Affordability

Most Penn State New Kensington students qualify for financial aid programs to help ease the financial burden associated with completing a college degree. In addition, there are many awards and scholarships that help make a Penn State New Kensington education affordable. In fact, up to 89% of our students receive some form of financial aid.

Penn State Discover Award

The Penn State Discover Award is an award for undergraduate first-time, first-year students, and transfer students who enroll in a degree program at a Penn State campus other than University Park or the World Campus.

There is no additional application to be considered for the Penn State Discover Award. We evaluate students for this award based on your admission and financial aid information.

Penn State Discover Award

Penn State Commonwealth Award

The Penn State Commonwealth Award is offered annually to first-time, first-year students who are residents of Pennsylvania and enroll at a Penn State campus other than Penn State University Park or Penn State World Campus for the fall semester immediately following their high school graduation. Transfer students are not eligible to receive the award.

There is no additional application to be considered for the Penn State Commonwealth Award. We evaluate students for this award based on your admission and financial aid information. While other forms of financial aid can be combined with the Penn State Commonwealth Award, the Penn State Discover Award and the Penn State Commonwealth Award cannot be combined.

Penn State Commonwealth Award

Campus Scholarships

Penn State New Kensington provides numerous merit-based campus scholarships to incoming first-year and transfer students. All incoming students are automatically considered for campus scholarships. Awards range in value and are renewable by maintaining a specific cumulative GPA. Campus scholarships may be funded by institutional, endowed, or annual awards and may not be combined with Discover or Provost awards.

Scholarships and Awards

Special Funds and Benefits

Complete Penn State
The Complete Penn State scholarship helps students who are within 30 credits of graduation (within 15 credits for an Associate Degree program) and are either currently enrolled or who have walked away from their studies due to an unanticipated financial barrier to complete their degrees at Penn State.
Veterans' Benefits
Penn State New Kensington values its veteran students. You can find information about services and benefits for veterans on our veterans page.
Student Emergency Fund
The Student Emergency Fund is designed to provide limited, non-tuition financial help to students facing an emergency situation, such as a family member’s job loss, illness, or death; a student’s own sudden illness; an automotive breakdown for a commuter student; or other unexpected need. Emergency funds do not cover books. The hope of the Student Emergency Fund is to prevent students from abandoning their dream of earning a Penn State degree in the face of difficult personal and financial circumstances due to no fault of their own. Awards do not need to be repaid.
Study Abroad Scholarships
There are many scholarships for study abroad. Research scholarships well in advance of studying abroad, as some national scholarships are due six months to more than a year prior to your study abroad program. Requirements for every individual scholarship will vary, but with proper planning and commitment, scholarship opportunities are available for a wide variety of students and study abroad programs.

Additional Resources

Knowing that many families are anxious about how to pay for a college education, Penn State's Financial Literacy site provides a wealth of information covering everything from saving to budgeting to loan repayment strategies. The site offers different learning modules and even has a mentoring program to connect alumni with students.

Penn State New Kensington's Financial Aid page pulls together everything that a prospective or current student needs to know about paying for their education and who to contact for help.