Tuition and Fees

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*For textbook policies, please see our course material policy page.

Your education costs will differ depending on:

• the type of course(s) you're taking
• your eligibility for financial aid, scholarships, or other types of aid, such as employer reimbursement
• the materials/software required
• any additional actions you might take (e.g., dropping a course; ordering transcripts)
• your total number of earned credits

The following is a general list of the types of costs you might encounter as a student. The information is for planning purposes only — for the most up-to-date costs associated with your program or course of interest, please contact us, or:

• Visit our specific degree or certificate program pages.
• Visit our online course catalog.

Additional (Potential) Fees

• Course Late Drop Fee: $6 per course (nonrefundable)
• Credit-by-Exam Fee: $30 per credit (nonrefundable)
• Exam Proctor Fee: not all proctors charge, but some do
• Late Registration Fee: $250 (nonrefundable)
• Returned Check Fee: $25 per check (nonrefundable)
• Transcript Fee: $8 (requested through eLion or the University Registrar's office) 

Tuition Bill Due Dates

Generally, the fall semester tuition bills are due at the beginning of August, and the spring semester tuition bills are due at the beginning of December. An e-mail message will be sent to the student's official Penn State e-mail account announcing that the eBill is available to view and/or pay via eLion.

Although most degrees and certificates follow the due dates above, there are some that require bills to be paid at the time of registration. Please refer to the course information page for special degrees and certificates for a list of these programs.

Invest in Your Future

A college education is a great investment. On average, those with a bachelor's degree earn 62 percent more per week than those without a bachelor's degree. Individuals with a master's degree earn 18 percent more per week than those without a master's degree (U.S. Department of Labor, 2004).

There are many payment options available for Penn State students. Contact our Student Services staff with questions about payment, or you can visit the paying for your education section for financial aid information, scholarship opportunities, and other payment options.   

Penn State reserves the right to revise the schedule of course fees without notice. The costs shown above are for the 2009–10 academic year; they may be changed for future academic years.