Harrisburg University of Science and Technology

Private · Moderately Selective · PA

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationPA · Northeast

SettingUrban

Undergrads615

Student:faculty18:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate23.1%

6-yr grad rate33.9%

Drop-out rate26.1%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$24k

Out-of-state tuition$24k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity53.2%

Gender diversity29.4%

International1.9%

Identity—

Overview

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology is a private nonprofit university in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, founded in 2001 to serve the region's STEM workforce needs. It operates without a traditional tenure system, positioning itself as a career-focused, industry-responsive alternative to a conventional liberal arts college, with a single high-rise building serving as its campus core.

Academics

The curriculum leans heavily toward computer science, data analytics, biotechnology, and emerging technology fields like esports management and artificial intelligence, taught through project-based coursework rather than a broad general-education sequence. Faculty are hired on renewable contracts rather than tenure track, which the university frames as keeping instruction current with industry practice. Programs are built around applied problem-solving and partnerships with regional employers.

Campus & student life

The campus is a single downtown high-rise rather than a traditional quad, putting students within walking distance of Harrisburg's government and business district. Housing and student life are compact and urban in character rather than centered on a sprawling residential campus. The university fields a nationally competitive collegiate esports program, one of its most visible extracurricular identities.

Getting in

Harrisburg University emphasizes fit with its STEM-forward, applied mission over a conventional liberal-arts application profile, and it has built a reputation for accessible admission relative to peer STEM programs. Interest in specific technical or esports programs can carry weight in review.

After graduation

Graduates tend toward technology, data, and biotech employers in the Harrisburg-Philadelphia corridor and beyond, and the university markets itself on placement into STEM careers directly from its applied curriculum. As a young institution, its alumni network is still building relative to older regional universities.

Worth knowing

The absence of tenure and the single-building downtown campus are unusual enough that students should understand them going in — this is a compact, career-focused environment rather than a traditional collegiate one. The esports program includes scholarship opportunities and is a genuine draw for competitive gamers.

harrisburgu.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate87.4%

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot used

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying