Is PSU worth the money?

I am a NC resident and got accepted into UNC Charlotte and Penn State. Denied from Chapel Hill and NCSU. PSU is about 51 grand per year, UNCC is bout 25. Which should I attend and why? Please help! Thanks

What was attractive about PSU to you in the first place?
Have you visited? Is the location what you are looking for?
What does PSU offer that is more than $100,000 better than UNCC?

It is very difficult for anyone to answer if it is “worth the money” if they are not in your situation. They do not know what attracted you to apply. They do not know your financial situation. They do not know what you are looking for in a school.

Sit down with your parents and figure out what is really important, what fits with what you are looking for, and how you are paying for it for all 4 years.

I will give one family’s opinion - and it is just an opinion based on where we sit. PSU is not worth it for our family. We are in state. While it is pricey for IS (compared to every other state school across the country for their residents), it is less than your costs as OOS. Our children all have the money to fully attend PSU (room, board, books, entertainment, transportation, tuition) sitting in their college accounts so this isn’t “well you can’t afford it anyway…” that plays out here on CC when people provide a different opinion. If it were worth it, it should have been an easy one and done. First one did not even apply - could not imagine herself stuck in the middle of no where PA. Second applied, was accepted very early in the cycle as a true safety and would have attended if there were NO other viable options and had a great time with many dozens of kids from their high school. Third is just starting their process. They have had a lot of fun attending events at PSU and get the WE ARE feeling but not what they are looking for in a university. Tons of alums in our neck of the woods but most of their children attend only after denied from their top choice schools or after their top choice comes in at a “not worth it” compared to PSU price range. YMMV.

I would say a qualified No.

Imagine yourself 5 years from now , you are either a new grad, or maybe you are still in school for any number of good reasons. Tuition and fees have gone up a bit, and your debt is at least $60K . Maybe a lot more. You can’t afford car payments. You are worried about finding an apartment you can afford on what you make minus $200 or so student loan payments a month(* note : no politician is going to forgive everyone’s loans, no matter how nice that sounds*)

If you are an engineering major, maybe your first job will pay so much that won’t matter. If you are in a creative field, or a liberal arts field, your first job most likely will not have a generous salary. Don’t let any school tell you otherwise. If your family is paying cash, you may not care.

Anyway. Debt is always bad, and should be avoided. I have two PSU grads and would never tell someone the school is $100K better unless they were paying cash. It’s just a school, and there are lots of good schools.

Nope! You will have MANY other things you will be needing to spend that money on. Good luck to you!

I’m a big PSU fan but nope, it’s not worth the level of debt you’re talking about…especially when you have a decent school that will cost you half that. Having a bachelors degree used to be what got people ahead. These days undergrad degrees are a dime a dozen. Now you need a master’s degree to distinguish yourself. I’d recommend saving debt for grad school and not drag yourself down with a lifetime of debt just for a bachelors.

Not sure where you live but in my neck of the woods in PA, Alumni are thrilled when their kids get into Penn State as it’s their top choice. For many, many, many families, alumni or not, Penn State is their top choice and it’s a pretty good one at that. But, as you’ve pointed out, it’s certainly not for everyone. For instance, I wouldn’t call State College “no where, PA”, or even most people’s safety school, but if you live in a big city and you go to a private school where everyone is going to Harvard, then I guess that might be your impression. Also, Penn State isn’t a state school and that’s why the tuition is higher than other state’s state schools (that’s a hill I continue to die on here at CC).

That said, to the OP - I’d agree with others when I say that No, it’s probably not worth it OOS when you have a good alternative option in UNCC. I love Penn State. I’m an alum, so is my husband and I’ve had two kids go there who had amazing opportunities, resources, and experiences going there. They would say whatever we’ve had to pay is worth it but of course, they aren’t paying the bill - we are. My younger two probably WON’T go there, but that’s only because of major choice and no other reason. It isn’t for everyone - but all things being equal - less $$ is better.

