26th

Pennsylvania State University

Smeal College of Business

Quick Stats

  • Avg. SAT Score
    1226
  • Annual Tuition
    $17,824
    $ $ $ $ $
  • Program Enrollment
    5,092
  • University Selectivity
    54%
  • University Yield
    32%
  • Job Offers
    52%
  • Average Salary
    $56,000
  • Top Industry
    Financial Services
  • School Status
    Public
  • Accreditation
    AACSB Accredited
  • B-School Founded
    1953
  • Program Length
    Four Year
Contact Information
210 Business Building
University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
Website
405x225

Smeal College of Business

The Penn State Smeal College of Business offers undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, Ph.D., and executive education opportunities to more than 5,000 students at all levels. Smeal is accredited in business and accounting by AACSB and features academic departments of Accounting, Finance, Management and Organization, Marketing, Risk Management, and Supply Chain and Information Systems. The college is also home to major research centers in areas such as supply chain management and business-to-business marketing. Since its inception in 1953, more than 73,000 students have graduated from Smeal.

What Current Students Say See All 15 Comments >

The Smeal College of Business has made a positive impact on my life. It ensures all students understand the core of a business before they even are accepted into their major. The Advising Center is always open to help students despite the size of the campus and workload faculty may have. I am considered a "regular" in the office, which have shown in my grades and success thus far. The recruiting process is great. There is no doubt that comes to mind when I hear that the Smeal College of Business is #1 in corporate recruiting. Recruiters most definitely come to us knowing that we will be a great value to their business. Not only we understand the quantitative applications that may be involved, but we can intellect in the utmost manner. We truly are the definition of well-rounded students.

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About Pennsylvania State University

Admissions

Admissions Selectivity
54% Pennsylvania State University 58% Average Across All Schools
Most Important Admissions Factors
  1. High school GPA
  2. SAT/ACT scores
  3. Secondary school record
More Information
Total Applications
  • Applied
  • Accepted
  • Accepted Apps Enrolled
49572% 49,572
54% 54
32% 32
54% School Selectivity
32% School Yield
Demographics of Applicants
  • Male Applicants
  • Female Applicants
  • International Applicants
  • U.S. Applicants
Application Deadlines
Nov 30
Fall 2013
Nov 30
Spring 2014
Nov 30
Summer 2014
Nov 30
Fall 2014
Required Tests
  • SAT
  • ACT
  • Are Interviews Required? Not required
Additional Requirements:

TOEFL is required for international non-English speaking applicants. An official post-secondary transcript is required for applicants who have already completed college-level work.
Total Applications to Program
  • Applied
  • Accepted
  • Accepted Apps Enrolled
8741% 8,741
48% 48
45% 45
48% Program Selectivity
45% Program Yield
Program Requirements
  • Admissions managed by Business Program
  • Are interviews required? Not offered
Required Tests

Transfer Requirements
  • How internal transfers are handled Declare business major
  • Min college GPA for transfers 3.2
  • Other transfer requirements In addition to having a competitive Grade Point Average (3.50 for Finance and 3.20 for all other majors), students must successfully complete all required business and business related foundation courses prior to enrolling in a major. Timeline to complete these courses is four semesters or two academic years from the time students begin their studies.
Freshman Requirements
  • Freshman admissions Yes
  • Percent of admitted applicants who are freshmen 49
  • Min GPA required in pre-business courses Yes
  • How freshmen are admitted Indicate interest on university application
Other Requirements for freshman

