Penn State University

History of Penn State University

Penn State University originated in the year 1855 as the Farmer’s High school. Instructions related to the renaming of the University started in the year 1855 and it was named Agriculture College of Pennsylvania in 1862. After the university was renamed, it was designated as the commonwealth’s land grant college the very next year. 

In 1900, Penn State University, USA, introduced extension and outreach programming, extending the reach of the academic mission. Today, there are several Penn State campuses located across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

In 2000, The Penn State and Dickinson law school operated several line courses and the online world campus graduated the students and now enroll 20,000 students every academic year. 

Education system

Penn State University, USA, offers quality education and research to domestic and international students. It offers a study plan of 2+2 semesters. There is enough flexibility when it comes to the completion of undergraduate programs in one campus and then shifting to a different campus for specialization and major courses. Penn State University has collaborated with several reputed international universities for integrated courses and research. Eminent scholars and scientists offer guest lectures to students to prepare them as per industry standards. 

USPs

1. The University offers more than 275 undergraduate majors.

2. Penn State University’s acceptance rate is 9%.

3. Penn State University has more than twenty campuses spread across Pennsylvania.

4. Penn State University has been offering distance education for more than 125 years. Now the university offers 175 online programs.   

5. The student-faculty ratio at Penn State University is 14:1

6. 18 disciplines are ranked in the top ten at the national level for research expenditures.

Famous alumni

Penn State University has a long list of notable alumni spread all over the world delivering excellence with their achievements. From the co-creator of the Slinky to the CEO of Nike, here are a few of the famous Penn State alumni the world knows: 

1. Adam McKay, writer, and producer of Step Brothers and Anchorman

2. Mark Parker, former President and CEO of Nike

3. Finestra, was a writer and producer on Home Improvement and The Cosby Show.

4. Ty Burrell: got his big break with the role of Phil Dunphy from Modern Family. 

5. Jef Raskin: dubbed the “Father of the Macintosh.”

6. Robert Bruce Banner, who plays the role of The Hulk

7. Guion Bluford, the first African American to travel in space as a specialist aboard the Challenger on the mission STS-8.

8. Herman Fisher, one of the co-founders of the Fisher-Price Toy Company

9. Margaret Carlson, TIME Magazine’s first female columnist

10. Steven E. de Souza, a screenwriter whose films have generated $2 billion at the box office

11. Patricia Woertz, President and CEO at Archer Daniels Midland Company

12. Julius J. Epstein, screenwriter and producer 1943 Academy Award-winning film Casablanca.

Campus

State College, PA 16801, United States of America

Public/ Private status

Penn State University is a public university.

Penn State University: Ranking

1. Penn State University is ranked 25th for being one of the best research universities in the US. 

2. Penn State ranks #80 in Best National University Rankings, 2022, by the US News & World Report’s rankings. 

3. It holds a rank of 23 nationally among “Top Public Schools”.

4. Penn State University holds a rank of 33 for “Best Colleges for Veterans”.

5. US News ranked Penn State University as 33 in Best Business Schools in the US. 

6. Penn State ranked fourth in the US and 119 by Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings in 2022.

7. Penn State is ranked 54th among the best universities in the world.

8. In QS world ranking, Penn State is ranked at No. 96 internationally according to QS rankings 2022 and ranked No. 44 among universities in the US. 

Top courses offered at Penn State University

Penn State University, USA, offers graduate and undergraduate programs from various streams and specializations. Penn State University offers more than 400 programs in humanities, commerce, science, engineering, medical, law, and nursing. The average cost of study for international students ranges between $27100-37946 (INR 2041944 – 2859174). The living cost for students at Penn State University is $14,158-17,380 (INR 1066784 – 1309557) which includes accommodation, transport, food, and miscellaneous. 

Below are the courses offered by the university – 

1. Accounting 

2. Aerospace Engineering 

3. African American Studies 

4. African Studies 

5. Agricultural and Extension Education 

6. Agricultural Biosecurity

7. Sociology 

8. Anthropology 

9. Applied Behavior Analysis 

10. Architecture 

11. Art 

12. Art Education 

13. Art History 

14. Bioengineering 

15. Biology 

16. Biomedical Engineering 

17. Biomedical Sciences – MD 

18. Business Administration 

19. Business Economics

20. Business Law 

21. Chemical Engineering 

22. Chemistry 

23. Civil Engineering 

24. Computer Science 

25. Computer Science and Engineering 

26. Industrial Engineering 

27. Information Sciences and Technology 

28. Master’s in business administration

Penn State University requirements for examination 

English proficiency: The language of instruction at Penn State is English. All international applicants must take and submit scores for the TOEFL or the IELTS scores. 

