Facts and Rankings

For more than 150 years we’ve been leaders in higher education, but it’s our community of shared pride that motivates us to do good around the world.

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Land, space, sun, or sea, Penn State is the place to be

As one of only three land- space- sun-, and sea-grant universities in the U.S., Penn State is on the cutting edge of research, education, and service to Pennsylvania communities.

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Athletics

Penn State has one of the nation's most comprehensive and successful athletic programs, featuring 29 varsity programs and participates in the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I level for most sports. At Penn State’s 20 undergraduate campuses, 75+ NCAA Division III teams and 100+ PSUAC teams qualify for national championships through the USCAA.

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Investing in your future

8,000+ Penn State scholarships

Top 10%

Worldwide in employer reputation and employment outcomes.

QS World University Rankings, 2024

#4

Best colleges for first-generation college students.

Best Colleges, 2023

21% of Penn Staters are first-generation students

17,400+ Pell Grant recipients University-wide

Our community of Penn Staters

Nearly 88,000 students

58%

Of students are Pennsylvania residents.

Students from 50 states and 140+ countries

Nearly 10,000 international students

40%

Of students are from diverse backgrounds.

7,900+ faculty across all campuses

775,000+ alumni

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Innovation ecosystem

Invent Penn State’s 21 innovation spaces across the state work with students, alumni, corporate partners, and community innovators to accelerate the movement of great ideas and economic development in the Commonwealth and beyond.

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Penn State rankings

Often ranked as a top thirty research university, our quality is reflected in Penn State’s worldwide standings as a leader in research, education, and community. Our record-breaking research expenditures exceed $1.239B, ranking 12 disciplines in the top 10 by the National Science Foundation.

U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” (Undergraduate) 2024

Penn State ranks 28th among national public universities and 60th overall out of 435 national universities listed in U.S. News World Report’s “Best Colleges” ranking for 2024. Penn State also ranks 23rd among Association of American Universities public institutions and is the top-ranked public university in Pennsylvania.

Undergraduate Programs

Undergraduate program rankings released by U.S. News include 16 top-25 ratings (four in the top 10) ratings for select programs in engineering and business, among others.

Best Undergraduate Business Programs

Penn State tied for #21 in “Best Undergraduate Business Programs,” out of 523 ranked institutions. In addition, the University ranked in the following specialties:

  • #8 in Supply Chain Management/Logistics
  • #11 in Production/Operation Management
  • #17 in Management (tie)
  • #25 in Accounting (tie)
  • #24 in Marketing (tie)
  • #50 in Finance (tie)

Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs (at schools whose highest degree is a doctorate)

Penn State tied for #19 out of 208 ranked institutions in “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs.” In addition, the University ranked in the following specialties: 

  • #9 in Materials Engineering
  • #9 in Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering
  • #10 in Biological/Agricultural Engineering (tie)
  • #13 in Civil Engineering
  • #15 in Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering (tie)
  • #15 in Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (tie)
  • #15 in Mechanical Engineering (tie)
  • #20 in Chemical Engineering
  • #25 in Computer Engineering (tie)
  • #27 in Electrical/Electronic/Communications Engineering

Best Undergraduate Computer Science Programs

Penn State tied for 40 out of 554 ranked programs.

Best Undergraduate Nursing Programs

Penn State tied for 31 out of 656 ranked programs.

Best Undergraduate Economics Programs

Penn State tied for 41 out of 309 ranked programs.

Best Undergraduate Psychology Programs

Penn State tied for 34 out of 542 ranked programs.

U.S. News & World Report, “America’s Best Graduate Schools 2023-24”

U.S. News “Best Graduate Schools” ranks professional school programs in business, education, engineering, law, medicine and nursing, including specialties in each area.

