Penn State Harrisburg vs. URI

Should I go to Penn State Harrisburg or University of Rhode Island? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if Penn State Harrisburg or URI 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. University of Rhode Island comparison
Penn State Harrisburg University of Rhode Island College 3 College 4
Penn State Harrisburg University of Rhode Island
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Overview

 Penn State Harrisburg URI
Location Middletown, PA Kingston, RI
Setting Large Suburban Large Suburban
Enrollment 4,572 17,473
Type Public 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #613 #361
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu uri.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 Penn State Harrisburg URI
Tuition (In State) $15,388 $13,586
Tuition (Out of State) $25,854 $32,068
Room & Board $14,978 $13,584
Avg Net Price $22,096 $20,695
Avg Grant Aid $8,882 $13,257
% Receiving Grant Aid 63% 97%

Admission

 Penn State Harrisburg URI
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 9,925 25,481
Admitted 9,483 19,465
Acceptance Rate 95.5% 76.4%
Enrolled % 12.6% 17.6%
Avg High School GPA 3.48 3.58
Typical High School Grades B+ B+
Admissions Standards Challenging Challenging
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 24/28 25/30
SAT Range 1100/1310 1050/1270
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 Feb 1, 2025

Academics

 Penn State Harrisburg URI
Student to Faculty Ratio 14:1 17:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (34%)
  • Engineering (23%)
  • Psychology (7%)
  • Communication (7%)
  • English and Literature (5%)
  • Business (14%)
  • Communication (10%)
  • Health Professions (10%)
  • Social Sciences (9%)
  • Engineering (9%)

Outcomes

 Penn State Harrisburg URI
Graduation Rate 63% 63%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $56,200
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 69%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $23,438
Median Loan Payment $277 $242

Diversity

 Penn State Harrisburg URI
% Men 60% 42%
% Women 40% 58%
Racial Diversity High Low
HBCU No No
% White 59% 71%
% Black 11% 5%
% Hispanic 6% 9%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 3% 3%
% International 10% 1%
% Unknown Race 2% 7%

Students

 Penn State Harrisburg URI
% In-State 46% 40%
% Out-of-State 27% 59%

Campus

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

Comparable Facts

  • University of Rhode Island is larger than than Penn State Harrisburg based on total student enrollment (17,473 students vs. 4,572 students)

Penn State Harrisburg vs. URI Cost Comparison

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

  • Penn State Harrisburg is 13.3% more expensive to attend than URI for in-state tuition ($15,388.00 vs. $13,586.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 24% higher at URI than Penn State Harrisburg ($32,068.00 vs. $25,854.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at University of Rhode Island than Penn State Harrisburg ($20,695 vs. $22,096)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at University of Rhode Island are 10.3% lower than costs at Penn State Harrisburg ($13,584 vs. $14,978)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at University of Rhode Island than Penn State Harrisburg (97% vs. 63%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by University of Rhode Island students is 49.3% larger than aid received Penn State Harrisburg ($13,257 vs. $8,882)

Penn State Harrisburg vs. URI Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at University of Rhode Island (1077) is 34 points higher than at Penn State Harrisburg (1043)
  • Incoming URI students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (24) than students at Penn State Harrisburg (23)
  • Accepted freshman URI students have a 0.1 point higher average high school GPA (3.58) than students at Penn State Harrisburg (3.48)
  • Penn State Harrisburg has a higher acceptance rate (95.5%) than URI (76.4%)

Penn State Harrisburg vs. URI Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

  • The graduation rate at Penn State Harrisburg is the same as at University of Rhode Island (63% vs. 63%)
  • Graduates from University of Rhode Island earn on average $900 more per year than Penn State Harrisburg graduates after ten years. ($56,200 vs. $55,300)
  • University of Rhode Island students graduate with a $3,380 lower median federal student loan debt than Penn State Harrisburg graduates. ($23,438 vs. $26,818)
  • URI graduates are paying $35 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Harrisburg graduates. ($242 vs. $277)
  • More Penn State Harrisburg graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former URI students, three years after graduation. (69% vs. 69%)

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