Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
University Park, Pennsylvania · Public
Of 184 assessed programs, 183 leave graduates out-earning a typical Pennsylvania high-school graduate (about $36,498/yr) and 1 fall short. Another 305 could not be assessed.
What would this cost you?
| Family income | Net price per year |
|---|---|
| Under $30k | $19,845 |
| $30k to $48k | $20,049 |
| $48k to $75k | $25,667 |
| $75k to $110k | $31,834 |
| $110k and up | $37,831 |
| All families (average) | $32,875 |
Net price is the yearly cost after grants and scholarships, by family income (College Scorecard). It reflects students who received federal aid.
Program earnings vs a high-school graduate
Earnings are measured four years after completion when available. Where four-year earnings are suppressed, one-year earnings are shown and marked 1-year earnings. One-year and four-year figures reflect different career stages and should not be compared as if measured at the same time.
184 of 489 programs could be assessed 38% have an earnings verdict
| Program | Degree | Median earnings | vs a high-school grad | Verdict | Median debt | Years to repay | Recent completers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finance | Bachelor's Degree | $96,714 | +$60,216 | clears the bar | $25,000 | 0.4 yrs | 449 |
| Information Science | Bachelor's Degree | $91,671 | +$55,173 | clears the bar | $25,950 | 0.5 yrs | 448 |
| Psychology | Bachelor's Degree | $49,543 | +$13,045 | clears the bar | $26,000 | 2.0 yrs | 427 |
| Computer and Information Science | Bachelor's Degree | $120,729 | +$84,231 | clears the bar | $25,000 | 0.3 yrs | 395 |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $81,228 | +$44,730 | clears the bar | $24,500 | 0.5 yrs | 369 |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other | Bachelor's Degree | $81,617 | +$45,119 | clears the bar | $25,601 | 0.6 yrs | 338 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $87,997 | +$51,499 | clears the bar | $26,723 | 0.5 yrs | 311 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | Bachelor's Degree | $76,246 | +$39,748 | clears the bar | $23,250 | 0.6 yrs | 293 |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $82,162 | +$45,664 | clears the bar | $24,000 | 0.5 yrs | 272 |
| Accounting | Bachelor's Degree | $88,192 | +$51,694 | clears the bar | $25,218 | 0.5 yrs | 271 |
| Teacher Education (by level) | Bachelor's Degree | $53,362 | +$16,864 | clears the bar | $26,000 | 1.5 yrs | 262 |
| Biology | Bachelor's Degree | $64,910 | +$28,412 | clears the bar | $25,717 | 0.9 yrs | 253 |
| Human Resources | Bachelor's Degree | $81,755 | +$45,257 | clears the bar | $27,000 | 0.6 yrs | 237 |
| IT Administration and Management | Bachelor's Degree | $98,637 | +$62,139 | clears the bar | $26,000 | 0.4 yrs | 234 |
| Marketing | Bachelor's Degree | $79,343 | +$42,845 | clears the bar | $24,947 | 0.6 yrs | 231 |
| Law | First Professional Degree | $90,775 | +$54,277 | clears the bar | $65,436 | 1.2 yrs | 216 |
| Journalism | Bachelor's Degree | $62,336 | +$25,838 | clears the bar | $24,367 | 0.9 yrs | 190 |
| Criminal Justice | Bachelor's Degree | $56,877 | +$20,379 | clears the bar | $25,500 | 1.3 yrs | 187 |
| Radio, TV and Digital Media | Bachelor's Degree | $66,876 | +$30,378 | clears the bar | $23,250 | 0.8 yrs | 182 |
| Electrical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $93,277 | +$56,779 | clears the bar | $26,000 | 0.5 yrs | 182 |
| Kinesiology and Physical Education | Bachelor's Degree | $67,399 | +$30,901 | clears the bar | $26,940 | 0.9 yrs | 178 |
| Chemical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $103,728 | +$67,230 | clears the bar | $26,706 | 0.4 yrs | 172 |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | $77,336 | +$40,838 | clears the bar | $23,875 | 0.6 yrs | 165 |
| Medicine | First Professional Degree | $110,814 | +$74,316 | clears the bar | $215,577 | 2.9 yrs | 157 |