TOEFL: The TOEFL score requirement is 80 with 19 marks in speaking, and any student with speaking marks between 15-18 will be offered provisional admission. 

IELTS: The minimum IELTS score requirement to take admission at Penn State University is 6.5.

ACT and SAT examinations are not compulsory for students to appear for. However, if the students have already appeared for the one, the Penn State University admission panel would be happy to evaluate the scorecards. 

GRE and GMAT scores: Students need to submit a minimum acceptable GRE score of 550. The GMAT score requirement is 666 for the graduate and post-graduate courses. 

Penn State University admissions requirements 

1. Medical reports

2. 2 recent passport size photograph

3. Valid passport

4. Minimum two letters of recommendation from past faculties or past employers will be important. 

5. A statement of purpose is a personal statement that students need to state their goals, achievement, and the reasons why they have chosen Penn State University and the particular course. 

6. Updated curriculum vitae or resume containing recent qualifications and experience. 

7. Financial proof and statement

8. All academic transcripts and records with certificate and diploma.

9. All the test scorecards of IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, ACT, and SAT. 

Available scholarship

Penn State University award

First-Year Associate, the two years course

1. $6,000 (INR 452091) per academic year for two years

First-Year Baccalaureate, the four years course

1. $6,000 (INR 452091) per academic year for the first and second year and $7,000 (INR 527439) per year for the third and fourth year

Transfer Student 

1. $6,500 (INR 489765) is given for every academic year 

Placement records

42% of the students are placed in the private sectors, 4% in government sectors, 4% in the military, and 22% in graduate school employment. Around 100% of MS and Ph.D. graduates find jobs upon graduation from Penn State University, USA. The placement cell is very promising and offers the best-salaried jobs in the industry hired by some of the top brands and multinationals in the US. 

Some of the top placement companies at Penn State University

1. Applied Weather Technology Holland

2. United States Air Force 

3. Earth Networks (Germantown, MD)

4. ClimeCo Corporation (Boyertown, PA)

5. Guttman Energy, Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA)

6. United States Steel (Pittsburgh, PA)

7. AccuWeather, Inc. (State College, PA)

8. Risk Management Solutions (Hoboken, NJ)

9. Florida Division of Emergency Management (Gainesville, FL)

10. Duke Energy (Charlotte, NC)

11. NOAA (Washington, DC)

12. Mars, Inc (Hackettstown, NJ)

13. Northrop-Grumman Information Systems (Washington, DC)

14. Mount Washington

Top USA Universities

University Name	Acceptance Rate	Ranking	University Type	Status
New York Institute of Technology	80.00%	22	Private
University of North Carolina at Charlotte	80.00%	1400	Public
University of Utah	95.00%	392	Public
University of Alabama	59.10%	1200	Public
University of Colorado Boulder	84.20%	317	Public
Golden Gate University	83.00%	622	Private
Florida international University	64.00%	556	Public
University of Delaware	72.30%	131-140	Public
University of California Riverside	65.00%	404	Public
Arkansas State University	63.30%	317	Public
Penn State University	51%	93	Public
University of Connecticut	55.60%	444	Public
George Washington University	49.70%	62	Private
American University	38.70%	750	Private
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville	98.00%	440	Public
Binghamton University	60.90%	1200	Public
Lamar University	88.00%	440	Public
University of Kansas	96.00%	369	Public
University of Texas at EL Paso	100.00%	1400	Public
Valparaiso University	93.20%	171-180	Private
Xavier University	84.00%	356	Private
Texas State University	85.00%	389	Public
Adelphi University	77.50%	251-300	Private
Auburn University at Montgomery	92.00%	801-850	Public
Lincoln University	79.80%	372	Public
University of Massachusetts Boston	78.90%	651	Public
Washington State University	85.80%	328	Public
Santa Clara University	54%	140	Private
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill	20.40%	52	Public
Berklee College of Music	55%	600	Private