LRC vs. Penn State Altoona

Should I go to La Roche College or Penn State Altoona? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if LRC or Penn State Altoona is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.
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La Roche College vs. Penn State Altoona comparison
La Roche College Penn State Altoona College 3 College 4
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Overview

 LRC Penn State Altoona
Location Pittsburgh, PA Altoona, PA
Setting Large Suburban Small City
Enrollment 2,068 2,577
Type Private 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #796 #584
Religious Affiliation Roman Catholic - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website laroche.edu psu.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 LRC Penn State Altoona
Tuition (In State) $31,334 $15,388
Tuition (Out of State) $31,334 $25,854
Room & Board $12,886 $12,984
Avg Net Price $24,233 $20,621
Avg Grant Aid $20,948 $9,574
% Receiving Grant Aid 94% 68%

Admission

 LRC Penn State Altoona
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 3,222 7,523
Admitted 3,137 7,204
Acceptance Rate 97.4% 95.8%
Enrolled % 4.1% 12.6%
Avg High School GPA 3.2 3.4
Typical High School Grades B B+
Admissions Standards Easy Average
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 20/26 21/28
SAT Range 970/1170 1050/1250
Submit Test Scores Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional) Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline Aug 1, 2025

Academics

 LRC Penn State Altoona
Student to Faculty Ratio 12:1 12:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (35%)
  • Health Professions (17%)
  • Education (9%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (8%)
  • Psychology (7%)
  • Health Professions (19%)
  • Business (17%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (13%)
  • Engineering (7%)
  • Education (6%)

Outcomes

 LRC Penn State Altoona
Graduation Rate 51% 65%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $44,300 $55,300
Making Student Loan Payments 62% 69%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,000 $26,818
Median Loan Payment $268 $277

Diversity

 LRC Penn State Altoona
% Men 37% 53%
% Women 63% 47%
Racial Diversity Medium Low
HBCU No No
% White 62% 77%
% Black 8% 7%
% Hispanic 2% 6%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 2%
% International 16% 5%
% Unknown Race 8% 1%

Students

 LRC Penn State Altoona
% In-State 75% 59%
% Out-of-State 5% 35%

Campus

 LRC Penn State Altoona
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan Yes Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes No No
Daycare Facility No No
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • Penn State Altoona is larger than than LRC based on total student enrollment (2,577 students vs. 2,068 students)

LRC vs. Penn State Altoona Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, LRC or Penn State Altoona?

  • La Roche College is 103.6% more expensive to attend than Penn State Altoona for in-state tuition ($31,334.00 vs. $15,388.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 21.2% higher at LRC than Penn State Altoona ($31,334.00 vs. $25,854.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Altoona than LRC ($20,621 vs. $24,233)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at La Roche College are 0.8% lower than costs at Penn State Altoona ($12,886 vs. $12,984)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at La Roche College than Penn State Altoona (94% vs. 68%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by La Roche College students is 118.8% larger than aid received Penn State Altoona ($20,948 vs. $9,574)

LRC vs. Penn State Altoona Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, LRC or Penn State Altoona? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Penn State Altoona or LRC .

  • The average SAT score at Penn State Altoona (993) is 54 points higher than at LRC (939)
  • Incoming Penn State Altoona students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at LRC (20)
  • Accepted freshman Penn State Altoona students have a 0.2 point higher average high school GPA (3.4) than students at LRC (3.2)
  • LRC has a higher acceptance rate (97.4%) than Penn State Altoona (95.8%)

LRC vs. Penn State Altoona Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, LRC or Penn State Altoona? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Penn State Altoona and LRC.

  • The graduation rate at Penn State Altoona is higher than La Roche College (65% vs. 51%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Altoona earn on average $11,000 more per year than LRC graduates after ten years. ($55,300 vs. $44,300)
  • La Roche College students graduate with a $818 lower median federal student loan debt than Penn State Altoona graduates. ($26,000 vs. $26,818)
  • LRC graduates are paying $9 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Altoona graduates. ($268 vs. $277)
  • More Penn State Altoona graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former LRC students, three years after graduation. (69% vs. 62%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/