Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. Penn State

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

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Penn State
Location Lehman, PA University Park, PA
Setting Rural Fringe Small City
Enrollment 353 50,399
Type Public 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #171
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu psu.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Penn State
Tuition (In State) $13,824 $19,672
Tuition (Out of State) $23,316 $39,626
Room & Board $13,448 $13,030
Avg Net Price $16,275 $27,450
Avg Grant Aid $8,945 $11,577
% Receiving Grant Aid 91% 36%

Admission

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Penn State
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 640 85,956
Admitted 605 46,605
Acceptance Rate 94.5% 54.2%
Enrolled % 14.9% 19.4%
Avg High School GPA - -
Typical High School Grades - -
Admissions Standards Challenging Very High
Applicant Competition Low
ACT Range 27/32
SAT Range 1060/1305 1220/1400
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

Academics

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Penn State
Student to Faculty Ratio 10:1 15:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (34%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (28%)
  • Engineering Technology (19%)
  • English and Literature (12%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (5%)
  • Business (16%)
  • Engineering (12%)
  • Communication (9%)
  • Computer and Information Sciences (7%)
  • Social Sciences (7%)

Outcomes

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Penn State
Graduation Rate 47% 87%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $55,300
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 69%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $26,818
Median Loan Payment $277 $277

Diversity

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Penn State
% Men 0% 8%
% Women 1% 8%
Racial Diversity Very Low Medium
HBCU No No
% White 88% 69%
% Black 3% 4%
% Hispanic 5% 6%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 3%
% International 0% 11%
% Unknown Race 1% 2%

Students

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Penn State
% In-State 83% 51%
% Out-of-State 17% 40%

Campus

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

Comparable Facts

  • Penn State Main Campus is larger than than Penn State Wilkes-Barre based on total student enrollment (50,399 students vs. 353 students)

Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. Penn State Cost Comparison

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

  • Penn State Main Campus is 42.3% more expensive to attend than Penn State Wilkes-Barre for in-state tuition ($19,672.00 vs. $13,824.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 70% higher at Penn State than Penn State Wilkes Barre ($39,626.00 vs. $23,316.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Wilkes Barre than Penn State ($16,275 vs. $27,450)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Main Campus are 3.2% lower than costs at Penn State Wilkes Barre ($13,030 vs. $13,448)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Penn State Wilkes Barre than Penn State Main Campus (91% vs. 36%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Penn State Main Campus students is 29.4% larger than aid received Penn State Wilkes Barre ($11,577 vs. $8,945)

Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. Penn State Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at Penn State Main Campus (1202) is 220 points higher than at Penn State Wilkes-Barre (982)
  • Incoming Penn State students have a 5 point higher average ACT score (27) than students at Penn State Wilkes-Barre (22)
  • Penn State Wilkes-Barre has a higher acceptance rate (94.5%) than Penn State (54.2%)

Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. Penn State Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

  • The graduation rate at Penn State is higher than Penn State Wilkes Barre (87% vs. 47%)
  • Graduates of Penn State Wilkes Barre and Penn State have equivalent average earnings after ten years ($55,300 vs. $55,300)
  • