Pennsylvania State University, also known as Penn State, is a public land-grant research university that was founded in 1855. Located in State College, Penn State has 18 colleges including the Eberly College of Science and the Dickinson Law School. The graduation rate at Penn State is an impressive 85%, thanks in part to the student-to-faculty ratio of 15:1, which is on the lower end for a flagship state school. Penn State has a total undergraduate enrollment of around 95,000 students that take classes according to a semester-based academic calendar. 

Penn State, like many research universities, has a healthy network of funding partners including the Department of Defense, that funds the Applied Research Lab. ARL employs students and faculty to advance weapons defense, communications, and geospatial systems for the U.S. Military. Prospective students should note that Pennsylvania residents receive in-state tuition at a much lower rate than applicants from out-of-state. 

Penn State is known for a variety of pop-culture phenomena, but one that sticks out is that during their time at Penn State, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, co-founders of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, took classes on the art of ice cream making. Penn State also boasts the largest alumni association in the world, making it an excellent choice for those that intend to capitalize on their professional networks post-graduation. Notable alumni include actor Ty Burrell, comedian Keegan-Michael Key, and former Senator Rick Santorum.