| Industrial Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $104,758 | +$68,260 | clears the bar | $24,250 | 0.4 yrs | 154 |
| Political Science | Bachelor's Degree | $68,918 | +$32,420 | clears the bar | $25,000 | 0.8 yrs | 154 |
| IT Administration and Management | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $102,874 | +$66,376 | clears the bar | $26,000 | 0.4 yrs | 153 |
| Accounting | Master's Degree | $110,498 | +$74,000 | clears the bar | $20,500 | 0.3 yrs | 152 |
| Civil Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $81,403 | +$44,905 | clears the bar | $26,000 | 0.6 yrs | 149 |
| International Relations | Bachelor's Degree | $71,001 | +$34,503 | clears the bar | $24,375 | 0.7 yrs | 139 |
| Nursing | Bachelor's Degree | $91,032 | +$54,534 | clears the bar | $23,250 | 0.4 yrs | 138 |
| Hospitality Management | Bachelor's Degree | $63,798 | +$27,300 | clears the bar | $23,455 | 0.9 yrs | 134 |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | Bachelor's Degree | $74,497 1-year earnings | +$37,999 | clears the bar | $22,121 | 0.6 yrs | 124 |
| Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology | Bachelor's Degree | $62,072 | +$25,574 | clears the bar | $23,250 | 0.9 yrs | 119 |
| Business Administration | Master's Degree | $127,665 | +$91,167 | clears the bar | $41,000 | 0.4 yrs | 116 |
| Communications and Media | Bachelor's Degree | $55,505 | +$19,007 | clears the bar | $25,000 | 1.3 yrs | 115 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $99,159 | +$62,661 | clears the bar | $26,969 | 0.4 yrs | 112 |
| Healthcare Administration | Bachelor's Degree | $75,396 | +$38,898 | clears the bar | $25,000 | 0.6 yrs | 107 |
| Physical and Occupational Therapy | Bachelor's Degree | $51,635 | +$15,137 | clears the bar | $26,000 | 1.7 yrs | 100 |
| Animal Sciences | Bachelor's Degree | $49,772 | +$13,274 | clears the bar | $25,000 | 1.9 yrs | 95 |
| Architectural Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $94,483 | +$57,985 | clears the bar | $31,000 | 0.5 yrs | 92 |
| Biomedical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $100,416 | +$63,918 | clears the bar | $24,164 | 0.4 yrs | 89 |
| Real Estate | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $100,940 | +$64,442 | clears the bar | $25,000 | 0.4 yrs | 89 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | Bachelor's Degree | $69,102 | +$32,604 | clears the bar | $25,887 | 0.8 yrs | 86 |
| Statistics | Bachelor's Degree | $86,636 | +$50,138 | clears the bar | $21,500 | 0.4 yrs | 84 |
| Human Development and Family Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $45,943 | +$9,445 | clears the bar | $27,000 | 2.9 yrs | 82 |
| Computer Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $112,269 | +$75,771 | clears the bar | $26,471 | 0.3 yrs | 81 |
| Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | Bachelor's Degree | $77,336 | +$40,838 | clears the bar | $25,750 | 0.6 yrs | 81 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management | Bachelor's Degree | $55,741 | +$19,243 | clears the bar | $23,000 | 1.2 yrs | 80 |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other | Bachelor's Degree | $104,205 | +$67,707 | clears the bar | $21,489 | 0.3 yrs | 80 |
| Management Information Systems | Bachelor's Degree | $95,935 | +$59,437 | clears the bar | $26,000 | 0.4 yrs | 73 |
| Agricultural Business and Management | Bachelor's Degree | $73,471 | +$36,973 | clears the bar | $26,000 | 0.7 yrs | 71 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor's Degree | $62,831 | +$26,333 | clears the bar | $23,250 | 0.9 yrs | 71 |
| Nutrition Sciences | Bachelor's Degree | $63,010 | +$26,512 | clears the bar | $25,000 | 0.9 yrs | 71 |
| English | Bachelor's Degree | $50,299 | +$13,801 | clears the bar | $25,000 | 1.8 yrs | 70 |
| International/Globalization Studies | Master's Degree | $81,832 | +$45,334 | clears the bar | $45,147 | 1.0 yrs | 70 |
