Penn State Greater Allegheny vs. VCU

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

 Penn State Greater Allegheny VCU
Location McKeesport, PA Richmond, VA
Setting Large Suburban Midsize City
Enrollment 363 28,082
Type Public 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #442
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu vcu.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 Penn State Greater Allegheny VCU
Tuition (In State) $13,824 $12,458
Tuition (Out of State) $23,086 $33,726
Room & Board $12,254 $12,279
Avg Net Price $19,505 $21,294
Avg Grant Aid $10,269 $12,583
% Receiving Grant Aid 85% 83%

Admission

 Penn State Greater Allegheny VCU
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 672 18,242
Admitted 589 16,600
Acceptance Rate 87.6% 91%
Enrolled % 19.5% 25.1%
Avg High School GPA - 3.75
Typical High School Grades - A-
Admissions Standards Challenging Difficult
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 22/30
SAT Range 1040/1300 1030/1290
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 18, 2025

Academics

 Penn State Greater Allegheny VCU
Student to Faculty Ratio 8:1 16:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (38%)
  • Psychology (35%)
  • Communication (15%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (10%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (2%)
  • Business (15%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (13%)
  • Health Professions (9%)
  • Psychology (9%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (8%)

Outcomes

 Penn State Greater Allegheny VCU
Graduation Rate 47% 53%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $47,500
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 56%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $23,250
Median Loan Payment $277 $240

Diversity

 Penn State Greater Allegheny VCU
% Men 61% 36%
% Women 39% 64%
Racial Diversity Medium Very High
HBCU No No
% White 61% 50%
% Black 19% 18%
% Hispanic 7% 8%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 3% 6%
% International 4% 3%
% Unknown Race 1% 1%

Students

 Penn State Greater Allegheny VCU
% In-State 68% 92%
% Out-of-State 30% 6%

Campus

 Penn State Greater Allegheny VCU
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan Yes Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes No Yes
Daycare Facility No Yes
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • Virginia Commonwealth University is larger than than Penn State Greater Allegheny based on total student enrollment (28,082 students vs. 363 students)

Penn State Greater Allegheny vs. VCU Cost Comparison

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

  • Penn State Greater Allegheny is 11% more expensive to attend than VCU for in-state tuition ($13,824.00 vs. $12,458.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 46.1% higher at VCU than Penn State Greater Allegheny ($33,726.00 vs. $23,086.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Greater Allegheny than VCU ($19,505 vs. $21,294)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Greater Allegheny are 0.2% lower than costs at Virginia Commonwealth University ($12,254 vs. $12,279)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Penn State Greater Allegheny than Virginia Commonwealth University (85% vs. 83%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Virginia Commonwealth University students is 22.5% larger than aid received Penn State Greater Allegheny ($12,583 vs. $10,269)

Penn State Greater Allegheny vs. VCU Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at Virginia Commonwealth University (1097) is 154 points higher than at Penn State Greater Allegheny (943)
  • Incoming VCU students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (24) than students at Penn State Greater Allegheny (23)
  • VCU has a higher acceptance rate (91%) than Penn State Greater Allegheny (87.6%)

Penn State Greater Allegheny vs. VCU Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Penn State Greater Allegheny or VCU? 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 VCU and Penn State Greater Allegheny.

  • The graduation rate at VCU is higher than Penn State Greater Allegheny (53% vs. 47%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Greater Allegheny earn on average $7,800 more per year than VCU graduates after ten years. ($55,300 vs. $47,500)
  • Virginia Commonwealth University students graduate with a $3,568 lower median federal student loan debt than Penn State Greater Allegheny graduates. ($23,250 vs. $26,818)
  • VCU graduates are paying $37 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Greater Allegheny graduates. ($240 vs. $277)
  • More Penn State Greater Allegheny graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former VCU students, three years after graduation. (69% vs. 56%)

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