Penn State University Jobs — How to Apply

How to Apply at Penn State

Penn State accepts applications through the central Workday-based careers portal at hr.psu.edu/careers, which covers staff, faculty, technical, and service positions across all 24 campuses. Account creation is required, and most positions ask for a resume, cover letter, and 2–3 references. Faculty positions add CV, research statement, and teaching philosophy.

1. Visit the Penn State careers portal at hr.psu.edu/careers. Search by job category (staff, faculty, postdoctoral, technical, service), location (University Park, Hershey, branch campuses), or keyword.
2. Create a Penn State Workday account using your email address.
3. Review position details carefully — Penn State postings include pay range guidance for many roles.
4. Complete the application materials — resume, cover letter, and 2–3 references. Faculty applications additionally need a CV, statement of research, and teaching philosophy.
5. Submit and monitor status — most staff applications get a hiring decision within 3–5 weeks. Faculty searches take 4–6 months.

Tip: Penn State posts roughly 70% of staff openings internally first. External applicants should apply within the first week of posting.

Penn State Workforce Categories

Faculty (Tenure-Track + Non-Tenure-Track)

Staff — Administrative and Professional

Staff — Technical and Facilities

Food Service (In-House Operation)

Unlike most universities that outsource dining to Aramark or Sodexo, Penn State operates Penn State Food Services in-house at University Park. Food service workers are direct Penn State employees with full state-employee benefits including tuition discount eligibility. Pay typically runs $15–$22/hr for line and prep positions, with supervisory roles reaching $40K–$60K annually.

Athletics

Penn State Athletics employs approximately 400–600 staff including head coaches, assistant coaches, strength & conditioning, athletic trainers, sports information, equipment, marketing, and fundraising professionals. Olympic-sport assistant coaches earn $35K–$60K; head coaches at major programs earn $300K to several million dollars depending on contract structure.

Research Staff

Penn State maintains $1B+ in annual research expenditure, supporting approximately 2,000–3,000 research staff positions including lab managers, research specialists, postdoctoral fellows, and research scientists. Pay typically ranges $50K–$95K for staff researchers; postdoctoral fellows receive $55K–$80K.

Penn State Application Requirements

Most Penn State staff positions require a high school diploma or equivalent for entry-level service and technical roles, with a bachelor’s degree typical for administrative and professional positions. Faculty positions almost universally require a doctorate (PhD), with some clinical and applied teaching roles accepting a master’s degree. All positions involve a background check; some require fingerprinting (state law for state institutions). Roles working with minors require additional Child Abuse Clearances per Pennsylvania law.

Penn State Interview Process

Staff interviews include a phone or video screen with HR or the hiring manager, then a video or in-person interview with the immediate team and supervisor, then a final round including department leadership for senior positions. Most staff hiring concludes 3–5 weeks after application submission. Faculty searches involve a national search committee, an extended phone or video interview, an on-campus visit lasting 1–2 days that includes a research presentation (job talk), and reference verification.

Penn State Employee Benefits

Tuition Remission

Most major universities offer tuition remission programs that significantly reduce tuition costs for employees and their dependents. Specific policies vary widely by institution and employee classification — full-time benefits-eligible employees typically receive the most generous coverage. Eligibility, percentage, and rules are the most important benefit to ask about during your application — most institutions don’t lead with tuition remission in job descriptions, but it’s often the single most valuable component of the total compensation package. Penn State’s Tuition Discount and Grant-In-Aid programs are well-regarded among Big Ten institutions.

How to Ask About Tuition Remission During the Application Process

1. Don’t ask in the application itself — wait for the interview.
2. In the interview, frame as: “Could you walk me through the tuition benefit program for employees? I’d like to understand eligibility, percentage covered, and whether dependents qualify.”
3. Get specifics in writing in the offer letter — verbal commitments may not survive HR turnover.
4. Ask about “service requirement” — most programs require employee tenure (often 1–2 years) before benefits kick in.

Health Insurance, Retirement, and Other Benefits

• Health insurance: Pennsylvania State Employees Health Plan (PSEHP) options including medical, prescription, dental, and vision coverage with multiple plan tiers.
• Retirement: Penn State employees choose between the Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS) defined-benefit pension OR a defined-contribution plan with employer matching.
• Paid time off: Generous PTO accrual that increases with tenure, plus state holidays and academic-break time at University Park.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility: Yes — Penn State is a public state institution.
• Other perks: Free or discounted access to campus library, recreation facilities, cultural events, athletic ticket discounts, on-campus healthcare clinic at University Park.

Penn State Career Development

Penn State posts roughly 70% of staff openings internally first, giving current employees substantial advantage in the internal job market. Faculty rank progression follows the standard tenure-track timeline. Staff career ladders are formally defined in Penn State HR’s job family structure. Tuition discount benefits can be applied to advanced degrees pursued while employed.

Union Representation at Penn State

Pennsylvania is a moderate public-sector union state. At Penn State, several worker categories have collective bargaining representation:

• Graduate workers: Penn State graduate teaching assistants and research assistants have organized collectively in recent years.
• Service workers: Some categories of custodial, dining, and trades staff are represented through AFSCME or other local public-sector unions.
• Trades: Building trades workers are typically represented by their respective national craft unions through Pennsylvania local chapters.
• Faculty: Faculty are not formally unionized at Penn State University Park (some campuses have AAUP-affiliated faculty associations).

For Penn State Health and Hershey Medical Center workforce, see our Healthcare hub. Skilled trades workers at Penn State often pursue apprenticeships through union locals — for step-by-step guides on building-trade career paths (IBEW electrical training, plumber and HVAC apprenticeships, lineman programs, and others), see our Learn a Trade hub. For an overview of how union and non-union pathways differ on pay, training length, benefits, and pension, see our Union vs Non-Union Apprenticeship comparison.

Student Employment at Penn State

Penn State employs a large number of currently-enrolled students through Federal Work-Study programs, departmental student employment, resident advisor positions, and on-campus part-time roles. These positions are separate from career employment and follow different rules: federal work-study eligibility is determined by FAFSA, hours are capped during academic terms, and most positions are filled through Penn State’s Student Employment office at studentaid.psu.edu rather than through Penn State HR’s main careers portal.

Frequently Asked Questions

For Penn State Health, Hershey Medical Center, and Penn State College of Medicine career opportunities, see our Healthcare hub. For other Big Ten and Pennsylvania higher education employers, browse the full Higher Education Jobs hub, including University of Michigan, Ohio State, and other major flagship universities.