Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks

Location and Contact Information

Tulpehocken Rd
Reading, PA 19610-1016
USA
Main Tel: (610) 396-6000
Web Site

The campus is in a rural site not far from an urban area.

Overview

Penn State Berks was originally known as Wyomissing Polytechnic Institute, or WPI. It joined the Penn State system in 1958. From 1930 to 1958, WPI operated from the original Sacred Heart Church building. It moved to its present location in 1972. The college enrolls more than 3,000 students annually, and the campus resides on 240 acres in Reading, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn State Berks offers a wide variety of degrees and programs in diverse areas of study and is organized into the following academic divisions:

  • Division of Engineering, Business and Computing
  • Division of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
  • Division of Science

Penn State Berks has more than 35 active student clubs and organizations, which are administered by the Student Government Association. Some of these organizations are the Agricultural-Environmental Club, Bowling Club, Computer Interest House, Science Club, Italian-American Club, Film Club, and Christian Student Fellowship.

Highlights (vs. Other Schools)

  • Many students concentrating in nutrition and exercise therapy, business and management, engineering, computer science and engineering, and science.
  • Large number of students.
  • High male/female ratio.
  • High faculty salary.
  • Number of dorm rooms for students.

School characteristics:

  • The school is public.
  • Academic calender: Semester.

Features of note:

  • The school offers a faculty tenure system.
  • There are one or more libraries on-campus.
  • Campus housing is available.
  • Students may study abroad.
  • Distance learning is available.
  • Part-time classes are available.
  • ROTC.

Tuition and Financial Aid (2009-2010)

ItemCost
State Tuition and fees$ 12,750
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 19,078
Room$ 5,200
Board$ 4,360
Books and supplies$ 1,360
Other$ 3,924

Financial Aid

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks participates in US Title IV financial assistance programs.

In 2009-2010, 79% of students received financial aid of some sort.

Grants% of
Students		Average
Amount
Any Grant42%$6,057
Institutional Grant20%$3,181
Federal Grant24%$4,177
Pell Grant23%$3,342
Other Federal Grant18%$1,196
State or Local Grant30%$3,164

Loans% of
Students		Average
Amount
Student Loan71%$6,883
Federal Loan70%$5,652
Other Loan9%$10,283

(Please refer to BrainTrack's financial aid articles section for background information.)

Similar Schools

Based on proprietary BrainTrack computer comparisons against all other US colleges, these schools appear to be most similar to Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks:

Click a column header to sort.

 SchoolLocationEnrollment
1Northwood UniversityMidland, MI3,941
2Frostburg State UniversityFrostburg, MD5,215
3Shepherd UniversityShepherdstown, WV4,185
4Tarleton State UniversityStephenville, TX9,633
5Angelo State UniversitySan Angelo, TX6,155
6Slippery Rock University of PennsylvaniaSlippery Rock, PA8,458
7Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Mont AltoMont Alto, PA1,189
8East Stroudsburg University of PennsylvaniaEast Stroudsburg, PA7,234
9Lock Haven UniversityLock Haven, PA5,266
10University of Southern IndianaEvansville, IN10,126

Degrees Awarded (in 2009-2010)

DegreeTotal
Earned		Different
Programs
Bachelor21211
Associate578

Faculty

Tenure (2009-2010):

Full-Time Faculty  Total
With tenure  48
Without tenure; working toward tenure  20
Without tenure; tenure not available  49

Students

Student enrollment was 2,800 in 2009-2010 (2,786 full-time equivalent).

About 60% of the freshmen class in 2009-2010 was male and women were 40% of the class.

Undergrads are 98% of enrolled students and graduate students are 2%.

Students under 25 years old represent 86% of the student body. About 5% of the school is at least 40 years of age.

Among freshmen students, 99% are full-time and 1% are part-time.

Admissions Summary (2009-2010)

ApplicantsAdmitted
Men82%
Women80%
All81%

SAT Test Scores:

SATMiddle 50%
Verbal430-530
Math440-550

Room and Board

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks provides on-campus housing for 804 of its 2,786 (full-time) students (as of 2009-2010).

Graduate School Focus

The highest degree offered is the Bachelor.

Programs of Study

(Number of degrees in 2009-2010 in parentheses)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT (2 awarded)

  • Agricultural Business and Management

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT (85 awarded)

  • Business/Commerce

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (24 awarded)

  • Information Science/Studies

EDUCATION AND TEACHING (23 awarded)

  • Elementary Education and Teaching

ENGINEERING (20 awarded)

  • Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering

ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN (17 awarded)

  • Electrical/Electronic/Communications Engr Technology/Technician
  • Mechanical Engineering/Mechanical Technology/Technician

HOSPITALITY (7 awarded)

  • Hospitality Administration/Management

LIBERAL ARTS (16 awarded)

  • American/United States Studies/Civilization
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
  • Technical and Business Writing

MEDIA (3 awarded)

  • Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY (29 awarded)

  • Kinesiology and Exercise Science
  • Occupational Therapist Assistant

SCIENCE (25 awarded)

  • Biological and Physical Sciences

THERAPY AND COUNSELING (18 awarded)

  • Psychology