LRC vs. Penn State Wilkes-Barre

Should I go to La Roche College or Penn State Wilkes Barre? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if LRC or Penn State Wilkes-Barre 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 Wilkes Barre comparison
La Roche College Penn State Wilkes Barre College 3 College 4
Penn State Wilkes Barre
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Overview

 LRC Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Location Pittsburgh, PA Lehman, PA
Setting Large Suburban Rural Fringe
Enrollment 2,068 368
Type Private 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #796
Religious Affiliation Roman Catholic - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website laroche.edu psu.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 LRC Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Tuition (In State) $31,334 $13,824
Tuition (Out of State) $31,334 $23,086
Room & Board $12,886 $12,984
Avg Net Price $24,233 $16,728
Avg Grant Aid $20,948 $10,598
% Receiving Grant Aid 94% 94%

Admission

 LRC Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 3,222 653
Admitted 3,137 622
Acceptance Rate 97.4% 95.3%
Enrolled % 4.1% 20.4%
Avg High School GPA 3.2 -
Typical High School Grades B -
Admissions Standards Easy Average
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 20/26
SAT Range 970/1170 1070/1260
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 Wilkes-Barre
Student to Faculty Ratio 12:1 10:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (35%)
  • Health Professions (17%)
  • Education (9%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (8%)
  • Psychology (7%)
  • Business (34%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (28%)
  • Engineering Technology (19%)
  • English and Literature (12%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (5%)

Outcomes

 LRC Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Graduation Rate 51% 47%
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 Wilkes-Barre
% Men 37% 64%
% Women 63% 36%
Racial Diversity Medium Very Low
HBCU No No
% White 62% 88%
% Black 8% 3%
% Hispanic 2% 5%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 2%
% International 16% 0%
% Unknown Race 8% 1%

Students

 LRC Penn State Wilkes-Barre
% In-State 75% 83%
% Out-of-State 5% 17%

Campus

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

Comparable Facts

  • La Roche College is larger than than Penn State Wilkes-Barre based on total student enrollment (2,068 students vs. 368 students)

LRC vs. Penn State Wilkes-Barre Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, LRC or Penn State Wilkes-Barre?

  • La Roche College is 126.7% more expensive to attend than Penn State Wilkes-Barre for in-state tuition ($31,334.00 vs. $13,824.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 35.7% higher at LRC than Penn State Wilkes Barre ($31,334.00 vs. $23,086.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Wilkes Barre than LRC ($16,728 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 Wilkes Barre ($12,886 vs. $12,984)
  • The same percent of students receive financial grant aid at La Roche College as Penn State Wilkes Barre (94% vs. 94%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by La Roche College students is 97.7% larger than aid received Penn State Wilkes Barre ($20,948 vs. $10,598)

LRC vs. Penn State Wilkes-Barre Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at Penn State Wilkes Barre (982) is 43 points higher than at LRC (939)
  • Incoming Penn State Wilkes-Barre students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at LRC (20)
  • LRC has a higher acceptance rate (97.4%) than Penn State Wilkes-Barre (95.3%)

LRC vs. Penn State Wilkes-Barre Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, LRC or Penn State Wilkes-Barre? 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 Wilkes-Barre and LRC.

  • The graduation rate at LRC is higher than Penn State Wilkes Barre (51% vs. 47%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Wilkes Barre 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 Wilkes-Barre graduates. ($26,000 vs. $26,818)
  • LRC graduates are paying $9 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Wilkes-Barre graduates. ($268 vs. $277)
  • More Penn State Wilkes-Barre 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/