| Materials Sciences | Bachelor's Degree | $92,864 | +$56,366 | clears the bar | $23,224 | 0.4 yrs | 69 |
| Film and Photography | Bachelor's Degree | $43,919 | +$7,421 | clears the bar | $23,250 | 3.1 yrs | 68 |
| History | Bachelor's Degree | $52,871 | +$16,373 | clears the bar | $26,000 | 1.6 yrs | 63 |
| Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs | Bachelor's Degree | $47,620 | +$11,122 | clears the bar | $26,971 | 2.4 yrs | 60 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $78,476 | +$41,978 | clears the bar | $25,000 | 0.6 yrs | 59 |
| Architectural Engineering | Master's Degree | $98,877 | +$62,379 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 57 |
| Geology and Earth Science | Bachelor's Degree | $81,092 | +$44,594 | clears the bar | $25,648 | 0.6 yrs | 57 |
| Engineering, Other | Bachelor's Degree | $102,134 | +$65,636 | clears the bar | $25,500 | 0.4 yrs | 56 |
| Journalism | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $63,138 | +$26,640 | clears the bar | $20,500 | 0.8 yrs | 55 |
| Architecture | Bachelor's Degree | $76,181 | +$39,683 | clears the bar | $30,440 | 0.8 yrs | 50 |
| Physics | Bachelor's Degree | $81,763 | +$45,265 | clears the bar | $23,299 | 0.5 yrs | 50 |
| Philosophy | Bachelor's Degree | $65,675 | +$29,177 | clears the bar | $23,250 | 0.8 yrs | 49 |
| Management Science | Master's Degree | $139,676 | +$103,178 | clears the bar | $21,500 | 0.2 yrs | 46 |
| Engineering Science | Bachelor's Degree | $100,176 | +$63,678 | clears the bar | $22,028 | 0.3 yrs | 45 |
| Teacher Education (by subject) | Bachelor's Degree | $52,131 | +$15,633 | clears the bar | $25,500 | 1.6 yrs | 44 |
| Plant Sciences | Bachelor's Degree | $52,329 | +$15,831 | clears the bar | $22,048 | 1.4 yrs | 43 |
| Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences | Bachelor's Degree | $35,700 1-year earnings | -$798 | falls short | $26,187 | insufficient data | 43 |
| Agricultural Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $87,564 | +$51,066 | clears the bar | $27,000 | 0.5 yrs | 41 |
| Physics | Bachelor's Degree | $69,083 | +$32,585 | clears the bar | $26,000 | 0.8 yrs | 41 |
| Fine Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $40,036 | +$3,538 | clears the bar | $27,000 | 7.6 yrs | 41 |
| Food Science and Technology | Bachelor's Degree | $83,112 | +$46,614 | clears the bar | $25,000 | 0.5 yrs | 38 |
| Nursing | Master's Degree | $117,728 | +$81,230 | clears the bar | $41,000 | 0.5 yrs | 38 |
| Chemistry | Doctoral Degree | $115,630 | +$79,132 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 37 |
| Design | Bachelor's Degree | $58,105 | +$21,607 | clears the bar | $25,625 | 1.2 yrs | 37 |
| Public Health | Master's Degree | $90,383 | +$53,885 | clears the bar | $36,778 | 0.7 yrs | 37 |
| Natural Resources and Conservation | Bachelor's Degree | $60,193 | +$23,695 | clears the bar | $26,000 | 1.1 yrs | 35 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Master's Degree | $102,645 1-year earnings | +$66,147 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 35 |
| Theatre | Bachelor's Degree | $44,913 | +$8,415 | clears the bar | $27,000 | 3.2 yrs | 34 |
| Human Resources | Master's Degree | $103,541 | +$67,043 | clears the bar | $41,000 | 0.6 yrs | 34 |
| Petroleum Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $113,669 | +$77,171 | clears the bar | $22,837 | 0.3 yrs | 32 |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $49,197 | +$12,699 | clears the bar | $26,000 | 2.0 yrs | 32 |
| Landscape Architecture | Bachelor's Degree | $74,363 | +$37,865 | clears the bar | $29,966 | 0.8 yrs | 31 |
| Curriculum and Instruction | Master's Degree | $62,403 | +$25,905 | clears the bar | $23,151 | 0.9 yrs | 31 |
| Security Science and Technology | Bachelor's Degree | $66,084 | +$29,586 | clears the bar | $27,000 | 0.9 yrs | 31 |
| Geography and Cartography | Bachelor's Degree | $68,993 | +$32,495 | clears the bar | $26,000 | 0.8 yrs | 31 |
