Penn State Learning
Penn State Learning is a university-funded academic support department within The Pennsylvania State University that provides free peer tutoring, guided study groups, and writing assistance to Penn State undergraduates across STEM, humanities, and language subjects at University Park and online.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersUniversity Park, PA, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Penn State Learning does
Penn State Learning is a multi-disciplinary academic assistance program operating as a department within The Pennsylvania State University's Division of Undergraduate Education, headquartered at University Park, Pennsylvania. It delivers free peer tutoring, guided study groups, writing support, and subject-specific academic assistance to Penn State undergraduates across mathematics, sciences, writing, world languages, economics, statistics, and philosophy. The program is staffed by approximately 150 undergraduate peer tutors and study group leaders annually, supported by scholars-in-residence and professional staff, and reports to the Associate Vice President and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education.
The organization's core product set includes Guided Study Groups (GSG), the Writing Center, the Math Center, and subject-specific tutoring across STEM, humanities, and language disciplines. Its technology stack relies on Canvas LMS integration, Starfish for appointment scheduling, Zoom for virtual sessions, Kaltura MediaSpace for recorded content, and Microsoft Office 365 for collaboration. An asynchronous writing tutoring feature allows students to upload writing projects for video tutorial feedback within 1-3 days. Services are delivered through three physical locations at University Park and online channels, with channel partnerships extending reach to 21 Penn State campuses.
Penn State Learning operates as a publicly funded university department with no commercial revenue stream; all services are free to students, funded through university budget allocations and donor gifts. The organization reported serving 11,000 students through 35,000+ tutorials annually with 95% student satisfaction. It maintains professional affiliations with the International Writing Centers Association, NCPTW, and MAWCA, and publishes The Dangling Modifier, a national peer-tutor publication founded in 1994.
Penn State Learning firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Penn State Learning
- Legal name
- The Pennsylvania State University
- Website
- https://pennstatelearning.psu.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Penn State Learning is a university-funded academic support department within The Pennsylvania State University that provides free peer tutoring, guided study groups, and writing assistance to Penn State undergraduates across STEM, humanities, and language subjects at University Park and online.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Penn State Learning is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- University Park, PA
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Penn State Learning business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- University-funded academic support services: Penn State Learning operates as a department within Penn State University, funded through university budget allocations to provide free academic assistance to undergraduates. Additional funding comes from donor gifts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free tutoring services for all Penn State undergraduates |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Penn State Learning product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Penn State Learning is a multi-disciplinary academic assistance program that provides free peer-led tutoring, guided study groups, and writing support to Penn State University undergraduates across mathematics, sciences, writing, languages, economics, statistics, philosophy, and public speaking. Services are delivered in-person at three University Park locations and online via Zoom, with appointments scheduled through the Starfish platform and integrated with Canvas LMS.
Product overview
Penn State Learning is a multi-disciplinary academic assistance program at Penn State University that offers peer-led tutoring and guided study groups. The core offerings include the Writing Center @ Penn State Learning, the Math Center, and Guided Study Groups (GSG) supporting economics, mathematics, sciences, statistics, and world languages. Additional services include philosophy tutoring, technology support referrals, and online tutoring for World Campus students. The program operates through three physical locations at University Park (220 Boucke, 7 Sparks, and Pattee Library's Search Bar) and offers both in-person and online modalities. Writing tutors are trained through ENGL 250, while the program supports several research and publication initiatives including the Public Writing Initiative and The Dangling Modifier publication.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Public Writing Initiative: A project that brings students from Composition, Creative, Technical, Business, Humanities, and Social Sciences writing courses into contact with community organizers and professionals who use writing on a daily basis.
- The Dangling Modifier
Products and services
- Guided Study Groups (GSG) Peer-led study sessions supporting students in large lecture courses in economics, mathematics, sciences, and statistics. GSGs are offered in person and via Zoom, led by trained undergraduate leaders who attend course lectures and facilitate two to three weekly study sessions.
