好評項：
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
差評項：
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
整體來說，賓州州立大學(xué)綜合實力排名全美第48名。與USNEWS的綜排37名相比，相差不大。這說明賓州州立大學(xué)整體上中規(guī)中矩，去了不會有太多驚喜，也不會有太大心理落差，兩條腿走路，本科教育和研究生教育同步重視。
要說專業(yè)優(yōu)勢的話，賓州州立大學(xué)公園分校最出名的是工程學(xué)，據(jù)稱是美國大學(xué)工程專業(yè)的發(fā)源地，號稱美國每50個工程師中就有一個是賓州州立大學(xué)的校友。另外，由于地緣優(yōu)勢，她的地球科學(xué)非常強勢。地球與礦物學(xué)院（College of Earth and Mineral Sciences）是其王牌學(xué)院，地理學(xué)、地質(zhì)學(xué)、氣象學(xué)、地球物理，材料科學(xué)等學(xué)科皆屬世界頂尖。此外，傳媒、心理、犯罪學(xué)等專業(yè)也不弱。