Careers

Financial Services 23%
Top Industry
  • Manufacturing 14%
  • Consulting 9%
  • Other 4%
PricewaterhouseCoopers 73
Top Employer
  • Ernst & Young 45
  • KPMG 39
  • IBM 21
Job offers within 3 months after graduation
52% Smeal College of Business 75% Average Across All Schools
More Information
Job Offers Received and Accepted
  • This School
  • All Schools
By Graduation
52% 52
59% 59.267238095238085
52% Receive Offers
52% 52
56% 55.65923664122137
52% Accept Offers
After graduation, but within 3 months
0% 0
16% 16.189999999999998
0% Receive Offers
0% 0
17% 17.25698275862069
0% Accept Offers
More than 3 Months after graduation
30% 30
10% 10.193835616438358
30% Receive Offers
30% 30
13% 12.771399999999998
30% Accept Offers
92% Graduates seeking full-time employment
8% Graduates not seeking employment
78% Percentage of graduates for whom employment information is available
Salaries and Percentages of Job Accepting Graduates
Area Grads Accepting Jobs Avg. Salary 10k 50k 100k 150k 190k
Consulting
23% 23
$57,500.00
36K 95K
Finance/Accounting
25% 25
$55,000.00
32K 80K
General Management
9% 9
$57,200.00
35K 79K
Human Resources
1% 1
$62,000.00
57K 70K
Management Information Systems
3% 3
$56,000.00
38K 70K
Marketing/Sales
14% 14
$47,500.00
32K 75K
Operations/Production
3% 3
$57,500.00
41K 82K
Logistics/Transportation
13% 13
$54,000.00
35K 70K
Other
9% 9
$62,000.00
40K 91K
Area Grads Accepting Jobs Avg. Salary 10k 50k 100k 150k 190k
Accounting
24% 24
$54,500.00
44K 72K
Consumer Products/Retail
15% 15
$50,000.00
35K 70K
Consulting
9% 9
$60,600.00
40K 95K
Financial Services
23% 23
$59,200.00
35K 81K
Government/Education
1% 1
$41,600.00
40K 48K
Pharma/Biotech/Health
1% 1
$58,000.00
46K 72K
Manufacturing
14% 14
$55,200.00
40K 70K
Media/Entertainment
1% 1
$36,700.00
32K 40K
Petroleum/Energy
1% 1
$48,800.00
40K 55K
Sports/Leisure
1% 1
$49,000.00
32K 75K
Technology/Science
5% 5
$61,200.00
40K 82K
Transportation
1% 1
$47,000.00
35K 61K
Other
4% 4
$57,200.00
42K 80K
Area Grads Accepting Jobs Avg. Salary 10k 50k 100k 150k 190k
U.S. Northeast
31% 31
$58,800.00
32K 80K
U.S. Mid-Atlantic
53% 53
$54,300.00
32K 91K
U.S. South
5% 5
$55,900.00
40K 70K
U.S. Southwest
3% 3
$55,200.00
32K 67K
U.S. Midwest
4% 4
$54,800.00
45K 95K
U.S. West
3% 3
$55,800.00
44K 82K
Canada
1% 1
$67,500.00
55K 80K
Salaries for Most Recent Graduates
Salaries for Most Recent Graduates
Average Signing Bonus for Most Recent Graduates
Internship Employers / Interns Hired
  • PricewaterhouseCoopers 75
  • Johnson & Johnson 66
  • KPMG 47
  • Ernst & Young 41
  • Bank of America Merrill Lynch 31
Internship Services
  • Companies that recruit interns on campus
  • Companies that posted internships on school message board
  • Average intern length in weeks 15
  • Percentage of internships that are paid 86
Career Services
  • Number of companies that recruited students on campus 215
  • Number of companies that posted full-time jobs on school message boards 2,650
Other activities and career services provided to undergraduate business students:
Career Services include: career counseling and coaching; resume and cover letter development and critiquing; mock interviews; alumni networking; alumni career services; career fairs; professional development workshops, internships and co-ops; on-campus interviewing and job placement; alumni coaching and networking.

