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Colleges in and near Penbrook

Harrisburg Area Community College is 2.4 miles from Penbrook

No college sits inside Penbrook’s boundary, but Harrisburg Area Community College’s campus in Harrisburg, with 6,841 students on campus, is 2.4 miles from the center of town. About 5% of Penbrook’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania (6%).

Harrisburg University of Science and TechnologyHarrisburg Area Community College

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Penbrook. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
5
17,808 students on campus
Nearest college
2 mi
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
Residents in college
5%
About the same as PA (6%)
Nearest community college
2.4 mi
Harrisburg Area · $6,975 tuition
Nearest public university
7.6 mi
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg · $15,972 in-state
Median household income
$62K
prices below start here

What stands out about college from Penbrook

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

Two colleges within 2.4 milesHarrisburg University of Science and Technology admits 87% of applicants. Together they have 10,147 students on campus.A community college 2.4 miles awayHarrisburg Area Community College in Harrisburg: tuition and fees $6,975 a year for Pennsylvania residents.In-state price at Pennsylvania State University-Penn State HarrisburgLiving in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg charges $15,972 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $26,958. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.Students are 5% of residentsAbout the same as Pennsylvania (6%). The Census counts anyone enrolled, including part-time and online students.
Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Penbrook

Three private colleges within 11.2 miles, one public college within 7.6 miles, and Harrisburg Area Community College 2.4 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miHarrisburg AreaHarrisburg University of Science and TechnologyPenbrook
University or collegeCommunity college
Harrisburg University of Science and TechnologyUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 3,306 on campus · 2 mi · Harrisburg87%admitted$15knet price34%graduate$52kearningsHarrisburg Area Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 6,841 on campus · 2.4 mi · Harrisburg$14knet price21%graduate$42kearningsTuition and fees: $6,975 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Central Penn CollegeUniversity or college · For-profit · 386 on campus · 4.9 mi · Summerdale · mostly online18%admitted$19knet price51%graduate$45kearnings53% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Pennsylvania State University-Penn State HarrisburgUniversity or college · Public · 4,591 on campus · 7.6 mi · Middletown98%admitted$23knet price26%graduate$63kearningsEarnings are reported for all 22 campuses that file with it.Messiah UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 2,684 on campus · 11.2 mi · Mechanicsburg79%admitted$27knet price75%graduate$54kearnings

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $48–75k, where Penbrook’s median household income ($62,312) falls.

Harrisburg Area Community College2.4 mi · Harrisburg · sticker $18,369 · tuition $6,975$14,644a year
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology2 mi · Harrisburg · sticker $35,893$15,063a year
Central Penn College4.9 mi · Summerdale · mostly online · sticker $27,116$17,011a year
Messiah University11.2 mi · Mechanicsburg · sticker $55,875$20,916a year
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg7.6 mi · Middletown · sticker $32,521$21,176a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Penbrook: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Harrisburg University of Science and TechnologyHarrisburg AreaCentral Penn CollegePennsylvania State University-Penn State HarrisburgMessiah University
Harrisburg Area Community College21% graduate$42k earnings$18k typical debt
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg26% graduate$63k earnings*$25k typical debt
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology34% graduate$52k earnings$27k typical debt
Messiah University75% graduate$54k earnings$26k typical debt
Central Penn College51% graduate$45k earnings$23k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg (22).

Questions about college near Penbrook

Is Penbrook a college town?

No. About 5 of every 100 Penbrook residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Pennsylvania (6). The nearest campus, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, is 2 miles away in Harrisburg.

What colleges are near Penbrook?

Within 15 miles: Harrisburg University of Science and Technology (2 miles, 3,306 students on campus), Harrisburg Area Community College (2.4 miles, 6,841), Central Penn College (4.9 miles, 386), Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg (7.6 miles, 4,591) and Messiah University (11.2 miles, 2,684).

What is the closest community college to Penbrook, and what does it cost?

Harrisburg Area Community College in Harrisburg, 2.4 miles away. Tuition and fees are $6,975 a year for Pennsylvania residents; the federal net price, $14,471, counts housing and food at full cost.

How much does Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg cost if we live in Pennsylvania?

Tuition and fees are $15,972 a year in-state and $26,958 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $16,219 (under $30,000 income) to $29,834 (over $110,000), housing and food included.

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Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Penbrook. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →