Penn State Altoona vs. Thiel College

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

 Penn State Altoona Thiel College
Location Altoona, PA Greenville, PA
Setting Small City Distant Town
Enrollment 2,577 907
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #584
Religious Affiliation - Evangelical Lutheran Church - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu thiel.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 Penn State Altoona Thiel College
Tuition (In State) $15,388 $33,620
Tuition (Out of State) $25,854 $33,620
Room & Board $12,984 $14,230
Avg Net Price $20,621 $22,732
Avg Grant Aid $9,574 $27,563
% Receiving Grant Aid 68% 100%

Admission

 Penn State Altoona Thiel College
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 7,523 1,878
Admitted 7,204 1,546
Acceptance Rate 95.8% 82.3%
Enrolled % 12.6% 14.8%
Avg High School GPA 3.4 3.1
Typical High School Grades B+ B
Admissions Standards Average Very Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 21/28 17/24
SAT Range 1050/1250 965/1165
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 Thiel College
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%)
  • Business (33%)
  • Biology (12%)
  • Psychology (9%)
  • Social Sciences (9%)
  • Education (8%)

Outcomes

 Penn State Altoona Thiel College
Graduation Rate 65% 39%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $39,800
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 62%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $27,876
Median Loan Payment $277 $288

Diversity

 Penn State Altoona Thiel College
% Men 53% 48%
% Women 47% 52%
Racial Diversity Low Low
HBCU No No
% White 77% 79%
% Black 7% 10%
% Hispanic 6% 2%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 3%
% International 5% 0%
% Unknown Race 1% 4%

Students

 Penn State Altoona Thiel College
% In-State 59% 66%
% Out-of-State 35% 33%

Campus

 Penn State Altoona Thiel College
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 Thiel College based on total student enrollment (2,577 students vs. 907 students)

Penn State Altoona vs. Thiel College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Penn State Altoona or Thiel College?

  • Thiel College is 118.5% more expensive to attend than Penn State Altoona for in-state tuition ($33,620.00 vs. $15,388.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 30% higher at Thiel College than Penn State Altoona ($33,620.00 vs. $25,854.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Altoona than Thiel College ($20,621 vs. $22,732)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Altoona are 9.6% lower than costs at Thiel College ($12,984 vs. $14,230)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Thiel College than Penn State Altoona (100% vs. 68%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Thiel College students is 187.9% larger than aid received Penn State Altoona ($27,563 vs. $9,574)

Penn State Altoona vs. Thiel College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at Penn State Altoona (993) is 70 points higher than at Thiel College (923)
  • Incoming Penn State Altoona students have a 3 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at Thiel College (19)
  • Accepted freshman Penn State Altoona students have a 0.3 point higher average high school GPA (3.4) than students at Thiel College (3.1)
  • Penn State Altoona has a higher acceptance rate (95.8%) than Thiel College (82.3%)

Penn State Altoona vs. Thiel College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Penn State Altoona or Thiel College? 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 Thiel College and Penn State Altoona.

  • The graduation rate at Penn State Altoona is higher than Thiel College (65% vs. 39%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Altoona earn on average $15,500 more per year than Thiel College graduates after ten years. ($55,300 vs. $39,800)
  • Penn State Altoona students graduate with a $1,058 lower median federal student loan debt than Thiel College graduates. ($26,818 vs. $27,876)
  • Penn State Altoona graduates are paying $11 less per month on federal student loans than Thiel College graduates. ($277 vs. $288)
  • More Penn State Altoona graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Thiel College students, three years after graduation. (69% vs. 62%)

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