College debt is a huge factor in after college success so keeping your debt to a minimum is beneficial. Also, you can make any college a good experience by what you put into it. Many, many very successful people come out of every type of school in America. It’s really what you do with your opportunities.

I love Penn State but I wouldn’t advise paying twice as much when you have another good option.

Good luck! You’ll end up where you are supposed to be. It all works out.

“Penn State isn’t a state school” ??? @jlhpsu

OP: Are your only options Penn State & UNC-Charlotte ?

Ask yourself:
-Can your family afford PSU with absolutely no hardship, no debt?
-Are you considering grad school - if you go to UNCC could the price differential help pay for grad school (or other things you might like to do such as study abroad etc.)?
-Do you have a very strong preference? why?

@jlhpsu The first question " What was attractive to you about PSU in the first place" was an honest question with no judgement at all. It was a question for the OP to figure out if “it is worth it” to him/her. Sometimes thinking back to what first caught your interest and the feelings that you had that prompted you to go through the application process helps to bring clarity when making difficult decisions.

PSU is State Affiliated, meaning it gets SOME money from the STATE of PA, not much. Others, like Kutztown, Bloomsburg, West Chester, I think. are true State schools, and if you are a PA resident, they are very economical as they are compensated by quite a bit by the State.

If, as asserted above, Penn State is not a “state school” (which it definitely is), then why does Penn State University Park charge a different tuition rate ($18,500) for Pennsylvania residents than for non-residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ($35,500) ?

@KAZE64 is correct – Pennsylvania has the state system of regional schools , whose financial troubles are exhaustively documented elsewhere – but they are much less expensive in part because they get more funding from the state than the 3 affiliated schools (Pitt, Temple, PSU) do. There is still an in/out state difference at all of those, because some funding is state-based. In PA, we have state schools, and State Schools. Go figure, right?

Penn State-University Park is a state land grant institution & offers an in-state (resident of Pennsylvania) tuition rate.

Percentage of funding comes from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ?

Percentage of fulltime undergrad students are residents of Pennsylvania ?

Thanks in advance.

@Publisher Penn State is NOT PART of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PA State school system). http://www.passhe.edu/university/Pages/Our-Universities.aspx
Those schools get approximately 95% of their funding from the state. By contrast, state-affiliated schools such as Pitt, Temple and Penn State get a fraction of that…like 5% from the state. That is why Penn State is much more expensive than IUP, Kutztown, Edinboro, Millersville, West Chester, Clarion, Slippery Rock, Cal U, Lockhaven, Mansfield, Bloomsburg, Cheyney or East Stroudsburg. Those schools ARE PA state schools. Penn State, Pitt and Temple, are not. Penn State is a land grant, ‘state affiliated school’ and that is why tuition is so much higher than PA state schools. Because Penn State is a public university and since it gets a fraction of its funding from the state, there are in state and out of state costs. It runs sort of in that area between public and private.

Penn State’s budget is $6.8 billion with about $325 million coming from the state. They actually held tuition steady last year for in-state and had a 2% tuition increase for OOS.
https://budget.psu.edu/openbudget/default.aspx (Credit: @lucyvanpelt for this information)

I’ve talked about this exhaustively on this site and people still don’t believe me. But google it. “Is Penn State a State school?” and the resounding answer is…nope.

I also have Michigan State which is 48 grand

I really liked Penn State’s program, and my parents agreed to pay half of it, but I will still have to take out student loans to pay the other half

I was wondering if the price differential is worth it

We do have a good financial situation, but I just don’t want to waste money unless it is worth it

@CollegeWon: Hard to answer your question without knowing your intended major area of study & any career plans / goals.

Based on what has been shared in your past posts, it might be better to attend UNC-Charlotte as your low GPA suggests that you will need time to adjust to the academic demands of college.

Also, unless Penn State offers a major not available at UNC-C, it would be foolish to borrow the amount you need for an undergraduate degree from Penn State.