for students within 30 credits of graduation), and the LiveOn Student Success Grant (for Pennsylvania residents living on campus). Federal Pell Grant, Pennsylvania State Grant, and additional need-based aid remain available for eligible students.
Source: Penn State Office of Student Aid — Scholarships and Grants.
Without a single guaranteed tier, your family's price depends on the specific combination.
Financial aid changes the price, but there's no single tier.
Pennsylvania State University does not publish a single income-threshold commitment for undergraduates that guarantees free tuition, and its aid programs apply similarly to residents and nonresidents. Roughly half of Penn State undergraduates receive some form of financial aid; the actual amount depends on individual family circumstances.
The Provost Award — a competitive four-year merit-based award for first-time first-year students at University Park with demonstrated financial need — is open to non-Pennsylvania residents. It provides $5,000 per year in the first two years and $7,000 per year in the last two years, requires U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, and requires FAFSA filing. Penn State also awards need-based aid, the Federal Pell Grant for eligible students, and merit scholarships awarded through the general admissions review.
Without a single guaranteed tier, your family's price depends on the specific combination.
So what will Penn State cost your family?
Published prices don't answer that. Your number depends on your residency, your campus and college, the aid you receive, what your family can contribute, and how much is left to cover.
And if you need to borrow some of it?
The real cost of college isn't just the four years. It's what that borrowing could mean every month for the next 20 years.
See My Penn State Estimate→Two minutes. Free. No account needed.
About these numbers
Published tuition and cost of attendance shown at the top of this page are Pennsylvania State University's 2026–27 published figures for lower-division undergraduate students at the University Park campus, based on Board of Trustees-approved tuition rates plus estimated mandatory fees. The Penn State Board of Trustees approved 2026–27 tuition on July 18, 2025, setting undergraduate lower-division tuition at $20,878 for Pennsylvania residents (a 2% increase) and $44,574 for nonresidents (a 4% increase). Estimated mandatory fees of approximately $600 bring total tuition & fees to approximately $21,478 for residents and $45,174 for nonresidents. Cost of attendance adds estimated on-campus housing and food (~$14,275), transportation (~$2,244), books and supplies (~$1,290), and personal expenses (~$3,112) for total estimated cost of attendance of approximately $42,158 for Pennsylvania residents and $65,854 for nonresidents. Penn State publishes different tuition rates for upper-division students (juniors and seniors) and for students in the Smeal College of Business, College of Engineering, College of Information Sciences and Technology, and Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. Penn State's Commonwealth Campuses charge different tuition rates. Pennsylvania residents at Commonwealth Campuses have seen no tuition increase for the fourth consecutive year. Verify final figures for your intended campus and college with Penn State's Office of Student Aid.
The Provost Award statements shown in the section above are Penn State's own current published aid policy, as posted on the Penn State Office of Student Aid site. The Provost Award is a competitive four-year merit-based award for first-time first-year students at University Park with demonstrated financial need. Recipients receive $5,000 per year in the freshman and sophomore years and $7,000 per year in the junior and senior years. Requirements include U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, first-time first-year status at University Park, FAFSA filing with demonstrated financial need, and continued Satisfactory Academic Progress. Recipients cannot combine the Provost Award with the Discover Penn State Award. Penn State does not publish a single income-tier commitment for undergraduates comparable to flagship programs at some other public universities. Additional programs include the Discover Penn State Grant (need-based aid for eligible students at Commonwealth Campuses), Complete Penn State (support for students within 30 credits of graduation who need help finishing), and the LiveOn Student Success Grant (for Pennsylvania residents who want to live on campus but have financial need). Federal Pell Grant, Pennsylvania State Grant, and additional need-based aid programs remain available for eligible students. Approximately half of Penn State undergraduates receive some form of aid; the amount depends on individual circumstances.
The CollegeClearly estimator translates your family's specific cost into a standardized 20-year monthly financial commitment using CollegeClearly's own repayment model, applied identically to every school we cover so families can compare on the same basis. It is a comparison framework, not a specific loan product.
Figures are for informational purposes only and are not financial advice. Verify final costs with Penn State's Office of Student Aid and your family's specific aid letter.