Penn State Erie (Behrend) is a college town: 98 of every 100 residents are students
No college sits inside Penn State Erie (Behrend)’s boundary, but Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College’s campus in Erie, with 3,306 students on campus, is 0.1 miles from the center of town, and Northern Pennsylvania Regional College is 47 miles away in Warren. Across Pennsylvania, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in 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 Penn State Erie (Behrend). Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Penn State Erie (Behrend)
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
What it’s like to live in Penn State Erie (Behrend)
How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.
98 of every 100 Penn State Erie (Behrend) residents are in college (PA: 6).
How students change Penn State Erie (Behrend)’s other numbers
Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →
The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (98% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.
CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Penn State Erie (Behrend)’s median age is 20.1 (Pennsylvania 40.9), so the adult figures describe a young population.
Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.
Colleges within 15 miles of Penn State Erie (Behrend)
Five private colleges within 6.7 miles, and one public college within 0.1 miles.
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 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.
Starts at Under $30k; the Census has no median household income for Penn State Erie (Behrend).
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.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Penn State Erie (Behrend): across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
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 Erie-Behrend College (22).
Questions about college near Penn State Erie (Behrend)
Is Penn State Erie (Behrend) a college town?
Yes. 98 of every 100 Penn State Erie (Behrend) residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Pennsylvania. The nearest campus, Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College, is 0.1 miles away in Erie.
What colleges are near Penn State Erie (Behrend)?
Within 15 miles: Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College (0.1 miles, 3,306 students on campus), Mercyhurst University (3.6 miles, 2,503), Gannon University (5.3 miles, 4,281), Great Lakes Institute of Technology (6.1 miles, 301), Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (6.7 miles, 4,046) and Erie Institute of Technology Inc (6.7 miles, 183).
What is the closest community college to Penn State Erie (Behrend), and what does it cost?
Northern Pennsylvania Regional College in Warren, 47 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,440 a year for Pennsylvania residents.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
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 Penn State Erie (Behrend). 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 →