Penn State Leads The Big Ten In Gameday Parking Cost

Penn State leads the Big Ten in something this season, alright. 

The cost of gameday parking. 

When it comes to parking costs through the Big Ten’s athletic departments, Penn State’s day-of-game parking that can run upwards of $145 is by far the most expensive in the Big Ten. 

And that price is for two of the farthest lots (read: cow fields) from the stadium.  

The next most expensive is Michigan on its golf course, which is across the street from Michigan Stadium, at $55. 

However, the information about Penn State’s parking costs also isn’t inherently clear and there is some information that can help alleviate the damage that Penn State’s parking costs can do on your wallet. (More on that after the data.)

Below are the costs for each Big Ten school – based on what is listed on each school’s athletic department gameday parking information. The price is reflective of day-of-game parking — as-in you didn’t prepay. However, most schools, including Penn State, offer the ability to pre-purchase, which results in savings. Most parking is first-come-first-serve, and several schools only offer garage parking (meaning you’re unable to tailgate). 

Big Ten Notes

• Oregon does not offer day-of-game parking but we found multiple resources that offer cheap and even free parking. 

• We did not include Northwestern in part because we are looking at this in 2025 when they are still playing at a temporary stadium or Wrigley Field. (But I’ve parked for free in Evanston and the CTA’s Red Line takes you right to Wrigley.) 

• I know from firsthand experience that you can find plenty of street parking in Madison that is free and closer to Camp Randall than the options Wisconsin lists. If you’re headed to a game there, I highly recommend the street parking because many of the neighborhoods nearby are full of beautiful homes (and a free zoo.) 

Penn State Insider Information 

• As promised, there is some information to know that will help keep gameday costs down. 

• The prices go up for Big Ten opponents. $145 is the cost for a Big Ten game, while non-conference games were $125 day-of-game.

• First, buying parking through the athletic department in advance will knock $20 off the price. However, it must be done two weeks prior to the game. 

• Further, you can park in the decks on campus for between $25 and $45. However, they do not allow tailgating and especially the West Deck is a hike from the stadium. Additionally, the spots are limited in those decks. We did not include this price because it is a much more risky option in terms of availability depending on the game and would recommend the traditional lots or…

• Parking downtown is always an option. Most of the street parking downtown is free and there are a few more decks downtown. CATA offers a bus up to the Bryce Jordan Center before and after games, specifically for this. You could also walk up to the stadium but it is not as convenient as parking in the main tailgating lots, of course. You do run the risk of a full garage downtown as well. 

• Lastly, you can also grab parking on secondary markets like StubHub. Sometimes it’s cheaper and sometimes it’s not. It’s a bit of a risk. 

• Regardless, the cost of Penn State’s official gameday parking is quite steep and the comparison to Penn State’s contemporaries is stark. Penn State has begun to leverage parking – which has gradually increased over the last few seasons – as a way to offset not raising ticket prices. 

It’s also making a pretty penny from that cost. Penn State reported $12.2M in parking, novelties and concessions revenue in 2023-24. (The number is not itemized but we can interpolate that a decent portion of that comes from parking.) 

For more information about the Penn State gameday experience, check out our guide to gamedays here. 

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