Considering a Campus Change

When you accept your offer of admission at Penn State, you are committing to completing two years of your degree at that campus. After those two years, you have the opportunity to remain at your campus of admission, or you may begin to explore completing your degree at another Penn State Commonwealth Campus or World Campus.

If your plans include exploring another Penn State campus, you should take into consideration the personal, academic, social, and financial aspects of your campus change. It is important you also supplement these considerations by having conversations with your support network (family, your academic adviser, etc.) and explore the resources available to you at each campus. Use this webpage to reflect on those considerations and discover your support resources.

Academic Considerations

Majors and Minors

Penn State campuses offer many degrees, and you can earn degrees at many campuses. Very few majors are specific to a campus, so there are many choices when it comes to finishing your Penn State Degree. An important first step is seeing what majors will lead to your intended careers. You might find this information from Penn State’s Career Services Center helpful. You should also consider how minors or certificates can supplement your major. These will enhance your in class learning. 

See which campuses offer those academic programs by exploring Undergraduate Bulletin: https://bulletins.psu.edu/programs

You should also be considering what classes you may take at your home campus or your new campus. See if it’s possible for you to start and end a course sequence at one campus. For example, if you have to take Physics 1 and Physics 2, are you able to complete both at the same campus? Our advice is to do that.

Academic Advisers

Your academic adviser (found in LionPATH) is an important resource to help you explore, clarify and/or change your choice of major and your future plans about changing campuses.

Academic advising is provided by the academic college in which you are enrolled. Your adviser may be a member of the faculty in your major or a professional adviser. They can help you evaluate your educational plans, develop an academic program, and schedule each semester's courses. To find out who your assigned academic adviser is, go to the "My Advisors" section under the "Academics" tab in LionPATH. 

Ultimately, you are responsible for your academic program, to initiate appointments, understand your degree audit, and be prepared with questions when you meet with an academic adviser. Giving thoughtful consideration to the information included in this section of the website will help you and your academic adviser build a plan best tailored to your needs. 

TIP: Don't rely on other students for official information or for course information. Student advice on rules, regulations, program requirements, and courses may be misleading, if not incorrect.

Here are some additional advising resources that might be helpful:

Once you decide if changing Penn State campuses is for you, you should be in regular contact with your academic adviser to make sure that you’re on the right path towards degree progress. Please use Starfish to schedule a meeting with your academic adviser.

The Classroom Experience

An important thing to consider is campus and class size. If you’re interested in taking several large classes, you may want to consider that in your decision to make a campus change. Same with the distance in between classroom buildings.

If your plans include University Park, consider the following:

  • The largest lecture hall at University Park seats about 700 students. While all your classes won’t be that big, it is very common to have classes with 50-100 students. Some upper-division courses or discussion-style courses have fewer than 50 students.
  • While you may have a professor at University Park, you will likely have a teaching assistant (TA) as well. The role of the TA is to help facilitate discussion, grading, and assistance in larger classes. You may have classes where you see the TA more frequently than the professor.
  • It can take upwards of 20 minutes or more to walk from one end of University Park to the other end.

The Out-of-Class Experience

Are you currently involved in clubs and organizations you hope to continue at another Penn State campus? With more than 1,000 clubs and organizations across Penn State, there are so many opportunities to stay involved or try something new. To view campus clubs and organizations, explore Discover Penn State.

Cost of Attendance

Penn State's tuition rates vary by campus, program, student level, and residency. To assist you with planning for a change-of-campus, please visit the Tuition and College Cost Calculators on the Office of the Bursar website. If you plan a change to University Park, you will experience an increase in cost.  You should be fully aware of this cost differential as you make decisions about where you will complete your Penn State degree.

You can also do your own research by visiting the Tuition and College Cost Estimator, which provides an estimate of the tuition, fees, and essential costs of attending Penn State. You can choose different campus locations in your estimate. 

Financial Aid

In order to be considered for student aid, you must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). When you complete the FAFSA, you are automatically considered for all University-wide scholarship opportunities; no additional application is needed. Consider checking with your academic college for college-based scholarships that may require a separate scholarship application.

You should plan to meet with Financial Aid staff at your campus to learn more about any campus specific scholarships that you may have and how those could be impacted by a campus change. (Not all scholarships will move with you between campuses. One example is our Discover Penn State Award. 

If you are the recipient of a Discover Award, please be sure to consider the impact of that award as you think about the path to your Penn State degree. 

Housing Opportunities: On-Campus or Off-Campus?

You should definitely be considering housing options. Think about where you want to live – on-campus or off-campus? We recommend that you review the student affairs websites dedicated to living on- and off-campus for information. Here, you’ll find updates on: cost, location, amenities, flexibility, and responsibility.

You can learn more about which campuses offer on-campus housing here. Some campuses offer Living Learning Communities, which are residence hall floors or apartments that bring together students who share a common interest. You can learn more here: https://liveon.psu.edu/university-park/living-learning-communities.

If you’re currently living on-campus, and are considering making a change, you should enter the housing process at both campuses (your home campus and your requested campus). Depending on what happens with your campus change, you’ll only be obligated to the contract at the campus at which you enroll.

If you’re considering living off-campus, please know that leases are legally binding documents and many leases are 12 months in length. 

Family Obligations

This is one that only you know the answer to! Are there family or other obligations that are keeping you close to home? How would you changing campuses impact those around you? 

Join us for Penn State Pathways!

Through on-campus visits, presentations, webinar offerings and opportunities to discuss your Penn State transition plan with a member of Student Orientation and Transition Programs, we are dedicated to supporting you complete your Penn State degree! Click here for more information about Penn State Pathways and when we are visiting a campus near you!