- Writing Center @ Penn State Learning Peer writing tutoring service offering drop-in and appointment hours, online tutoring by appointment, and asynchronous writing feedback. Tutors guide students through writing projects using a rhetorical approach focused on genre, purpose, and audience.
- Math Center @ Penn State Learning Drop-in math tutoring supplementing class attendance with peer perspectives. Services cover MATH 004 through MATH 252, including pre-calculus and calculus courses, with tutors available in-person at 7 Sparks Building and online via Starfish.
- World Language Tutoring Peer tutoring for world languages including Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, and Russian. Services include walk-in tutoring for Spanish and appointment-based tutoring for other languages, with exam review support.
- Sciences Tutoring Peer tutoring support for chemistry, physics, and kinesiology courses including CHEM 110-212, PHYS 211-251, and KINES courses. Services include drop-in tutoring and guided study groups.
- Statistics Tutoring Peer tutoring and TA office hours for STAT 200 and STAT 250 courses, with exam reviews available via Zoom.
- Economics Tutoring Guided study groups for ECON 102 and ECON 104 courses, supporting introductory microeconomic and macroeconomic analysis.
- World Campus Tutoring Online academic support for World Campus students including guided study groups for MATH 021, MATH 022, MATH 110, MATH 140, and MATH 141 courses.
- ENGL 250: Peer Tutoring in Writing A 3-credit course preparing students for peer tutoring in writing, including a 10-week practicum at The Writing Center. Students learn tutoring strategies, rhetorical approaches, and collaborative techniques.
- ENGL 5: Writing Tutorial A 1-credit course providing weekly one-to-one tutoring for students enrolled in ENGL 15, ENGL 30, ENGL 137/138, or ENGL 202, with tutoring by English Department graduate student instructors.
- German, Russian and Ukrainian Tutoring Appointment-based tutoring for Russian, German, and Ukrainian language courses (001, 002, 003 levels), available in Boucke 220 and online via Starfish.
- French, Italian and Portuguese Tutoring Appointment-based tutoring for French, Italian, and Portuguese language courses, available by appointment via Starfish.
- Philosophy Tutoring Tutorial assistance for PHIL 012 (Symbolic Logic) through Guided Study Groups during fall and spring semesters.
- Technology Tutoring Technology tutoring referral to IST Learning for undergraduate courses and IT Learning & Development for software walkthroughs and support.
- Public Writing Initiative (PWI) A project connecting students from composition, creative, technical, business, humanities, and social sciences writing courses with community organizers and professionals who use writing in their daily work.
- The Dangling Modifier A national publication produced in association with the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing (NCPTW), written for writing tutors by writing tutors. Founded in 1994 at Penn State.
Quantifiable outcome
- 95% student satisfaction rate
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Penn State Learning
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Penn State Learning technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
Feature1 record
Penn State Learning partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- University Libraries / The Search BarcoreCollaboration between University Libraries and The Writing Center @ Penn State Learning offering peer-to-peer undergraduate services in Pattee Library Sidewater Commons, including research and writing support.
- Undergraduate Research, Fellowships, and Mentoring Office (URFM)minorURFM provides writing support to students and recent alumni pursuing opportunities in research, fellowships, and grants, with services integrated through Penn State Learning.
- English for Professional Purposes Intercultural Center (EPPIC)minorEPPIC creates support programming for multilingual students and scholars; partners with Writing Center to provide targeted writing instruction and workshops.
- The Graduate Writing Center (GWC)minorGWC offers writing support for graduate students; loosely affiliated with Writing Center for professional development and resource sharing.
- Community Organizations and ProfessionalsminorPublic Writing Initiative brings community organizers and professionals into classrooms to highlight writing importance across disciplines and careers.
- Schreyer Institute for Teaching ExcellencecoreCollaborative support for developing TA training programs and assessment of learning in statistics courses. Supported the development of the Facilitated Learning Strategies for Statistics TAs program.
