Penn State's Trustees Approve Room And Board Rates

March 17, 2000
Hershey, Pa. -- Penn State's Board of Trustees approved 2000-2001 room and board rates at University Park and other Penn State campuses. The new rates will go into effect this fall semester.

Room charges for an undergraduate student living in a standard double room will increase by $65 a semester from $1,140 to $1,205. The charge for Meal Plan 3, or 12 to 13 meals a week – the most common meal plan – will increase by $45 a semester from $1,205 to $1,250. For the 2000-2001 academic year, these changes bring the average room and board charge to $4,910, an increase of $220 or a 4.7 percent increase. Housing and food services at Penn State are self-supporting and these increases reflect rising costs as well as support for our accelerated program of renovation and safety improvements.

Penn State has undergraduate residence halls at University Park, Penn State Erie, Harrisburg, Altoona, Beaver, Berks, Hazleton, McKeesport and Mont Alto. Graduate residence halls or apartments are available at University Park, Erie, Harrisburg and Hershey. Approximately 12,720 students live in University housing at University Park and over 17,500 live in University housing systemwide.

Other 2000-2001 housing charges per semester are:

•At Penn State Erie, apartment rates will increase by $45 from $1,430 to $1,475 per person for double or four-person units.

•At Penn State Harrisburg, apartment rates will increase by $85 from $1,430 to $1,515 per semester per person for double or four-person units.

•Graduate residence hall rates for a standard double room at University Park with a meal plan will increase by $65 a semester from $1,195 to $1,260, while double rooms without a meal plan will increase by $75 a semester from $1,320 to $1,395. Meal plans will increase from $45 to $105 a semester for a range in cost between $1,150 and $1,485, depending on the number of meals or points selected. Graduate students are not required to have a meal plan.

•Room rates for Nittany Apartments at University Park will increase by $140 – an amount that will include utilities that were previously paid separately by residents – for a range of $1,475 to $1,735 a semester, depending on type of apartment, and monthly rates for Eastview and Graduate Circle Apartments will increase from $15 to $25 for a range of $375 to $555 a month, depending on the number of bedrooms and unit selected.

•Room rates for the University Manor apartments at the College of Medicine will increase from $14 to $40 a month for a range of $572 to $1,312 a month, effective July 1, 2000, depending on the number of bedrooms and whether or not the unit is furnished.

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Contact: Karen Trimbath at (814) 865-7517 or at