UCSC In state or PSU University Park Out of State

$56,000 is a LOT of debt for an undergraduate degree, engineering or not.

And you can only take out $31,000 in Stafford loans. See here: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized#how-much

Don’t forget, there’s interest on all these loans.

I’d go to UCSC over Penn State if I were you. Is Caly Poly SLO out of your price range? That seems like a better option than Penn State. Mind you, I live in PA!