Penn State Altoona vs. Randolph-Macon

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

 Penn State Altoona Randolph-Macon
Location Altoona, PA Ashland, VA
Setting Small City Large Suburban
Enrollment 2,577 1,490
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #584 #483
Religious Affiliation - United Methodist - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu rmc.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 Penn State Altoona Randolph-Macon
Tuition (In State) $15,388 $44,930
Tuition (Out of State) $25,854 $44,930
Room & Board $12,984 $13,510
Avg Net Price $20,621 $28,389
Avg Grant Aid $9,574 $30,787
% Receiving Grant Aid 68% 100%

Admission

 Penn State Altoona Randolph-Macon
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 7,523 2,446
Admitted 7,204 2,090
Acceptance Rate 95.8% 85.4%
Enrolled % 12.6% 19.9%
Avg High School GPA 3.4 3.7
Typical High School Grades B+ A-
Admissions Standards Average Average
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 21/28 23/27
SAT Range 1050/1250 1020/1220
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, 2025

Academics

 Penn State Altoona Randolph-Macon
Student to Faculty Ratio 12:1 10:1
Popular Majors
  • Health Professions (19%)
  • Business (17%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (13%)
  • Engineering (7%)
  • Education (6%)
  • Social Sciences (28%)
  • History (9%)
  • Psychology (9%)
  • English and Literature (8%)
  • Biology (8%)

Outcomes

 Penn State Altoona Randolph-Macon
Graduation Rate 65% 60%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $50,600
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 76%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $27,000
Median Loan Payment $277 $279

Diversity

 Penn State Altoona Randolph-Macon
% Men 53% 45%
% Women 47% 55%
Racial Diversity Low Low
HBCU No No
% White 77% 78%
% Black 7% 8%
% Hispanic 6% 5%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 4%
% International 5% 2%
% Unknown Race 1% 1%

Students

 Penn State Altoona Randolph-Macon
% In-State 59% 76%
% Out-of-State 35% 23%

Campus

 Penn State Altoona Randolph-Macon
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 Randolph-Macon based on total student enrollment (2,577 students vs. 1,490 students)

Penn State Altoona vs. Randolph-Macon Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Penn State Altoona or Randolph-Macon?

  • Randolph Macon College is 192% more expensive to attend than Penn State Altoona for in-state tuition ($44,930.00 vs. $15,388.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 73.8% higher at Randolph-Macon than Penn State Altoona ($44,930.00 vs. $25,854.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Altoona than Randolph-Macon ($20,621 vs. $28,389)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Altoona are 4.1% lower than costs at Randolph Macon College ($12,984 vs. $13,510)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Randolph Macon College than Penn State Altoona (100% vs. 68%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Randolph Macon College students is 221.6% larger than aid received Penn State Altoona ($30,787 vs. $9,574)

Penn State Altoona vs. Randolph-Macon Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at Randolph Macon College (1098) is 105 points higher than at Penn State Altoona (993)
  • Incoming Randolph-Macon students have a 3 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Penn State Altoona (22)
  • Accepted freshman Randolph-Macon students have a 0.3 point higher average high school GPA (3.7) than students at Penn State Altoona (3.4)
  • Penn State Altoona has a higher acceptance rate (95.8%) than Randolph-Macon (85.4%)

Penn State Altoona vs. Randolph-Macon Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Penn State Altoona or Randolph-Macon? 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 Randolph-Macon and Penn State Altoona.

  • The graduation rate at Penn State Altoona is higher than Randolph Macon College (65% vs. 60%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Altoona earn on average $4,700 more per year than Randolph-Macon graduates after ten years. ($55,300 vs. $50,600)
  • Penn State Altoona students graduate with a $182 lower median federal student loan debt than Randolph-Macon graduates. ($26,818 vs. $27,000)
  • Penn State Altoona graduates are paying $2 less per month on federal student loans than Randolph-Macon graduates. ($277 vs. $279)
  • More Randolph-Macon graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Penn State Altoona students, three years after graduation. (76% vs. 69%)

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