Division I · Big Ten Conference
Pennsylvania State University Football
University Park, PA · the Nittany Lions · Pennsylvania State University overview
130
Roster
25 over the D-I cap of 105
$77M
Team budget
98th percentile in Division I
$595,277
Per roster spot
median $79,762
11
Coaches
1 head · 10 assistant
982
APR
98% of players retained
54%
Admitted
top quarter for selectivity
Pennsylvania State University fields a football team in the Big Ten Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 130 players, about the median of 119, with 1 head coach and 10 assistants. Team expenses were $77,386,097, well above the median of $9.1M — $595,277 per roster spot, top 10% of Division I football programs. Under the Division I roster cap of 105 in force from 2025-26, that is 25 over — cuts or attrition are likely, though players already on the roster may stay (230 of 261 Division I programs carried more than the cap). The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 982, about the median of 964, with 98% of players retained year to year. The school gave $14,065,058 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $27,310 per roster spot.
Among Division I football programs
Where this program sits against its 261 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#7Team budgetof 261 · Division I#9Spend per playerof 261 · Division I#46Roster sizeof 261 · Division I#44APRof 261 · Division I
Team budgets across the division
this programevery Division I football program
Roster sizes (cap 105)
this programevery Division I roster
The program
- Roster130 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap105 25 over last season
- Coaching staff1 head, 10 assistant
- Team expenses$77,386,097 for the year
- Operating expenses$23,399,612 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$595,277 division median $79,762
- Academic Progress Rate982 multi-year; 1000 latest
- Players retained98% year to year
- Eligible98% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$14,065,058 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$27,310 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$3,707,691 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Campbell head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
Put Pennsylvania State University on a target list, address the whole staff at once, and send each email yourself from Gmail — nothing goes out without you pressing Send.Start your board
Recruiting timing
- Coaches may first contact youSeptember 1 of junior year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school football players1,029,588 2024-25
- Division I roster spots31,184 261 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 33 3.0% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the football recruiting guide has the date for each grad year, the eligibility checklist and what to put in a first email.
About the school
What an athlete asks first — each panel opens the full picture.Campus
Full picture →42,223undergraduates · 50,399 students in all
Women 47% Men 53%
- Setting
- City
- Type
- Public · Research university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →54%admitted · of 85,956 applicants
SAT middle 50%1220 – 1400
ACT middle 50%27 – 32
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 86%
Football
Full picture →130on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 105130
25 over — players already on the roster may stay
Academic Progress Rate982
98% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $77,386,097 $595,278 per roster spot · top 10% of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 10 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $14,065,058
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $3,707,691
Cost
Full picture →$27,450net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $20,234 in-state · $40,188 out
Campus safety
Full picture →1.66violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 24 burglaries · 145 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 11 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →16%of bachelor's degrees in business · 26 fields · Associate's, Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research Pennsylvania State University
School pages built around what an athlete needs to know — the program's money and roster room, admissions fit, what a family really pays, majors, campus life and safety.
Football program130 on the rosterPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions54% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$27,450 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsBusiness · 16%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusCity · 42,223Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety1.66 violent / 1,000Three years of reported offences against the divisionAthleticsEvery teamThe whole department: every team, staff and aid
Football programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juniata College Division III · Landmark Conference | 22 | 75 | $503k | — | 72% | |
| Saint Francis University Division III · Presidents' Athletic Conference | 45 | 126 | $3.6M | 945 | 77% | |
| Susquehanna University Division III · Landmark Conference | 52 | 128 | $695k | — | 79% | |
| Bucknell University Division I · Patriot League | 52 | 98 | $7.5M | 987 | 32% | |
| Dickinson College Division III · Centennial Conference | 54 | 77 | $420k | — | 43% | |
| Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Division II · Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | 54 | 95 | $1.2M | — | 86% | |
| Lycoming College Division III · Landmark Conference | 55 | 117 | $757k | — | 68% | |
| Indiana University of Pennsylvania Division II · Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | 69 | 94 | $2M | — | 91% | |
| Gettysburg College Division III · Centennial Conference | 74 | 93 | $701k | — | 48% | |
| Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Division II · Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | 75 | 236 | $2M | — | 95% | |
| Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania Division II · Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | 75 | 236 | $2M | — | 95% | |
| Lebanon Valley College Division III · Middle Atlantic Conferences | 78 | 124 | $495k | — | 75% |
Other football programs in the Big Ten Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Ohio State University 17 over cap | 122 | $92M | $757,043 | 985 | vs | |
| Pennsylvania State University 25 over cap | 130 | $77M | $595,277 | 982 | vs | |
| Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick 32 over cap | 137 | $76M | $554,182 | 979 | vs | |
| University of Southern California 11 over cap | 116 | $74M | $638,060 | 970 | vs | |
| University of Nebraska-Lincoln 50 over cap | 155 | $71M | $455,320 | 974 | vs | |
| University of Washington 9 over cap | 114 | $69M | $604,576 | 999 | vs | |
| University of Michigan 34 over cap | 139 | $62M | $443,620 | 980 | vs | |
| University of Oregon 21 over cap | 126 | $61M | $482,916 | 968 | vs | |
| University of California, Los Angeles 16 over cap | 121 | $55M | $456,240 | 944 | vs | |
| University of Iowa 26 over cap | 131 | $51M | $388,506 | 971 | vs | |
| Indiana University, Bloomington 9 over cap | 114 | $50M | $440,417 | 969 | vs | |
| Michigan State University 14 over cap | 119 | $48M | $405,275 | 952 | vs | |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 14 over cap | 119 | $48M | $403,373 | 970 | vs | |
| University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 12 over cap | 117 | $45M | $388,484 | 980 | vs | |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison 17 over cap | 122 | $41M | $335,274 | 986 | vs | |
| Northwestern University 4 over cap | 109 | $38M | $347,722 | 995 | vs | |
| Purdue University 21 over cap | 126 | $37M | $295,184 | 954 | vs | |
| University of Maryland, College Park 15 over cap | 120 | $36M | $295,855 | 956 | vs |
Every Big Ten Conference football program · Football budgets ranked