president
Eric J. Barron, Ph.D., President of the University
Overview
The Pennsylvania State University, founded in 1855, is the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s sole land-grant institution and its largest public university. Penn State’s land-grant mission embraces teaching, research, and public service in order to support the citizens of the Commonwealth, collaborating with industrial, educational, and agricultural partners to create, disseminate, integrate, and apply knowledge that is valuable to society. The University generates approximately $8.5 billion in direct and indirect economic impact annually within Pennsylvania.
Academic Programs
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160+ baccalaureate degree programs
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90+ associate degree programs offered at select campuses
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160+ graduate degree programs, including doctorates and both academic and professional master’s degrees
Research
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$801 million in total research support, of which $510 million comes from federal sources.
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Consistently ranks near top nationally in annual spending on science and engineering research.
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Generates nearly $2 billion into Pennsylvania’s economy each year in new technologies, jobs, taxes, and other impacts.
People
Employees: 26,742 full-time employees university-wide, including 6,424 full-time faculty members, all locations.
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38 members, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Students: Approximately 97,494 total, all locations, all levels
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Total undergraduates: 83,436
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Total graduate/professional: 14,058
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University Park: 46,848
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Other campuses: 30,965
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Penn State World Campus: 12,242
Alumni:
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More than 645,000 living alumni worldwide
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More than 334,000 reside in Pennsylvania
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Since its founding, Penn State has conferred more than 772,424 degrees, with 22,290 awarded in 2013-14.
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The Penn State Alumni Association has more than 177,300 members, making it the largest dues-paying alumni association in the world.
Athletics
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16 men’s and 15 women’s intercollegiate athletic teams involving more than 800 student-athletes
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All student-athletes enrolled from 2004-07 earned a graduation success rate of 89 percent, compared to the NCAA Division I at 82 percent
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74 national team championships since 1924
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92 Big Ten Championships and tournament titles since Conference competition in 1991
Campuses
Penn State has 24 campuses across the Commonwealth—a campus within practical commuting distance of virtually every Pennsylvanian. Most offer the first two years of baccalaureate instruction as well as a limited number of four-year degree programs. More than half of the undergraduates who complete studies at University Park start at another Penn State campus. The University includes Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies, Penn State College of Medicine at The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Law (University Park), Dickinson Law (Carlisle), Penn State World Campus (online programs), and the Pennsylvania College of Technology.
Penn State encompasses more than 23,000 acres and more than 1,784 buildings statewide, including 7,343 acres and 947 buildings at University Park.
Rankings
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Ranks 14th among public universities and 47th overall nationally.
—U.S. News & World Report, "Best Colleges 2016"
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Ranks as one of the world's top universities, at 75th.
—Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings 2015-16
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Ranks 47th internationally.
—Center for World University Rankings, 2015
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Penn State University Libraries rank 8th among North American research libraries.
—Association of Research Libraries, 2014-15
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Ranks No. 1 in Pennsylvania and 13th in U.S., with 7,024 international students at University Park. Ranks 19th for the number of students studying abroad (1,787).
—Institute of International Education "Open Doors," 2014
