好评项：
1 Academics balanced with partying
2 Enormous school spirit
3 Penn State football: 'The Greatest Show in College Sports' - Sports Illustrated
4 The beautiful central Pennsylvania surroundings
5 THON
6 Incredible professors and faculty
7 Nationwide presence of alumni
8 State-of-the-art technology and facilities
9 State College nightlife
10 Overall safe campus
差评项：
1 Isolated rural location
2 Sparse, expensive, and difficult parking
3 Frigid winters
4 Lack of diversity
5 Tough to develop relationship with teachers
6 Most expensive public school in the country
7 Alcohol-centered culture
8 Uneasy, tenuous relationship between the students and the locals
9 East Halls can be a tough place to live
10 Sharing your campus with more than 40,000 other students
整体来说，宾州州立大学综合实力排名全美第48名。与USNEWS的综排37名相比，相差不大。这说明宾州州立大学整体上中规中矩，去了不会有太多惊喜，也不会有太大心理落差，两条腿走路，本科教育和研究生教育同步重视。
要说专业优势的话，宾州州立大学公园分校最出名的是工程学，据称是美国大学工程专业的发源地，号称美国每50个工程师中就有一个是宾州州立大学的校友。另外，由于地缘优势，她的地球科学非常强势。地球与矿物学院（College of Earth and Mineral Sciences）是其王牌学院，地理学、地质学、气象学、地球物理，材料科学等学科皆属世界顶尖。此外，传媒、心理、犯罪学等专业也不弱。
