Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Shippensburg Township

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
St. Andrew's Episcopal ShippensburgPhoto: J. Passepartout · CC BY-SA 4.0
Colleges in and near Shippensburg Township

Shippensburg Township is a college town: 64 of every 100 residents are students

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (4,730 students on campus) is inside the town. Across Pennsylvania, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town64% of residents are studentsShippensburg University of Pennsylvania

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 Shippensburg Township. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
2
5,551 students on campus
Nearest college
0.9 mi
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Residents in college
64%
Above PA (6%)
Nearest community college
36.5 mi
Harrisburg Area · $6,975 tuition
Nearest public university
0.9 mi
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania · $13,720 in-state
Students on campus in Shippensburg Township
4,730
next to 4,343 residents

What stands out about college in Shippensburg Township

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

A college town64 of every 100 Shippensburg Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.A university in Shippensburg TownshipShippensburg University of Pennsylvania has 4,730 students on campus in Shippensburg Township, 56% of whom graduate within six years.In-state price at Shippensburg University of PennsylvaniaLiving in Pennsylvania, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania charges $13,720 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $15,974. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.A community college 36.5 miles awayHarrisburg Area Community College in Harrisburg: tuition and fees $6,975 a year for Pennsylvania residents.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Shippensburg Township

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

64 of every 100 Shippensburg Township residents are in college (PA: 6).

4,730students on campus at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, next to 4,343 residents (dorm students count as residents)
633college students live in Shippensburg Township households rather than dorms
20.9median age · PA 40.9
58%of homes rented · PA 31%
$1,161median rent · 4% below the state
Shippensburg TownshipShippensburg Township, PA
Cost of living$1,161/mo median rentASafetyCrime reported to the FBIHealthCDC estimatesCJobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundB−HandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Shippensburg Township’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income B−

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 27.5% of Shippensburg Township residents are below the poverty line, 5.7% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 20 points either way). 74% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living A

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 (64% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.

Health C

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Shippensburg Township’s median age is 20.9 (Pennsylvania 40.9), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety

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.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Shippensburg Township

One private college within 11 miles, and one public college within 0.9 miles.

5 mi10 mi15 miShippensburg University of PennsylvaniaWilson CollegeShippensburg Township
University or collegeCommunity college
Shippensburg University of PennsylvaniaUniversity or college · Public · 4,730 on campus · In Shippensburg Township86%admitted$24knet price56%graduate$56kearningsWilson CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 821 on campus · 11 mi · Chambersburg · mostly online92%admitted$22knet price48%graduate$43kearnings52% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.

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 Shippensburg Township’s median household income ($53,445) falls.

Wilson College11 mi · Chambersburg · mostly online · sticker $39,344$18,236a year
Shippensburg University of PennsylvaniaIn Shippensburg Township · sticker $30,785$21,386a 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 Shippensburg Township: 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 →Shippensburg University of PennsylvaniaWilson College
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania56% graduate$56k earnings$25k typical debt
Wilson College48% graduate$43k earnings$26k 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.

Majors

What students study in Shippensburg Township

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Business 25%Education 10%Public safety 8%Psychology 8%Social sciences 6%Communication 5%Everything else 38%

Biggest programs

Marketing83 graduates a year
$65k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods78 graduates a year
$49k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations74 graduates a year
$69k4 yrs out
Biology, General69 graduates a year
$62k4 yrs out
Psychology, General68 graduates a year
$52k4 yrs out
Criminal Justice and Corrections56 graduates a year
$56k4 yrs out
Special Education and Teaching48 graduates a year
$50k4 yrs out
Social Work45 graduates a year
$50k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Shippensburg Township

Is Shippensburg Township a college town?

Yes. 64 of every 100 Shippensburg Township residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Pennsylvania. Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania has 4,730 students on campus, next to 4,343 residents.

What colleges are in Shippensburg Township?

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania is inside the town. Harrisburg Area Community College is 36.5 miles away in Harrisburg.

Why is Shippensburg Township’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 27.5% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 5.7% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 20 points).

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

Harrisburg Area Community College in Harrisburg, 36.5 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 hard is it to get into Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania?

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania admitted 86% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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 Shippensburg Township. 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 →