Pennsylvania Western University
About
Pennsylvania Western University is a public, multi-campus university located in Pennsylvania. Formed in July 2022 from the merger of three historic institutions, it serves students across California, Clarion, and Edinboro campuses, as well as through Global Online programs. The university emphasizes academic programs aligned with workforce needs and real-world relevance, and has a history that spans more than 170 years.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 16.7-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 203 Title IV programs, 66 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 4 fail. 133 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing66 · 32.5%
- No Data133 · 65.5%
- Failing4 · 2.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Near the line (±5%)
Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Programmatic accreditations · 9
Action history · 14
- Jun 2025Renewal of AccreditationMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Feb 2024Approved for Distance EducationAmerican Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
- Oct 2023Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
- Oct 2023Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels
- Oct 2023Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 3,649 students received $20.5M in Pell grants, alongside $73.9M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 5,933 borrowers who entered repayment, 129 (2.1%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Pennsylvania Western
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 12
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus8
Includes 7 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
- Race1
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Pennsylvania Western vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Pennsylvania Western selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectPennsylvania Western University | 52% | — | 10,834 | $18,256 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
| 44% | 95.9% | 8,746 | $12,970 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 39% | 96.4% | 10,439 | $9,735 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 53% | 87.8% | 9,727 | $16,383 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 53% | 98.1% | 9,724 | $6,067 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 48% | 73.3% | 9,997 | $16,857 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 54% | 90.6% | 10,811 | $18,476 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 56% | 93.1% | 11,092 | $15,699 | — | |
| 54% | 90.8% | 9,073 | $16,804 | R2 Research | |
| 55% | 77.7% | 9,955 | $14,279 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 52% | 77.2% | 8,791 | $9,793 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 45% | 92.5% | 8,523 | $13,606 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 66% | 71.5% | 8,376 | $19,608 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 37% | 78.1% | 12,554 | $18,309 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 63% | 85.7% | 11,746 | $14,158 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 44% | 90.1% | 9,942 | $18,745 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| Peer group median | 53% | 90.1% | 9,949 | $16,041 |
Institutions like Pennsylvania Western
Explore the federal data for institutions in Pennsylvania Western's comparison group.
- Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsArkansas
Arkansas Tech University
Grad rate44%Admit rate95.9%Enrollment8,746Net price$12,970View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsTennessee
Austin Peay State University
Grad rate39%Admit rate96.4%Enrollment10,439Net price$9,735View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsMassachusetts
Bridgewater State University
Grad rate53%Admit rate87.8%Enrollment9,727Net price$16,383View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsCalifornia
California State University-Stanislaus
Grad rate53%Admit rate98.1%Enrollment9,724Net price$6,067View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsConnecticut
Central Connecticut State University
Grad rate48%Admit rate73.3%Enrollment9,997Net price$16,857View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsWashington
Central Washington University
Grad rate54%Admit rate90.6%Enrollment10,811Net price$18,476View data - Pennsylvania
Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania
Grad rate56%Admit rate93.1%Enrollment11,092Net price$15,699View data - R2 ResearchPennsylvania
Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus
Grad rate54%Admit rate90.8%Enrollment9,073Net price$16,804View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsAlabama
Jacksonville State University
Grad rate55%Admit rate77.7%Enrollment9,955Net price$14,279View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsKentucky
Morehead State University
Grad rate52%Admit rate77.2%Enrollment8,791Net price$9,793View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsLouisiana
Northwestern State University of Louisiana
Grad rate45%Admit rate92.5%Enrollment8,523Net price$13,606View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPennsylvania
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Grad rate66%Admit rate71.5%Enrollment8,376Net price$19,608View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsOklahoma
University of Central Oklahoma
Grad rate37%Admit rate78.1%Enrollment12,554Net price$18,309View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsWisconsin
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Grad rate63%Admit rate85.7%Enrollment11,746Net price$14,158View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsNew Jersey
William Paterson University of New Jersey
Grad rate44%Admit rate90.1%Enrollment9,942Net price$18,745View data
Pennsylvania Western Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness supports PennWest’s mission and strategic goals by leading university-wide efforts in assessment, planning, and data-informed decision-making.
Visit IR office page- Susanne Fenske, PhDVice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Student Affairs
- Becky McMillen, PhDExecutive Director of Institutional Effectiveness
Reports & documents (1)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
Frequently asked questions about Pennsylvania Western University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Pennsylvania Western.
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About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
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