Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · Private nonprofit · Open access
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania is a private nonprofit university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that admits about 98% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $24,791 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Dance and Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 12.9 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania is a private institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For the most recent reporting cycle, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 98%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1142 and an ACT composite around 22. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $24,791 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania?
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
SAT and ACT scores Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 515–590, with an EBRW midpoint near 545. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 19–27. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.
How much does Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania actually cost?
Published tuition is $38,160 for in-state students and $38,160 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $12,480 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $24,791 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 37% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
Most popular majors at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
The most popular undergraduate programs at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Dance and Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other. Across all programs, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania confers roughly 364 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft program report a median income of about $27,333 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 85 | $27,333 |
| Dance | 78 | $29,025 |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other | 53 | $45,090 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 43 | $39,856 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 41 | $60,499 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 24 | $51,722 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | 21 | $51,753 |
| Security Science and Technology | 19 | — |
Is Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania disclosed 30 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 12.9 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 25 violent offenses and 1 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
Other colleges in Pennsylvania parents ask about
- University of Pennsylvania6% acceptance
- Carnegie Mellon University54% acceptance
- Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus50% acceptance
- Lehigh University78% acceptance
- Drexel University11% acceptance
- University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus32% acceptance
- Temple University79% acceptance
- Villanova University83% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
What GPA do I need for Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania?
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 515–590, with an EBRW midpoint near 545. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 19–27.
How much does Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania after grants and scholarships is $24,791 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania?
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania accepts about 98% of applicants. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania a public or private school, and where is it located?
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania is a private nonprofit institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
What are the most popular majors at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania?
The largest undergraduate majors at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania by annual graduates are Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Dance and Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other. The school awards about 364 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania reported 30 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 12.9 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
Data sourced from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.