did you get a financial aid award letter? it should tell you if you qualify for federal direct loans. if you are from pennsylvania, you should be filling out fafsa + pheaa. i believe if you get a pheaa state grant, it doesn't matter which university you use it at as long as its in pa. and through fafsa you could get aid or pell grant.

I personally would not take out a private loan. i would possibly entertain a federal loan. Call, email or try to schedule a zoom meeting with psu financial aid office. what year are you in? if you are a first-year i believe you can defer 1 semester. maybe you can work a bit before attending to build savings.

I've heard from my sibling currently attending that there is a lack of student employees so you should have no trouble getting work part-time. also check this out. theres a bunch of paid undergraduate research positions that will help you build connections with profs and that will look good on your resume while you make money.