Cost

Resident
$ $ $ $ $
$30,396
Total Yearly Cost
  • Tuition $17,824
  • Fees $882
  • Expenses $11,690
Non-Resident
$ $ $ $ $
$42,986
Total Yearly Cost
  • Tuition $30,414
  • Fees $882
  • Expenses $11,690
28% Percent of Institutional Grants or Scholarships 2% Percent of Full-tuition Institutional Grants or Scholarships
Basis for Grants or Scholarships
  • Need 27%
  • Merit 73%
More Information
Financial Aid
  • Financial Aid Management No
  • Website http://www.psu.edu/studentaid/
Scholarships
$7,915,600
Total aid distributed to undergrad business students last year
$8,232,000
Total aid distributed to undergrad business students this year
Loans
  • Loan Guarantee Policy No
  • Max Loan Guarantee Per Year

Academics

Average Class Size
  • Smeal College of Business
  • All Schools
Core Business Classes
51% 47
50% 46
Elective Business Classes
64% 37
50% 29
Required Classes with a Waiting List
0 Smeal College of Business 12 Average Across All Schools
* On the First Day of Enrollment
Top Areas of Study
  • Accounting
  • Finance
  • Marketing
  • Risk Management
  • Other
  • Supply Chain Management
More Information
Business Program Classes
13% Less than 20 Students 18% More than 50 Students
69% 21 to 50 students
37 Average number of students in non-business required electives
60 Different Elective Courses
New Electives
  • Urban Property Rights
  • Risk, Strategy and Decision Making
  • Strategies for Sustainability
  • Entrepreneurial Finance
  • International Development in Africa
  • Program length Four Year
  • Last change to curriculum 2009
Degrees Offered / Credits Required
  • BS Accounting 120
  • BS Finance
  • BS Management
  • BS Management Information Systems
  • BS Marketing
  • BS Risk Management (Options: Actuarial Science, Enterprise Risk, Real Estate)
  • BS Supply Chain & Information Systems
Faculty
  • All Faculty
  • Tenured
162% 162
58% 58
Prominent Faculty
  • Jeff Sharp

    Business Law

  • Meg Meloy

    Marketing

  • Randy Woolrich

    Finance
  • Are work study or co-ops available? Yes
  • Description of work study / co-ops:

    Several opportunities exist for Smeal College students to participate in internships and co-ops. The Smeal College Internship Office serves all business students along with specialized co-op programs available in academic departments. The University's Career Services Office also provides internship services and Smeal students are eligible for these services.

  • Is study abroad available? Yes
  • Description of study abroad programs:

    Annually over 400 Smeal College students study abroad through approximately 90 programs in over 40 countries. The programs are sponsored by the Smeal College along with the University's Office of Global Programs. Students can choose to study abroad a full semester or a summer study tour with classes taught by Smeal College faculty while abroad.
  • Is community service or volunteering available? Yes
  • Description of community service/volunteering:

    Smeal College business fraternities and organizations participate in a broad range of local community service activities, which assist local, state and national organizations. Annually Penn State students sponsor a dance marathon entitled THON. This 48-hour event takes a full year to plan and earns over 10 million dollars annually for pediatric cancer research and support for children with cancer. Smeal College students participate as dancers along with managing the business side of THON.

Students

43% Students in Top 10% of High School Class 63% Students with High School GPA over 3.75
1310 75th Percentile Score on SAT 29 75th Percentile Score on ACT
Student Body Breakdown
  • International Students
  • U.S. Students
  • Male Students
  • Female Students
Ethnicity of Students
White
77% 77
Asian American
9% 9
Hispanic
6% 6
* Percentages are for U.S. citizens in most recent entering class; only top three responses shown.
More Information
U.S. Regional Breakdown
2%
2%
31%
1%
2%
62%
Student Citizenship
U.S.
84% 84
Other Non-U.S. Citizenship
15% 15
Canada
1% 1
Dual Citizenship
0% 0
18 Average age of full-time students
92% Freshman retention rate
Graduation Rate
  • 4 Years
  • 6 Years
74% 74
98% 98

Alumni

Alumni Donors
Total Living Alumni 65,789
Alumni Donations
$712 Average Gift $1,000,000 Largest Gift
Most Prominent Alumni
  • Patricia Woertz

    Chairman, CEO & President, Archer-Daniels-Midland Co.

  • Jerome Griffith

    President & CEO, Tumi, Inc.

  • John Surma

    Chairman & CEO, US Steel