Impact

Why state funding matters: Affordability of in-state tuition is 'life-changing'

State funding allows Penn State to offer an in-state tuition discount that saves the average Pennsylvania resident $13,000 per year. For student Nora O’Toole, attending Penn State wouldn’t have been possible without the affordability of in-state tuition. 

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — State funding allows Penn State to offer an in-state tuition discount that saves the average Pennsylvania resident student more than $13,000 per year. For student Nora O’Toole, attending Penn State wouldn’t have been possible without the affordability of in-state tuition.

“Coming from a background with a single mother raising three children, college wasn't even on the table financially, being the youngest,” said O'Toole, a cybersecurity analytics and operations major from Pittsburgh. “Having that in-state tuition and that accessibility to have a higher-education degree at such an affordable cost, for me, is just life-changing.”

Watch the video of O'Toole above, and click here to learn more about how Penn State's state funding benefits all Pennsylvanians

Last Updated June 22, 2022