Penn State vs. PHC

Should I go to Penn State Main Campus or Patrick Henry College? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if Penn State or PHC 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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Penn State Main Campus vs. Patrick Henry College comparison
Penn State Main Campus Patrick Henry College College 3 College 4
Penn State Main Campus
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Overview

Penn State PHC
Location University Park, PA Purcellville, Virginia
Setting Small City Town Fringe
Enrollment 50,399 408
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #171
Religious Affiliation - Non-Denominational - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu phc.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

Penn State PHC
Tuition (In State) $19,672 $28,400
Tuition (Out of State) $39,626 $28,400
Room & Board $13,030 $11,020
Avg Net Price $27,450 $25,128
Avg Grant Aid $11,577 $13,798
% Receiving Grant Aid 36% 98%

Admission

Penn State PHC
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 85,956 222
Admitted 46,605 182
Acceptance Rate 54.2% 82%
Enrolled % 19.4% 53.8%
Avg High School GPA - 3.83
Typical High School Grades - A-
Admissions Standards Very High Very High
Applicant Competition Low
ACT Range 27/32 26/31
SAT Range 1220/1400 1220/1430
Submit Test Scores Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional) Required to be considered for admission
Application Deadline Jul 15, 2026

Academics

Penn State PHC
Student to Faculty Ratio 15:1 14:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (16%)
  • Engineering (12%)
  • Communication (9%)
  • Computer and Information Sciences (7%)
  • Social Sciences (7%)

Outcomes

Penn State PHC
Graduation Rate 87% -
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 N/A
Making Student Loan Payments 69% -
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 N/A
Median Loan Payment $277 N/A

Diversity

Penn State PHC
% Men 8% 5%
% Women 8% 3%
Racial Diversity Medium -
HBCU No No
% White 69% 0%
% Black 4% 0%
% Hispanic 6% 0%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 3% 0%
% International 11% 0%
% Unknown Race 2% 0%

Students

Penn State PHC
% In-State 51% 16%
% Out-of-State 40% 83%

Campus

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

Comparable Facts

  • Penn State Main Campus is larger than than PHC based on total student enrollment (50,399 students vs. 408 students)

Penn State vs. PHC Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Penn State or PHC?

  • Patrick Henry College is 44.4% more expensive to attend than Penn State for in-state tuition ($28,400.00 vs. $19,672.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 39.5% higher at Penn State than Patrick Henry College ($39,626.00 vs. $28,400.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Patrick Henry College than Penn State ($25,128 vs. $27,450)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Patrick Henry College are 18.2% lower than costs at Penn State Main Campus ($11,020 vs. $13,030)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Patrick Henry College than Penn State Main Campus (98% vs. 36%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Patrick Henry College students is 19.2% larger than aid received Penn State Main Campus ($13,798 vs. $11,577)

Penn State vs. PHC Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • PHC has a higher acceptance rate (82%) than Penn State (54.2%)

Penn State vs. PHC Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Penn State or PHC? 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 PHC and Penn State.

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