| Music | Bachelor's Degree | $44,241 | +$7,743 | clears the bar | $26,438 | 3.4 yrs | 31 |
| Chemistry | Bachelor's Degree | $65,230 | +$28,732 | clears the bar | $27,000 | 0.9 yrs | 30 |
| Allied Health Diagnostics and Treatment | Master's Degree | $129,975 | +$93,477 | clears the bar | $97,044 | 1.0 yrs | 30 |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | Bachelor's Degree | $66,759 | +$30,261 | clears the bar | $24,614 | 0.8 yrs | 28 |
| Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | Bachelor's Degree | $69,540 | +$33,042 | clears the bar | $25,784 | 0.8 yrs | 27 |
| Curriculum and Instruction | Doctoral Degree | $74,098 | +$37,600 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 27 |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $80,855 | +$44,357 | clears the bar | $26,869 | 0.6 yrs | 27 |
| Anthropology | Bachelor's Degree | $50,640 | +$14,142 | clears the bar | $27,000 | 1.9 yrs | 27 |
| Management Science | Bachelor's Degree | $73,308 | +$36,810 | clears the bar | $25,000 | 0.7 yrs | 27 |
| Natural Resources and Conservation, Other | Bachelor's Degree | $45,833 | +$9,335 | clears the bar | $27,000 | 2.9 yrs | 26 |
| School Counseling | Master's Degree | $57,055 | +$20,557 | clears the bar | $41,000 | 2.0 yrs | 25 |
| Biology/Biotechnology Technologies/Technicians | Bachelor's Degree | $75,919 | +$39,421 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 25 |
| Agriculture, General | Bachelor's Degree | $52,932 | +$16,434 | clears the bar | $26,000 | 1.6 yrs | 22 |
| Special Education | Master's Degree | $63,109 | +$26,611 | clears the bar | $31,107 | 1.2 yrs | 22 |
| Nuclear Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $94,365 | +$57,867 | clears the bar | $24,623 | 0.4 yrs | 22 |
| Forestry | Bachelor's Degree | $41,189 1-year earnings | +$4,691 | clears the bar | $20,089 | 4.3 yrs | 21 |
| Computer and Information Science | Master's Degree | $166,387 | +$129,889 | clears the bar | $41,000 | 0.3 yrs | 20 |
| Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology | Master's Degree | $68,105 | +$31,607 | clears the bar | $41,000 | 1.3 yrs | 19 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $72,063 | +$35,565 | clears the bar | $26,623 | 0.7 yrs | 17 |
| Allied Health Diagnostics and Treatment | Bachelor's Degree | $54,488 | +$17,990 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 15 |
| Educational Administration | Master's Degree | $63,797 | +$27,299 | clears the bar | $29,612 | 1.1 yrs | 14 |
| Liberal Arts and General Studies | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $93,527 | +$57,029 | clears the bar | $12,652 | 0.2 yrs | 14 |
| Healthcare Administration | Master's Degree | $111,065 | +$74,567 | clears the bar | $44,873 | 0.6 yrs | 14 |
| Liberal Arts and General Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $58,195 | +$21,697 | clears the bar | $26,500 | 1.2 yrs | 13 |
| Communications and Media | Doctoral Degree | $75,616 | +$39,118 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 12 |
| Statistics | Master's Degree | $129,392 | +$92,894 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 12 |
| Sustainability Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $59,456 1-year earnings | +$22,958 | clears the bar | $23,125 | 1.0 yrs | 10 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | Bachelor's Degree | $45,170 | +$8,672 | clears the bar | $24,225 | 2.8 yrs | 9 |
| Engineering, Other | Master's Degree | $107,278 | +$70,780 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 8 |
| Teacher Education (by subject) | Master's Degree | $69,663 | +$33,165 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 7 |
| Engineering, General | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $62,026 1-year earnings | +$25,528 | clears the bar | $27,000 | 1.1 yrs | 7 |
