Penn State Lehigh Valley vs. VCU

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

Penn State Lehigh Valley VCU
Location Center Valley, PA Richmond, VA
Setting Large Suburban Midsize City
Enrollment 888 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 Lehigh Valley VCU
Tuition (In State) $14,624 $12,458
Tuition (Out of State) $24,318 $33,726
Room & Board $12,984 $12,279
Avg Net Price $18,142 $21,294
Avg Grant Aid $9,886 $12,583
% Receiving Grant Aid 78% 83%

Admission

Penn State Lehigh Valley VCU
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 1,806 18,242
Admitted 1,699 16,600
Acceptance Rate 94.1% 91%
Enrolled % 15.7% 25.1%
Avg High School GPA 3.42 3.75
Typical High School Grades B+ A-
Admissions Standards Average Difficult
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 22/26 22/30
SAT Range 1100/1290 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 Lehigh Valley VCU
Student to Faculty Ratio 14:1 16:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (46%)
  • Education (25%)
  • Psychology (18%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (4%)
  • Foreign Languages (3%)
  • Business (15%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (13%)
  • Health Professions (9%)
  • Psychology (9%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (8%)

Outcomes

Penn State Lehigh Valley 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 Lehigh Valley VCU
% Men 57% 36%
% Women 43% 64%
Racial Diversity Medium Very High
HBCU No No
% White 64% 50%
% Black 6% 18%
% Hispanic 16% 8%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 6%
% International 0% 3%
% Unknown Race 1% 1%

Students

Penn State Lehigh Valley VCU
% In-State 93% 92%
% Out-of-State 6% 6%

Campus

Penn State Lehigh Valley VCU
Campus Housing No Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan No 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 Lehigh Valley based on total student enrollment (28,082 students vs. 888 students)

Penn State Lehigh Valley vs. VCU Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Penn State Lehigh Valley or VCU?

  • Penn State Lehigh Valley is 17.4% more expensive to attend than VCU for in-state tuition ($14,624.00 vs. $12,458.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 38.7% higher at VCU than Penn State Lehigh Valley ($33,726.00 vs. $24,318.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Lehigh Valley than VCU ($18,142 vs. $21,294)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Virginia Commonwealth University are 5.7% lower than costs at Penn State Lehigh Valley ($12,279 vs. $12,984)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Virginia Commonwealth University than Penn State Lehigh Valley (83% vs. 78%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Virginia Commonwealth University students is 27.3% larger than aid received Penn State Lehigh Valley ($12,583 vs. $9,886)

Penn State Lehigh Valley vs. VCU Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at Virginia Commonwealth University (1097) is 78 points higher than at Penn State Lehigh Valley (1019)
  • Incoming VCU students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (24) than students at Penn State Lehigh Valley (23)
  • Accepted freshman VCU students have a 0.33 point higher average high school GPA (3.75) than students at Penn State Lehigh Valley (3.42)
  • Penn State Lehigh Valley has a higher acceptance rate (94.1%) than VCU (91%)

Penn State Lehigh Valley vs. VCU Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Penn State Lehigh Valley 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 Lehigh Valley.

  • The graduation rate at VCU is higher than Penn State Lehigh Valley (53% vs. 47%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Lehigh Valley 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 Lehigh Valley graduates. ($23,250 vs. $26,818)
  • VCU graduates are paying $37 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Lehigh Valley graduates. ($240 vs. $277)
  • More Penn State Lehigh Valley 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/