Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. Bennington

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

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Bennington
Location Lehman, PA Bennington, VT
Setting Rural Fringe Rural Fringe
Enrollment 353 867
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu bennington.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Bennington
Tuition (In State) $13,824 $63,802
Tuition (Out of State) $23,316 $63,802
Room & Board $13,448 $18,640
Avg Net Price $16,275 $35,108
Avg Grant Aid $8,945 $47,860
% Receiving Grant Aid 91% 98%

Admission

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Bennington
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 640 2,825
Admitted 605 1,357
Acceptance Rate 94.5% 48%
Enrolled % 14.9% 15.9%
Avg High School GPA - 3.51
Typical High School Grades - B+
Admissions Standards Challenging Very High
Applicant Competition Low
ACT Range 30/32
SAT Range 1060/1305 1290/1413
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 15, 2026

Academics

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Bennington
Student to Faculty Ratio 10:1 9:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (34%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (28%)
  • Engineering Technology (19%)
  • English and Literature (12%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (5%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (39%)
  • Social Sciences (12%)
  • English and Literature (11%)
  • Foreign Languages (8%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (6%)

Outcomes

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Bennington
Graduation Rate 47% 67%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $31,700
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 77%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $26,000
Median Loan Payment $277 $268

Diversity

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Bennington
% Men 0% 2%
% Women 1% 8%
Racial Diversity Very Low Medium
HBCU No No
% White 88% 65%
% Black 3% 2%
% Hispanic 5% 6%
% Native American 0% 1%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 5%
% International 0% 13%
% Unknown Race 1% 5%

Students

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Bennington
% In-State 83% 2%
% Out-of-State 17% 87%

Campus

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Bennington
Campus Housing No Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan No Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes No No
Daycare Facility No No
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • Bennington College is larger than than Penn State Wilkes-Barre based on total student enrollment (867 students vs. 353 students)

Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. Bennington Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Penn State Wilkes-Barre or Bennington?

  • Bennington College is 361.5% more expensive to attend than Penn State Wilkes-Barre for in-state tuition ($63,802.00 vs. $13,824.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 173.6% higher at Bennington than Penn State Wilkes Barre ($63,802.00 vs. $23,316.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Wilkes Barre than Bennington ($16,275 vs. $35,108)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Wilkes Barre are 38.6% lower than costs at Bennington College ($13,448 vs. $18,640)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Bennington College than Penn State Wilkes Barre (98% vs. 91%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Bennington College students is 435% larger than aid received Penn State Wilkes Barre ($47,860 vs. $8,945)

Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. Bennington Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • Penn State Wilkes-Barre has a higher acceptance rate (94.5%) than Bennington (48%)

Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. Bennington Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Penn State Wilkes-Barre or Bennington? 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 Bennington and Penn State Wilkes-Barre.

  • The graduation rate at Bennington is higher than Penn State Wilkes Barre (67% vs. 47%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Wilkes Barre earn on average $23,600 more per year than Bennington graduates after ten years. ($55,300 vs. $31,700)
  • Bennington College students graduate with a $818 lower median federal student loan debt than Penn State Wilkes-Barre graduates. ($26,000 vs. $26,818)
  • Bennington graduates are paying $9 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Wilkes-Barre graduates. ($268 vs. $277)
  • More Bennington graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Penn State Wilkes-Barre students, three years after graduation. (77% vs. 69%)

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