Penn State Altoona vs. HSC- Hampden-Sydney

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

 Penn State Altoona HSC- Hampden-Sydney
Location Altoona, PA Hampden-Sydney, VA
Setting Small City Distant Rural
Enrollment 2,421 876
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #618
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu hsc.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 Penn State Altoona HSC- Hampden-Sydney
Tuition (In State) $15,388 $49,754
Tuition (Out of State) $26,112 $49,754
Room & Board $13,820 $15,110
Avg Net Price $22,506 $29,578
Avg Grant Aid $8,730 $37,555
% Receiving Grant Aid 64% 100%

Admission

 Penn State Altoona HSC- Hampden-Sydney
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 7,134 2,224
Admitted 6,942 1,115
Acceptance Rate 97.3% 50.1%
Enrolled % 12.4% 21.5%
Avg High School GPA 3.4 3.53
Typical High School Grades B+ B+
Admissions Standards Average Challenging
Applicant Competition Low
ACT Range 22/27 22/31
SAT Range 1050/1260 1060/1230
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 Feb 1, 2026

Academics

 Penn State Altoona HSC- Hampden-Sydney
Student to Faculty Ratio 12:1 9:1
Popular Majors
  • Health Professions (19%)
  • Business (17%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (13%)
  • Engineering (7%)
  • Education (6%)
  • Social Sciences (37%)
  • History (17%)
  • Business (11%)
  • Biology (7%)
  • Philosophy and Religious Studies (5%)

Outcomes

 Penn State Altoona HSC- Hampden-Sydney
Graduation Rate 65% 67%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $54,000
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 75%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $27,000
Median Loan Payment $277 $279

Diversity

 Penn State Altoona HSC- Hampden-Sydney
% Men 0% 72%
% Women 0% 0%
Racial Diversity Low Very Low
HBCU No No
% White 77% 81%
% Black 7% 6%
% Hispanic 6% 2%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 6%
% International 5% 0%
% Unknown Race 1% 3%

Students

 Penn State Altoona HSC- Hampden-Sydney
% In-State 59% 61%
% Out-of-State 35% 37%

Campus

 Penn State Altoona HSC- Hampden-Sydney
Campus Housing Yes No
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 HSC- Hampden-Sydney based on total student enrollment (2,421 students vs. 876 students)

Penn State Altoona vs. HSC- Hampden-Sydney Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Penn State Altoona or HSC- Hampden-Sydney?

  • Hampden Sydney College is 223.3% more expensive to attend than Penn State Altoona for in-state tuition ($49,754.00 vs. $15,388.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 90.5% higher at HSC- Hampden-Sydney than Penn State Altoona ($49,754.00 vs. $26,112.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Altoona than HSC- Hampden-Sydney ($22,506 vs. $29,578)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Altoona are 9.3% lower than costs at Hampden Sydney College ($13,820 vs. $15,110)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Hampden Sydney College than Penn State Altoona (100% vs. 64%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Hampden Sydney College students is 330.2% larger than aid received Penn State Altoona ($37,555 vs. $8,730)

Penn State Altoona vs. HSC- Hampden-Sydney Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at Hampden Sydney College (1112) is 119 points higher than at Penn State Altoona (993)
  • Incoming HSC- Hampden-Sydney students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (24) than students at Penn State Altoona (22)
  • Accepted freshman HSC- Hampden-Sydney students have a 0.13 point higher average high school GPA (3.53) than students at Penn State Altoona (3.4)
  • Penn State Altoona has a higher acceptance rate (97.3%) than HSC- Hampden-Sydney (50.1%)

Penn State Altoona vs. HSC- Hampden-Sydney Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Penn State Altoona or HSC- Hampden-Sydney? 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 HSC- Hampden-Sydney and Penn State Altoona.

  • The graduation rate at HSC- Hampden-Sydney is higher than Penn State Altoona (67% vs. 65%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Altoona earn on average $1,300 more per year than HSC- Hampden-Sydney graduates after ten years. ($55,300 vs. $54,000)
  • Penn State Altoona students graduate with a $182 lower median federal student loan debt than HSC- Hampden-Sydney graduates. ($26,818 vs. $27,000)
  • Penn State Altoona graduates are paying $2 less per month on federal student loans than HSC- Hampden-Sydney graduates. ($277 vs. $279)
  • More HSC- Hampden-Sydney graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Penn State Altoona students, three years after graduation. (75% vs. 69%)

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