Penn State Altoona vs. Swarthmore

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

Penn State Altoona Swarthmore
Location Altoona, PA Swarthmore, PA
Setting Small City Large Suburban
Enrollment 2,577 1,625
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #584 #40
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu swarthmore.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

Penn State Altoona Swarthmore
Tuition (In State) $15,388 $58,928
Tuition (Out of State) $25,854 $58,928
Room & Board $12,984 $18,026
Avg Net Price $20,621 $20,715
Avg Grant Aid $9,574 $47,703
% Receiving Grant Aid 68% 63%

Admission

Penn State Altoona Swarthmore
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 7,523 14,707
Admitted 7,204 1,019
Acceptance Rate 95.8% 6.9%
Enrolled % 12.6% 42.5%
Avg High School GPA 3.4 3.9
Typical High School Grades B+ A-
Admissions Standards Average Elite
Applicant Competition Extreme
ACT Range 21/28 32/35
SAT Range 1050/1250 1440/1560
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 Jan 4, 2025

Academics

Penn State Altoona Swarthmore
Student to Faculty Ratio 12:1 8:1
Popular Majors
  • Health Professions (19%)
  • Business (17%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (13%)
  • Engineering (7%)
  • Education (6%)
  • Social Sciences (29%)
  • Biology (11%)
  • Foreign Languages (8%)
  • Psychology (7%)
  • English and Literature (7%)

Outcomes

Penn State Altoona Swarthmore
Graduation Rate 65% 95%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $65,800
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 87%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $19,500
Median Loan Payment $277 $201

Diversity

Penn State Altoona Swarthmore
% Men 53% 49%
% Women 47% 51%
Racial Diversity Low Very High
HBCU No No
% White 77% 42%
% Black 7% 6%
% Hispanic 6% 13%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 8%
% International 5% 11%
% Unknown Race 1% 3%

Students

Penn State Altoona Swarthmore
% In-State 59% 10%
% Out-of-State 35% 75%

Campus

Penn State Altoona Swarthmore
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No Yes
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 Swarthmore based on total student enrollment (2,577 students vs. 1,625 students)

Penn State Altoona vs. Swarthmore Cost Comparison

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

  • Swarthmore College is 282.9% more expensive to attend than Penn State Altoona for in-state tuition ($58,928.00 vs. $15,388.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 127.9% higher at Swarthmore than Penn State Altoona ($58,928.00 vs. $25,854.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Altoona than Swarthmore ($20,621 vs. $20,715)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Altoona are 38.8% lower than costs at Swarthmore College ($12,984 vs. $18,026)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Penn State Altoona than Swarthmore College (68% vs. 63%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Swarthmore College students is 398.3% larger than aid received Penn State Altoona ($47,703 vs. $9,574)

Penn State Altoona vs. Swarthmore Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at Swarthmore College (1431) is 438 points higher than at Penn State Altoona (993)
  • Incoming Swarthmore students have a 10 point higher average ACT score (32) than students at Penn State Altoona (22)
  • Accepted freshman Swarthmore students have a 0.5 point higher average high school GPA (3.9) than students at Penn State Altoona (3.4)
  • Penn State Altoona has a higher acceptance rate (95.8%) than Swarthmore (6.9%)

Penn State Altoona vs. Swarthmore Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

  • The graduation rate at Swarthmore is higher than Penn State Altoona (95% vs. 65%)
  • Graduates from Swarthmore College earn on average $10,500 more per year than Penn State Altoona graduates after ten years. ($65,800 vs. $55,300)
  • Swarthmore College students graduate with a $7,318 lower median federal student loan debt than Penn State Altoona graduates. ($19,500 vs. $26,818)
  • Swarthmore graduates are paying $76 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Altoona graduates. ($201 vs. $277)
  • More Swarthmore graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Penn State Altoona students, three years after graduation. (87% vs. 69%)

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