Penn State Harrisburg vs. PHC

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

Penn State Harrisburg PHC
Location Middletown, PA Purcellville, Virginia
Setting Large Suburban Town Fringe
Enrollment 4,572 409
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #613
Religious Affiliation - Non-Denominational - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu phc.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

Penn State Harrisburg PHC
Tuition (In State) $15,388 $28,400
Tuition (Out of State) $25,854 $28,400
Room & Board $14,978 $11,020
Avg Net Price $22,096 $26,095
Avg Grant Aid $8,882 $13,531
% Receiving Grant Aid 63% 97%

Admission

Penn State Harrisburg PHC
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 9,925 236
Admitted 9,483 179
Acceptance Rate 95.5% 75.8%
Enrolled % 12.6% 57.5%
Avg High School GPA 3.48 3.83
Typical High School Grades B+ A-
Admissions Standards Challenging Very High
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 24/28 27/31
SAT Range 1100/1310 1233/1440
Submit Test Scores Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional) Required to be considered for admission
Application Deadline Jul 15, 2025

Academics

Penn State Harrisburg PHC
Student to Faculty Ratio 14:1 15:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (34%)
  • Engineering (23%)
  • Psychology (7%)
  • Communication (7%)
  • English and Literature (5%)

Outcomes

Penn State Harrisburg PHC
Graduation Rate 63% -
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 N/A
Making Student Loan Payments 69% -
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 N/A
Median Loan Payment $277 N/A

Diversity

Penn State Harrisburg PHC
% Men 60% 53%
% Women 40% 47%
Racial Diversity High -
HBCU No No
% White 59% 0%
% Black 11% 0%
% Hispanic 6% 0%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 3% 0%
% International 10% 0%
% Unknown Race 2% 0%

Students

Penn State Harrisburg PHC
% In-State 46% 16%
% Out-of-State 27% 83%

Campus

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

Comparable Facts

  • Penn State Harrisburg is larger than than PHC based on total student enrollment (4,572 students vs. 409 students)

Penn State Harrisburg vs. PHC Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Penn State Harrisburg or PHC?

  • Patrick Henry College is 84.6% more expensive to attend than Penn State Harrisburg for in-state tuition ($28,400.00 vs. $15,388.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 9.8% higher at PHC than Penn State Harrisburg ($28,400.00 vs. $25,854.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Harrisburg than PHC ($22,096 vs. $26,095)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Patrick Henry College are 35.9% lower than costs at Penn State Harrisburg ($11,020 vs. $14,978)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Patrick Henry College than Penn State Harrisburg (97% vs. 63%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Patrick Henry College students is 52.3% larger than aid received Penn State Harrisburg ($13,531 vs. $8,882)

Penn State Harrisburg vs. PHC Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • Accepted freshman PHC students have a 0.35 point higher average high school GPA (3.83) than students at Penn State Harrisburg (3.48)
  • Penn State Harrisburg has a higher acceptance rate (95.5%) than PHC (75.8%)

Penn State Harrisburg vs. PHC Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Penn State Harrisburg or PHC? 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 PHC and Penn State Harrisburg.

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