Mount St. Mary's University vs. Penn State Wilkes-Barre

Should I go to Mount St Mary's University or Penn State Wilkes Barre? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if Mount St. Mary's University 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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Mount St Mary's University vs. Penn State Wilkes Barre comparison
Mount St Mary's University Penn State Wilkes Barre College 3 College 4
Mount St Mary's University Penn State Wilkes Barre
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Overview

Mount St. Mary's University Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Location Emmitsburg, MD Lehman, PA
Setting Rural Fringe Rural Fringe
Enrollment 2,499 353
Type Private 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #341
Religious Affiliation Roman Catholic - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website msmary.edu psu.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

Mount St. Mary's University Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Tuition (In State) $45,660 $13,824
Tuition (Out of State) $45,660 $23,316
Room & Board $14,750 $13,448
Avg Net Price $25,298 $16,275
Avg Grant Aid $36,632 $8,945
% Receiving Grant Aid 100% 91%

Admission

Mount St. Mary's University Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 5,422 640
Admitted 3,896 605
Acceptance Rate 71.9% 94.5%
Enrolled % 12.3% 14.9%
Avg High School GPA 3.36 -
Typical High School Grades B+ -
Admissions Standards Moderate Challenging
Applicant Competition Low
ACT Range 19/23
SAT Range 1030/1280 1060/1305
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 Mar 1, 2026

Academics

Mount St. Mary's University Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Student to Faculty Ratio 12:1 10:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (27%)
  • Social Sciences (18%)
  • Education (8%)
  • Communication (8%)
  • Biology (6%)
  • Business (34%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (28%)
  • Engineering Technology (19%)
  • English and Literature (12%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (5%)

Outcomes

Mount St. Mary's University Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Graduation Rate 76% 47%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $56,100 $55,300
Making Student Loan Payments 77% 69%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,000 $26,818
Median Loan Payment $268 $277

Diversity

Mount St. Mary's University Penn State Wilkes-Barre
% Men 13% 0%
% Women 12% 1%
Racial Diversity Medium Very Low
HBCU No No
% White 68% 88%
% Black 12% 3%
% Hispanic 9% 5%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 4% 2%
% International 1% 0%
% Unknown Race 2% 1%

Students

Mount St. Mary's University Penn State Wilkes-Barre
% In-State 56% 83%
% Out-of-State 40% 17%

Campus

Mount St. Mary's University Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Campus Housing Yes No
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan Yes No
Weekend/Evening Classes Yes No
Daycare Facility No No
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • Mount St Mary's University is larger than than Penn State Wilkes-Barre based on total student enrollment (2,499 students vs. 353 students)

Mount St. Mary's University vs. Penn State Wilkes-Barre Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Mount St. Mary's University or Penn State Wilkes-Barre?

  • Mount St Mary's University is 230.3% more expensive to attend than Penn State Wilkes-Barre for in-state tuition ($45,660.00 vs. $13,824.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 95.8% higher at Mount St. Mary's University than Penn State Wilkes Barre ($45,660.00 vs. $23,316.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Wilkes Barre than Mount St. Mary's University ($16,275 vs. $25,298)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Wilkes Barre are 9.7% lower than costs at Mount St Mary's University ($13,448 vs. $14,750)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Mount St Mary's University than Penn State Wilkes Barre (100% vs. 91%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Mount St Mary's University students is 309.5% larger than aid received Penn State Wilkes Barre ($36,632 vs. $8,945)

Mount St. Mary's University vs. Penn State Wilkes-Barre Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Mount St. Mary's University 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 Mount St. Mary's University .

  • The average SAT score at Mount St Mary's University (1013) is 31 points higher than at Penn State Wilkes-Barre (982)
  • Incoming Penn State Wilkes-Barre students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at Mount St. Mary's University (21)
  • Penn State Wilkes-Barre has a higher acceptance rate (94.5%) than Mount St. Mary's University (71.9%)

Mount St. Mary's University vs. Penn State Wilkes-Barre Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Mount St. Mary's University 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 Mount St. Mary's University.

  • The graduation rate at Mount St. Mary's University is higher than Penn State Wilkes Barre (76% vs. 47%)
  • Graduates from Mount St Mary's University earn on average $800 more per year than Penn State Wilkes-Barre graduates after ten years. ($56,100 vs. $55,300)
  • Mount St Mary's University students graduate with a $818 lower median federal student loan debt than Penn State Wilkes-Barre graduates. ($26,000 vs. $26,818)
  • Mount St. Mary's University graduates are paying $9 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Wilkes-Barre graduates. ($268 vs. $277)
  • More Mount St. Mary's University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Penn State Wilkes-Barre students, three years after graduation. (77% vs. 69%)

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