Central Penn College
For-profit College in Summerdale, PA. Six-year graduation rate 45%. Median 10-year earnings $45,370.
Ten years after entry, the median Central Penn College student earns $45,370 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. 45% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Median debt at graduation is $23,194, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Mobility score 0.6 — limited economic uplift documented
Admissions
An acceptance rate of 18% means admission is the exception — plan accordingly. The applicant pool is small at 1,208, which makes year-over-year comparisons unreliable. 83% of admitted students actually enroll, which is a high yield by national standards.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Central Penn College →Academics
Completion is middling: 45% finish inside six years. 65% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in three are gone before sophomore year. The two rates sit near each other: few students who return for a second year are missing from the six-year completion figure. The part-time picture is harder: 45% return, against 65% full-time. The 7:1 student-faculty ratio is small enough that seminar-sized classes are the norm.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 727 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $17,263 annually once grants are applied. Income makes less difference than usual: $15,859 at $0–30k, $23,656 at $110k+. Most students get help: 85% receive grants worth $7,673 on average. Borrowing is widespread: 73% take federal loans.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 41 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $15,859 |
| $30–48k | $19,164 |
| $48–75k | $17,011 |
| $75–110k | $18,973 |
| $110k+ | $23,656 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 530 of these 727 students, totalling $3,622,614 — an average of $6,835 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Cumberland County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Warning (Fails to meet agency standards for initial or renewed accreditation); School has an accreditation issue
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)