Penn State Altoona vs. Cairn

Should I go to Penn State Altoona or Cairn University? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if Penn State Altoona or Cairn 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 Altoona vs. Cairn University comparison
Penn State Altoona Cairn University College 3 College 4
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Overview

 Penn State Altoona Cairn
Location Altoona, PA Langhorne, PA
Setting Small City Large Suburban
Enrollment 2,421 1,056
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #618 #703
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu cairn.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 Penn State Altoona Cairn
Tuition (In State) $15,388 $31,881
Tuition (Out of State) $26,112 $31,881
Room & Board $13,820 $12,234
Avg Net Price $22,506 $27,603
Avg Grant Aid $8,730 $17,852
% Receiving Grant Aid 64% 83%

Admission

 Penn State Altoona Cairn
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 7,134 505
Admitted 6,942 422
Acceptance Rate 97.3% 83.6%
Enrolled % 12.4% 61.6%
Avg High School GPA 3.4 3.31
Typical High School Grades B+ B+
Admissions Standards Average Average
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 22/27 23/27
SAT Range 1050/1260 1050/1260
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

Academics

 Penn State Altoona Cairn
Student to Faculty Ratio 12:1 11:1
Popular Majors
  • Health Professions (19%)
  • Business (17%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (13%)
  • Engineering (7%)
  • Education (6%)
  • Philosophy and Religious Studies (71%)
  • Education (13%)
  • Business (8%)
  • Human Services (6%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (2%)

Outcomes

 Penn State Altoona Cairn
Graduation Rate 65% 63%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $37,000
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 69%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $27,000
Median Loan Payment $277 $279

Diversity

 Penn State Altoona Cairn
% Men 0% 9%
% Women 0% 10%
Racial Diversity Low Low
HBCU No No
% White 77% 72%
% Black 7% 14%
% Hispanic 6% 7%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 2%
% International 5% 2%
% Unknown Race 1% 0%

Students

 Penn State Altoona Cairn
% In-State 59% 60%
% Out-of-State 35% 36%

Campus

 Penn State Altoona Cairn
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 Cairn based on total student enrollment (2,421 students vs. 1,056 students)

Penn State Altoona vs. Cairn Cost Comparison

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

  • Cairn University is 107.2% more expensive to attend than Penn State Altoona for in-state tuition ($31,881.00 vs. $15,388.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 22.1% higher at Cairn than Penn State Altoona ($31,881.00 vs. $26,112.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Altoona than Cairn ($22,506 vs. $27,603)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Cairn University are 13% lower than costs at Penn State Altoona ($12,234 vs. $13,820)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Cairn University than Penn State Altoona (83% vs. 64%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Cairn University students is 104.5% larger than aid received Penn State Altoona ($17,852 vs. $8,730)

Penn State Altoona vs. Cairn Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at Penn State Altoona (993) is 17 points higher than at Cairn (976)
  • Incoming Penn State Altoona students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at Cairn (21)
  • Accepted freshman Penn State Altoona students have a 0.09 point higher average high school GPA (3.4) than students at Cairn (3.31)
  • Penn State Altoona has a higher acceptance rate (97.3%) than Cairn (83.6%)

Penn State Altoona vs. Cairn Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Penn State Altoona or Cairn? 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 Cairn and Penn State Altoona.

  • The graduation rate at Penn State Altoona is higher than Cairn University (65% vs. 63%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Altoona earn on average $18,300 more per year than Cairn graduates after ten years. ($55,300 vs. $37,000)
  • Penn State Altoona students graduate with a $182 lower median federal student loan debt than Cairn graduates. ($26,818 vs. $27,000)
  • Penn State Altoona graduates are paying $2 less per month on federal student loans than Cairn graduates. ($277 vs. $279)
  • More Penn State Altoona graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Cairn students, three years after graduation. (69% vs. 69%)

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