Penn State Berks
Penn State Berks at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
About Penn State Berks
According to Wikipedia, Penn State Berks is a commonwealth campus of Pennsylvania State University located in Spring Township in Berks County, Pennsylvania. History The school traces its origins to 1927 and the establishment of a training school for workers for the Textile Machine Works, a major company in the region's textile industry. This school, which was known as the Educational Department of Textile Machine Works from 1927 to 1933 and then was the Wyomissing Polytechnic Institute from 1933 to 1958, was established with the aid of the then-Pennsylvania State College. WPI occupied the original Sacred Heart Church building on Hill Road, where the McDonald's Restaurant now stands, from 1930 to 1958. WPI, which is considered the first official predecessor to Penn State Berks, closed in 1958 with the down-turn of the textile industry at large in the Reading area.
Penn State Berks Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,844 | 99% | 77% | 29% | 1182 | 22 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Penn State Berks Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $16,004 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $13,445 |
| 30K - 48K | $12,569 |
| 48K - 75K | $13,617 |
| 75K - 110K | $20,472 |
| 110K+ | $27,366 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Penn State Berks Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Penn State Berks students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $71,762 a year, and 94% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Penn State Berks's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 2,152 | 2,134 | 18 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Penn State Berks?
Penn State Berks is located at Tulpehocken Road, Reading, PA 19610-1016.
How Safe is Penn State Berks?
Relative to its enrollment, Penn State Berks has a violent crime rate of 0.58% and a property crime rate of 0.21%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft).
What Is Penn State Berks Known For?
Penn State Berks is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Engineering
- Biology
- Communications
- Medical
- Political Science
- Business
- Education
- Chemistry
- Nursing
- Criminal Justice
- Psychology
- Computer Science
Penn State Berks's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Penn State Berks's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Penn State Berks ranks #894 in the U.S. and #4873 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesPenn State Berks ranks #1259 in the U.S. and #5229 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesPenn State Berks ranks #1550 in the U.S. and #5796 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesPenn State Berks ranks #1559 in the U.S. and #5365 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesPenn State Berks ranks #1603 in the U.S. and #6783 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesPenn State Berks ranks #1650 in the U.S. and #5938 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesPenn State Berks ranks #1682 in the U.S. and #6539 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesPenn State Berks ranks #1843 in the U.S. and #6698 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesPenn State Berks ranks #1907 in the U.S. and #4806 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing DegreesPenn State Berks ranks #2307 in the U.S. and #4724 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
criminal-justice DegreesPenn State Berks ranks #2815 in the U.S. and #7468 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesPenn State Berks ranks #3242 in the U.S. and #11833 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science Degrees