- Department of StatisticscoreCollaborative partnership to develop the statistics TA training program and overhaul office hours system. Joint initiative supported by Schreyer Institute.
- 21 Penn State CampusescoreNetwork of learning centers across 21 Penn State campuses (Abington, Altoona, Beaver, Behrend, Berks, Brandywine, DuBois, Fayette, Greater Allegheny, Harrisburg, Hazleton, Lehigh Valley, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Schuylkill, Scranton, Shenango, University Park, Wilkes-Barre, World Campus, York) providing academic support services.
- English DepartmentcoreAcademic collaboration between students, Penn State Learning staff, and English Department faculty for the Writing Center program.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Penn State Learning competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Chegg: Commercial online tutoring and homework-help platform operating in subjects heavily covered by Penn State Learning (math, writing, statistics); competes for student engagement in adjacent ways rather than as a direct in-person tutoring service.
- Khan Academy: Free online learning platform referenced by Penn State Learning as an external learning resource; competing for student learning time in the same subjects (math, statistics, sciences) via on-demand digital content.
Others
- Penn State World Campus: Penn State's online degree-granting arm — Penn State Learning already serves its students via online guided study groups, making it both an internal partner and a structural extension channel for the tutoring program.
- International Writing Centers Association (IWCA): Professional association of which Penn State Learning's Writing Center is a member; an ecosystem/peer-organization connector rather than a direct tutoring competitor.
Direct peers
- University of Iowa Tutor Iowa: Free, multi-subject peer tutoring service for undergraduates at the University of Iowa, including writing and math centers — directly comparable model and audience as a Big Ten peer institution.
- Ohio State University Office of Student Academic Success: Another large public Big Ten university academic support unit providing peer tutoring, writing centers, and supplemental instruction — directly comparable structure, scale, and audience to Penn State Learning.
- Supplemental Instruction (SI) — University of Missouri–Kansas City: The originating institution of the Supplemental Instruction model that Penn State Learning's Guided Study Groups are based on; a direct conceptual peer in peer-led collaborative learning.
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Greater University Tutoring Service (GUTS): Free peer-led tutoring service for undergraduates at a large public Big Ten university covering math, sciences, writing, and languages — operates on a near-identical model to Penn State Learning's core tutoring centers.
- University of Maryland Writing Center: University-based peer writing tutoring center at a large public research university — directly comparable to Penn State Learning's Writing Center in mission, scope, and operations.
- University of Michigan Learning Resource Center: Peer-led academic support unit at a large public Big Ten university offering drop-in tutoring, writing support, and study groups across multiple subjects — directly comparable operating model to Penn State Learning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Penn State Learning social profiles
Digital presencePenn State Learning financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Penn State Learning leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Penn State Learning funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Penn State Learning M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Penn State Learning
What does Penn State Learning do?
Penn State Learning is a multi-disciplinary academic assistance program that provides free peer-led tutoring, guided study groups, and writing support to Penn State University undergraduates across mathematics, sciences, writing, languages, economics, statistics, philosophy, and public speaking. Services are delivered in-person at three University Park locations and online via Zoom, with appointments scheduled through the Starfish platform and integrated with Canvas LMS.
Is Penn State Learning a public or private company?
Penn State Learning is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Penn State Learning founded?
Penn State Learning was founded in -1. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Penn State Learning based?
Penn State Learning is headquartered in University Park, PA, United States, in the North America region.
How does Penn State Learning make money?
One revenue line is on record: university-funded academic support services.
Who are Penn State Learning's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Chegg and Khan Academy. Others are Penn State World Campus and International Writing Centers Association (IWCA). Direct peers are University of Iowa Tutor Iowa, Ohio State University Office of Student Academic Success, Supplemental Instruction (SI) — University of Missouri–Kansas City, University of Wisconsin–Madison Greater University Tutoring Service (GUTS), University of Maryland Writing Center and University of Michigan Learning Resource Center.
Does Penn State Learning have an API?
No public API is recorded for Penn State Learning.