Division I · Big Ten Conference
Pennsylvania State University Men's Wrestling
University Park, PA · the Nittany Lions · Pennsylvania State University overview
38
Roster
8 over the D-I cap of 30
$6.6M
Team budget
100th percentile in Division I
$174,681
Per roster spot
median $35,030
4
Coaches
1 head · 3 assistant
986
APR
98% of players retained
54%
Admitted
top quarter for selectivity
Pennsylvania State University fields a men's wrestling team in the Big Ten Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 38 players, about the median of 35, with 1 head coach and 3 assistants. Team expenses were $6,637,879, well above the median of $1.2M — $174,681 per roster spot, top 10% of Division I men's wrestling programs. Under the Division I roster cap of 30 in force from 2025-26, that is 8 over — cuts or attrition are likely, though players already on the roster may stay (54 of 76 Division I programs carried more than the cap). The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 986, about the median of 980, 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 men's wrestling programs
Where this program sits against its 76 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#1Team budgetof 76 · Division I#1Spend per playerof 76 · Division I#17Roster sizeof 76 · Division I#18APRof 76 · Division I
Team budgets across the division
this programevery Division I men's wrestling program
Roster sizes (cap 30)
this programevery Division I roster
The program
- Roster38 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap30 8 over last season
- Coaching staff1 head, 3 assistant
- Team expenses$6,637,879 for the year
- Operating expenses$1,101,935 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$174,681 division median $35,030
- Academic Progress Rate986 multi-year; 963 latest
- Players retained98% year to year
- Eligible99% 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cael Sanderson 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 youJune 15 after sophomore year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school wrestling players300,214 2024-25
- Division I roster spots2,647 76 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 110 0.88% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the men's wrestling 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%
Men's Wrestling
Full picture →38on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 3038
8 over — players already on the roster may stay
Academic Progress Rate986
98% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $6,637,879 $174,681 per roster spot · top 10% of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 3 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.
Men's Wrestling program38 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
Men's Wrestling programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State University, Altoona Division III · State University of New York Athletic Conference | 34 | 5 | $59k | — | 97% | |
| Bucknell University Division I · Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association | 52 | 31 | $1.1M | 967 | 32% | |
| Pennsylvania College of Technology Division III · Independent | 53 | 36 | $136k | — | — | |
| Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Division II · Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | 54 | 22 | $155k | — | 86% | |
| Lycoming College Division III · Independent | 55 | 30 | $256k | — | 68% | |
| University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown Division II · Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | 63 | 37 | $508k | — | 96% | |
| Messiah University Division III · Middle Atlantic Conferences | 64 | 36 | $108k | — | 78% | |
| Gettysburg College Division III · Centennial Conference | 74 | 25 | $97k | — | 48% | |
| Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Division I · Mid-American Conference | 75 | 66 | $1.3M | — | 95% | |
| Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania Division I · Mid-American Conference | 75 | 66 | $1.3M | — | 95% | |
| Elizabethtown College Division III · Independent | 80 | 32 | $135k | — | 77% | |
| York College (Pennsylvania) Division III · Middle Atlantic Conferences | 84 | 40 | $99k | — | 94% |
Other men's wrestling programs in the Big Ten Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania State University 8 over cap | 38 | $6.6M | $174,681 | 986 | vs | |
| University of Iowa 9 over cap | 39 | $4M | $103,472 | 974 | vs | |
| The Ohio State University 4 over cap | 34 | $3.2M | $93,673 | 974 | vs | |
| Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick 7 over cap | 37 | $3M | $80,818 | 980 | vs | |
| University of Michigan 5 over cap | 35 | $3M | $85,150 | 980 | vs | |
| University of Nebraska-Lincoln 1 over cap | 31 | $2.9M | $93,875 | 979 | vs | |
| Northwestern University room for 4 | 26 | $2.3M | $87,147 | 993 | vs | |
| University of Minnesota, Twin Cities room for 1 | 29 | $2.2M | $77,265 | 988 | vs | |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 6 over cap | 36 | $2.1M | $57,817 | 981 | vs | |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison room for 1 | 29 | $2M | $70,623 | 997 | vs | |
| University of Maryland, College Park 1 over cap | 31 | $1.9M | $62,884 | 952 | vs | |
| Purdue University 4 over cap | 34 | $1.9M | $54,664 | 977 | vs | |
| Indiana University, Bloomington room for 2 | 28 | $1.8M | $63,829 | 967 | vs | |
| Michigan State University 8 over cap | 38 | $1.7M | $44,114 | 984 | vs |
Every Big Ten Conference men's wrestling program · Men's Wrestling budgets ranked