| Mining and Mineral Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $91,411 | +$54,913 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 7 |
| Physics | Master's Degree | $150,865 | +$114,367 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 7 |
| Counseling Psychology | Master's Degree | $56,114 | +$19,616 | clears the bar | $44,250 | 2.3 yrs | 7 |
| Manufacturing Engineering | Master's Degree | $93,432 1-year earnings | +$56,934 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 6 |
| Liberal Arts and General Studies | Associate's Degree | $54,654 | +$18,156 | clears the bar | $16,500 | 0.9 yrs | 4 |
| Nursing | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $108,264 | +$71,766 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 4 |
| Business Administration | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $79,292 | +$42,794 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 3 |
| Information Science | Master's Degree | $158,815 | +$122,317 | clears the bar | $33,905 | 0.3 yrs | 2 |
| Geography and Cartography | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $59,063 1-year earnings | +$22,565 | clears the bar | $20,500 | 0.9 yrs | 2 |
| Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other | Bachelor's Degree | $66,866 | +$30,368 | clears the bar | $25,431 | 0.8 yrs | 1 |
| Surveying Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $77,094 | +$40,596 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 1 |
| Geography and Cartography | Master's Degree | $102,798 | +$66,300 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 1 |
| Accounting | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $87,526 | +$51,028 | clears the bar | $26,499 | 0.5 yrs | 1 |
| Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | Associate's Degree | $60,464 | +$23,966 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data |
| Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other | Bachelor's Degree | $80,105 | +$43,607 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data |
| Forestry | Associate's Degree | $42,466 | +$5,968 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management | Associate's Degree | $37,069 | +$571 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data |
| Information Science | Associate's Degree | $69,394 | +$32,896 | clears the bar | $21,000 | 0.6 yrs | insufficient data |
| Information Science | Post-baccalaureate Certificate | $141,703 | +$105,205 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | $101,854 | +$65,356 | clears the bar | $27,000 | 0.4 yrs | insufficient data |
| Education | Bachelor's Degree | $44,984 | +$8,486 | clears the bar | $26,744 | 3.2 yrs | insufficient data |
| Educational Administration | Post-baccalaureate Certificate | $111,979 | +$75,481 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | Master's Degree | $65,835 1-year earnings | +$29,337 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data |
| Special Education | Post-baccalaureate Certificate | $69,106 | +$32,608 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data |
| Engineering, General | Bachelor's Degree | $88,063 | +$51,565 | clears the bar | $25,949 | 0.5 yrs | insufficient data |
| Computer Engineering | Master's Degree | $140,393 | +$103,895 | clears the bar | $41,000 | 0.4 yrs | insufficient data |
| Systems Engineering | Master's Degree | $145,507 | +$109,009 | clears the bar | $32,822 | 0.3 yrs | insufficient data |
| Polymer/Plastics Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $87,636 | +$51,138 | clears the bar | $27,000 | 0.5 yrs | insufficient data |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Earnings are medians measured four years after completion where available (programs shown with a 1-year figure are marked), compared with the state high-school-graduate benchmark ($36,498/yr). Debt is federal loans only. Suppressed values are shown as insufficient data, never imputed. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise.