Penn State vs. Penn State Greater Allegheny

Deciding between Penn State Main Campus and Penn State Greater Allegheny? The table below shows tuition, aid, admissions, and outcomes side by side. Data comes from public sources across more than 3,000 U.S. colleges and universities. No account is required.

Penn State Main Campus

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  • Overview

  • Location
  • Penn State University Park, PA
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny McKeesport, PA
  • Setting
  • Penn State Small City
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny Large Suburban
  • Total enrollment
  • Penn State 50,737
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 352
  • Type
  • Penn State Public 4 Year
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny Public 4 Year
  • National Ranking
  • Penn State #185
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny
  • Religious Affiliation
  • Penn State -
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny -
  • Status
  • Penn State Non-profit
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny Non-profit
  • Team Colors
  • Penn State
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny

  • Cost

  • Tuition (In State)
  • Penn State $20,644
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny $14,408
  • Tuition (Out of State)
  • Penn State $41,790
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny $24,134
  • Room & Board
  • Penn State $14,474
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny $14,474
  • Average Net Price
  • Penn State $27,889
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny $15,574
  • Average Grant Aid
  • Penn State $11,336
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny $11,121
  • % Receiving Grant Aid
  • Penn State 37%
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 86%

  • Admissions

  • Applied
  • Penn State 88,478
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 538
  • Admitted
  • Penn State 53,579
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 519
  • Acceptance Rate
  • Penn State 60.6%
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 96.5%
  • Enrolled
  • Penn State 17.1%
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 19.5%
  • Typical SAT score
  • Penn State 1330
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 1180
  • Typical ACT score
  • Penn State 29
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny
  • Average High School GPA
  • Penn State -
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny -
  • Typical High School Grades
  • Penn State -
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny -
  • Admissions Standards
  • Penn State Very High
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny Average
  • Applicant Competition
  • Penn State Low
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny
  • ACT Range
  • Penn State 27/32
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny
  • SAT Range
  • Penn State 1240/1420
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 1080/1280
  • Submit Test Scores
  • Penn State Test optional
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny Test optional
  • Application Deadline
  • Penn State
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny

  • Academics

  • Student to Faculty Ratio
  • Penn State 16:1
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 9:1
  • Popular Majors
  • Penn State
    • Business (16%)
    • Engineering (12%)
    • Communication (9%)
    • Computer and Information Sciences (7%)
    • Social Sciences (7%)
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny
    • Business (38%)
    • Psychology (35%)
    • Communication (15%)
    • Liberal Arts and Humanities (10%)
    • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (2%)

  • Outcomes

  • Graduation Rate
  • Penn State 87%
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 47%
  • Median Earnings (After 10 years)
  • Penn State $55,300
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny $55,300
  • Making Student Loan Payments
  • Penn State 69%
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 69%
  • Median Student Loan Debt
  • Penn State $26,818
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny $26,818
  • Median Loan Payment
  • Penn State $277
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny $277

  • Diversity

  • % Men
  • Penn State 52%
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 63%
  • % Women
  • Penn State 48%
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 37%
  • Racial Diversity
  • Penn State Medium
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny High
  • HBCU
  • Penn State No
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny No
  • % White
  • Penn State 69%
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 61%
  • % Asian
  • Penn State 6%
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 5%
  • % Black
  • Penn State 4%
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 19%
  • % Hispanic
  • Penn State 6%
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 7%
  • % Native American
  • Penn State 0%
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 0%
  • % Pacific Islander
  • Penn State 0%
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 0%
  • % Two or More Races
  • Penn State 3%
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 3%
  • % International
  • Penn State 11%
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 4%
  • % Unknown Race
  • Penn State 2%
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 1%

  • Students

  • % In-State
  • Penn State 53%
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 81%
  • % Out-of-State
  • Penn State 40%
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny 18%

  • Campus

  • Campus Housing
  • Penn State Yes
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny Yes
  • Freshman Dorm Required
  • Penn State Yes
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny No
  • Meal Plan
  • Penn State Yes
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny Yes
  • Weekend/Evening Classes
  • Penn State Yes
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny No
  • Daycare Facility
  • Penn State Yes
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny No

Comparable Facts

Compare Penn State Main Campus in University Park, PA with Penn State Greater Allegheny in McKeesport, PA on tuition, admissions, graduation, earnings, and student body data using the table above.