#37 in Best Business Schools (Smeal College of Business) (tie)

  • #6 in Supply Chain/Logistics (tie)
  • #11 in Production/Operations
  • #20 in Management (tie)
  • #22 in Accounting (tie)
  • #21 in Business Analytics (tie)

#49 in Best Education Schools (College of Education) (tie)

  • #3 in Higher Education Administration
  • #6 in Student Counseling and Personnel Services (tie)
  • #10 in Educational Administration and Supervision
  • #13 in Special Education
  • #15 in Secondary Teacher Education (tie)
  • #19 in Curriculum and Instruction (tie)
  • #15 in Education Policy
  • #15 in Educational Psychology

#32 in Best Engineering Schools (College of Engineering)

  • #6 in Petroleum Engineering
  • #10 in Nuclear Engineering (tie)
  • #10 in Industrial/Manufacturing/Systems Engineering (tie)
  • #11 in Biological/Agricultural Engineering
  • #11 in Materials Engineering
  • #17 in Mechanical Engineering (tie)
  • #15 in Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering (tie)
  • #19 in Civil Engineering (tie)
  • #27 in Chemical Engineering (tie)
  • #28 in Electrical/Electronic/Communications Engineering (tie)
  • #26 in Computer Engineering (tie)
  • #38 in Biomedical Engineering/Bioengineering (tie)

Humanities and Social Sciences

  • #23 in Sociology
    —#3 in Sociology of Population (tie)
    —#15 in Social Stratification (tie)
  • #26 in Psychology (tie)
    —#5 in Industrial Organizational Psychology (tie)
  • #27 in Criminology
  • #27 in Economics (tie)
    —#9 in International Economics (tie)
    —#13 in Microeconomics
    —#17 in Econometrics (tie)

Public Affairs

  • #72 in Best Public Affairs Programs, University Park (tie)
  • #72 in Best Public Affairs Programs, Penn State Harrisburg School of Public Affairs (tie)

Sciences

  • #1 in Geology
  • #4 in Geochemistry
  • #6 in Earth Sciences (tie)
    —#2 in Environmental Sciences (tie)
    —#3 in Geology
    —#3 in Geochemistry (tie)
    —#7 in Paleontology (tie)
    —#9 in Geophysics (tie)
  • #19 in Statistics (tie)
  • #23 in Physics (tie)
    —#12 in Cosmology/Relativity/Gravity
    —#14 in Condensed Matter (tie)
    —#16 in Atomic/Molecular/Optical (tie)
  • #28 in Biostatistics (tie)
  • #34 in Chemistry (tie)
    —#22 in Inorganic Chemistry (tie)
    —#16 in Analytical Chemistry (tie)
  • #37 in Mathematics (tie)
    —#26 in Applied Mathematics (tie)
  • #35 in Computer Science (tie)
    —#25 in Artificial Intelligence (tie)
  • #46 in Biological Sciences (tie)

U.S. News “Best Online Programs” Rankings, 2024 – Penn State World Campus

Penn State World Campus ranked in these graduate degree disciplines and the overall bachelor’s degree programs category.

  • #3 (tie), master’s in engineering 
  • #7, master’s in information technology
  • #18 (tie), master’s in business (non-MBA)
  • #19 (tie), master’s in education
  • #22 (tie), MBA
  • #32 (tie), bachelor’s degree programs

The “Best Online Programs” 2024 edition also includes rankings of specific disciplines within the program categories. These specialty program rankings were measured by U.S. News from ratings provided by national peer institutions, collected via surveys.

In addition, U.S. News ranked “Best Online Programs for Veterans” in six categories, with Penn State’s online bachelor’s programs at:

  • #2, master’s in engineering
  • #4, master’s in information technology 
  • #8 (tie), master’s in education
  • #9 (tie), master’s in business (non-MBA) 
  • #20 (tie), bachelor’s degree programs 
  • #20 (tie), MBA 

QS World University Rankings 2024

​Penn State ranked No. 83 in the world — a jump of 10 positions from No. 93 last year — in the recently released 2024 QS World University Rankings, placing the University in the top 6% worldwide among the 1,500 institutions ranked by QS. Penn State also placed, out of 199 ranked U.S. institutions, at No. 8 among public universities nationally and No. 4 among Big Ten institutions.

