Pennsylvania State University--University Park is a public institution that was founded in
1855.
It
has a total undergraduate enrollment of 40,085,
its setting is urban,
and the campus size is 8,556 acres.
It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar.
Pennsylvania State University--University Park's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges
is National Universities,
48.
Its in-state tuition and fees are $17,502 (2014-15); out-of-state
tuition and fees are $30,452 (2014-15).
There is rarely a dull moment on the Pennsylvania State
University—University Park campus, also known as Happy Valley. With
around 950 clubs and organizations, there are broad opportunities to get
involved in campus life. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion, and
teams compete in the Division I Big 10 Conference. The football team
plays in Beaver Stadium, which is one of the largest arenas in North
America with room for more than 107,000 fans. Penn State is home to a
thriving Greek system with nearly 90 sororities and fraternities. About
15,000 students volunteer in THON, the largest student-run philanthropy
in the world. Students raise money for pediatric cancer research and
awareness throughout the year and participate in a 46-hour dance
marathon - no sitting or sleeping allowed. Freshmen must live in one of
five housing areas on campus. Across the street from campus is State
College, a bustling small town with an array of coffee shops,
restaurants, shops and bars populated mostly by students. Surrounded by
mountains, the school is also close to skiing, snowboarding and hiking
opportunities.
The land-grant institution, which originally was offered state land in
exchange for agricultural courses and research, offers highly ranked
graduate programs through the College of Education and the College of Engineering.
Undergraduates produce the Daily Collegian newspaper, and students get
free daily copies of The New York Times, USA Today and Centre Daily
Times - the local paper - through the school’s Newspaper Readership
Program, the first of its kind. Notable alumni include John Cappelletti,
a Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL player; and Valerie Plame
Wilson, former CIA agent and author.
Penn State is the flagship public university of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, with an historic land-grant mission of teaching, research
and service. The university enrolls more than 98,000 students at 24
campus locations statewide and the Penn State World Campus, including
more than 46,000 at the University Park campus in State College. Penn
State has a campus within practical commuting distance of virtually
every Pennsylvanian. Many students start their degree programs at one of
nineteen Penn State undergraduate campuses across the state and
complete their requirements at University Park. The World Campus
delivers more than 60 degree and professional programs online to nearly
14,000 students a year, including military personnel serving overseas.
The university also holds a unique responsibility for outreach and
engages in collaborative activities with industrial, educational and
agricultural partners around the world to disseminate and apply
knowledge. Penn State Outreach programs reach more than a million
households in Pennsylvania each year. The university also offers degree
programs at the College of Medicine at Penn State Milton S. Hershey
Medical Center, and Penn State Dickinson School of Law at the University
Park and Carlisle campuses. Boasting one of the nation's largest
graduate schools, the university is a leader in engaging students in
landmark research. More than $2 million in research activity takes place
at Penn State each day. Opportunities for discovery extend beyond the
graduate school, as Penn State undergraduates have unique opportunities
to work with world-class faculty conducting significant research that
advances and serves the nation in important ways. Penn State's research
and creative initiatives, powered by more than $800 million in annual
expenditures, range across all disciplines. Internationally recognized
work is done is such diverse areas as alternative energy, nanomaterials,
infectious diseases, and child psychology. With fundamental science as a
foundation, translating innovative ideas and technologies into
practices that accelerate economic development and improve the quality
of life is a top priority. As evidence, the University's research
expenditures supported by industry and private partners have exceeded
$100 million in each of the last six years. Penn State's Alumni
Association has nearly 173,000 members, making it the nation's largest
dues-paying alumni organization, with more than 275 chapters, societies
and interest groups worldwide.