Penn State Main Campus is larger than Penn State Greater Allegheny based on total student enrollment (50,737 students vs. 352 students).

Location, institution type, and student-faculty ratio

  • Penn State Main Campus is located in University Park, PA (Small City setting); Penn State Greater Allegheny is in McKeesport, PA (Large Suburban setting).
  • Penn State Main Campus is a public, non-profit 4-year institution. Penn State Greater Allegheny is a public, non-profit 4-year institution.
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: Penn State Main Campus 16:1; Penn State Greater Allegheny 9:1.

Penn State vs. Penn State Greater Allegheny Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Penn State or Penn State Greater Allegheny? Published tuition is the sticker price; many students pay less after aid (see average net price below).

  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Greater Allegheny than Penn State ($15,574 vs. $27,889).
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) are the same at Penn State Main Campus and Penn State Greater Allegheny ($14,474).
  • Penn State Main Campus is 43.3% more expensive for in-state tuition than Penn State Greater Allegheny (about $6,236 more per year; $20,644.00 vs. $14,408.00).
  • Out-of-state tuition is 73.2% higher at Penn State than at Penn State Greater Allegheny (about $17,656 more per year; $41,790.00 vs. $24,134.00).
  • A larger share of students receive grant aid at Penn State Greater Allegheny than at Penn State Main Campus (86% vs. 37%).
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Penn State Main Campus students is 1.9% larger than aid received by Penn State Greater Allegheny students ($11,336 vs. $11,121).

Penn State vs. Penn State Greater Allegheny Admissions comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Penn State or Penn State Greater Allegheny? Typical SAT and ACT scores (midpoint estimates from the mid-50% ranges in the table above), enrolled-tester score ranges where reported, test score submission policy, deadlines, and acceptance rates summarize admission difficulty between Penn State Greater Allegheny and Penn State.

  • The typical SAT score (midpoint estimate) at Penn State Main Campus (1330) is 150 points higher than at Penn State Greater Allegheny (1180).
  • Reported middle 50% SAT composite range (25th-75th percentile) among enrolled freshmen who submitted scores: Penn State Main Campus 1240/1420; Penn State Greater Allegheny 1080/1280.
  • Reported middle 50% ACT composite range (25th-75th percentile) among enrolled freshmen who submitted scores: Penn State Main Campus 27/32.
  • Submitting SAT or ACT scores: Penn State - Test optional; Penn State Greater Allegheny - Test optional.
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny has a higher acceptance rate (96.5%) than Penn State (60.6%).
  • The share of admitted students who enrolled (yield) is 17.1% at Penn State vs. 19.5% at Penn State Greater Allegheny.

Penn State vs. Penn State Greater Allegheny Graduation Outcomes Comparison

How do outcomes compare for Penn State and Penn State Greater Allegheny? Where federal data is available for both schools, the bullets below compare graduation rate, earnings, and student loan debt using the same College Scorecard / IPEDS fields as the comparison table. If a metric is missing for one school, that school is noted separately.

  • Penn State Main Campus's six-year graduation rate (87%) is higher than Penn State Greater Allegheny's (47%).
  • Graduates of Penn State Main Campus and Penn State Greater Allegheny have equivalent median earnings about ten years after starting college ($55,300 vs. $55,300), per the federal College Scorecard cohort (typically among students working and not enrolled).
  • Among federal student loan borrowers, Penn State Greater Allegheny and Penn State graduates have the same median loan debt ($26,818 vs. $26,818).
  • Among borrowers in the federal data, Penn State Greater Allegheny and Penn State graduates have the same median monthly federal student loan payment ($277 vs. $277).
  • Federal student loan repayment rates three years after graduation are the same for Penn State Greater Allegheny and Penn State graduates (69% vs. 69%).

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/. Values reflect the most recent year available in our dataset.