Penn State Greater Allegheny vs. Swarthmore

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

Penn State Greater Allegheny Swarthmore
Location McKeesport, PA Swarthmore, PA
Setting Large Suburban Large Suburban
Enrollment 363 1,625
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #40
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu swarthmore.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

Penn State Greater Allegheny Swarthmore
Tuition (In State) $13,824 $58,928
Tuition (Out of State) $23,086 $58,928
Room & Board $12,254 $18,026
Avg Net Price $19,505 $20,715
Avg Grant Aid $10,269 $47,703
% Receiving Grant Aid 85% 63%

Admission

Penn State Greater Allegheny Swarthmore
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 672 14,707
Admitted 589 1,019
Acceptance Rate 87.6% 6.9%
Enrolled % 19.5% 42.5%
Avg High School GPA - 3.9
Typical High School Grades - A-
Admissions Standards Challenging Elite
Applicant Competition Extreme
ACT Range 32/35
SAT Range 1040/1300 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 Greater Allegheny Swarthmore
Student to Faculty Ratio 8:1 8:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (38%)
  • Psychology (35%)
  • Communication (15%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (10%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (2%)
  • Social Sciences (29%)
  • Biology (11%)
  • Foreign Languages (8%)
  • Psychology (7%)
  • English and Literature (7%)

Outcomes

Penn State Greater Allegheny Swarthmore
Graduation Rate 47% 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 Greater Allegheny Swarthmore
% Men 61% 49%
% Women 39% 51%
Racial Diversity Medium Very High
HBCU No No
% White 61% 42%
% Black 19% 6%
% Hispanic 7% 13%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 3% 8%
% International 4% 11%
% Unknown Race 1% 3%

Students

Penn State Greater Allegheny Swarthmore
% In-State 68% 10%
% Out-of-State 30% 75%

Campus

Penn State Greater Allegheny 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

  • Swarthmore College is larger than than Penn State Greater Allegheny based on total student enrollment (1,625 students vs. 363 students)

Penn State Greater Allegheny vs. Swarthmore Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Penn State Greater Allegheny or Swarthmore?

  • Swarthmore College is 326.3% more expensive to attend than Penn State Greater Allegheny for in-state tuition ($58,928.00 vs. $13,824.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 155.3% higher at Swarthmore than Penn State Greater Allegheny ($58,928.00 vs. $23,086.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Greater Allegheny than Swarthmore ($19,505 vs. $20,715)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Greater Allegheny are 47.1% lower than costs at Swarthmore College ($12,254 vs. $18,026)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Penn State Greater Allegheny than Swarthmore College (85% vs. 63%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Swarthmore College students is 364.5% larger than aid received Penn State Greater Allegheny ($47,703 vs. $10,269)

Penn State Greater Allegheny vs. Swarthmore Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at Swarthmore College (1431) is 488 points higher than at Penn State Greater Allegheny (943)
  • Incoming Swarthmore students have a 9 point higher average ACT score (32) than students at Penn State Greater Allegheny (23)
  • Penn State Greater Allegheny has a higher acceptance rate (87.6%) than Swarthmore (6.9%)

Penn State Greater Allegheny vs. Swarthmore Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Penn State Greater Allegheny 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 Greater Allegheny.

  • The graduation rate at Swarthmore is higher than Penn State Greater Allegheny (95% vs. 47%)
  • Graduates from Swarthmore College earn on average $10,500 more per year than Penn State Greater Allegheny 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 Greater Allegheny graduates. ($19,500 vs. $26,818)
  • Swarthmore graduates are paying $76 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Greater Allegheny graduates. ($201 vs. $277)
  • More Swarthmore graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Penn State Greater Allegheny 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/