Center for World University Rankings 2023

Penn State is ranked 54th among the best universities in the world out of 2,000 ranked, placing the University in the top 3% for the quality of education of its students and the research prowess of its faculty, by the Center for World University Rankings for 2023.

Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024

Penn State is 20th among U.S. public universities, and placed 42nd in the nation overall, in the 2024 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings. Penn State placed in the top 6% globally among about 1,900 ranked institutions, rising 29 places from last year to No. 122 in the world.

Academic Ranking of World Universities (AWRU) 2023

​The Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked Penn State in the range of 101-150 in its listing of the top 1,000 world-class universities, out of more than 2,500 institutions ranked worldwide.

AWRU 2022 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects

​Penn State ranks in the top 50 in 16 subject area rankings and in the top 100 in the world in an additional 14 subjects, according to the 2022 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, released by the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), which evaluates the performance of world universities in relevant subjects, using a number of metrics including research output, research influence, international collaboration, research quality, and international academic awards.

U.S. News & World Report “Best Global Universities” 2022-23

Penn State is ranked at #84 internationally, among 2,000 institutions evaluated, across 95 countries, in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Global Universities” for 2022-23. ​

QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2024

Penn State tied for No. 4 among 210 ranked universities in the United States in the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability for 2024, released Dec. 5. Internationally, the University ranked No. 37 out of 1,403 participating institutions worldwide. Penn State also tied with the University of Minnesota Twin Cities for No. 1 among Big Ten institutions and No. 2 among all U.S. public universities.

The 2024 rankings provide a framework to show how universities are taking action to tackle the world’s greatest environmental, social and governance challenges, according to international rankings organization Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

Campus Pride Index 2023

For the third year in a row, Penn State has received 5 out of 5 stars for overall campus climate — and included among the “Best of the Best,” a list of 30 four-year public and private colleges across the nation — in the 2023 Campus Pride Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning-Friendly Campus Climate Index. Campus Pride is a national nonprofit organization for student leaders and campus groups working to improve LGBTQ environments at colleges and universities.

Forbes “Best Employers for New Grads” survey 2023

Penn State ranked No. 21 among all large U.S. employers — public, private and nonprofit — for new college graduates entering the workforce, according to Forbes magazine’s “America’s Best Employers for New Grads” survey.

Penn State ranked first in the nation in faculty Fulbright Scholar awards for 2023-24

Penn State has been ranked first in the nation in faculty Fulbright Scholar awards by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, with 12 faculty members offered Fulbright awards for academic year 2023-24. Penn State also is listed among the top-producing institutions for Fulbrights in STEM fields. This is the second year in a row and the third time in the last five years that Penn State has been the No. 1 producer of Fulbright Scholars, with the University also achieving this status in 2019 and 2022.

Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings 2023

Penn State ranked 3rd in the U.S. and 40th in the world out of nearly 1,600 participating institutions in the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings, placing Penn State in the top 2.5% of universities worldwide.

The global rating is a broad multidimensional assessment of a university’s research, community outreach and education, and campus operations. The criteria used in the assessment are linked to the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals, global goals adopted by all U.N. Member States that look to improve life for all people and help protect the planet.

The Princeton Review/Entrepreneurship Magazine, Top Schools for Entrepreneurship 2023

​Penn State has been ranked as the #23 school for undergraduate entrepreneurship studies in the U.S. in annual ratings of the top schools for entrepreneurship studies, by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneurship Magazine. Among schools in the Mid-Atlantic region, Penn State came in at #3.

U.S. News & World Report, “Best Children’s Hospitals 2022-23”

Penn State Health Children’s Hospital ranks among the nation’s best hospitals for children in multiple specialties—cardiology and heart surgery (#33), diabetes and endocrinology (#41), and pulmonology (#42).​

Compiled by Penn State's Office of Strategic Communications