Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus Athletics

Penn State competes in NCAA Division I, which means big-time college sports with athletic scholarships and massive crowds. The Nittany Lions field 27 varsity teams and award over $24 million in athletic scholarships annually. With 905 total athletes out of 41,862 students, about 2% of the student body plays varsity sports. Penn State belongs to the Big Ten Conference, where they face major rivals like Ohio State and Michigan in packed stadiums. Football dominates campus culture here. Beaver Stadium holds over 106,000 people and creates one of the loudest atmospheres in college sports. The wrestling program also ranks among the nation's best. Even students who never played organized sports get swept up in the game-day energy that defines fall weekends in University Park.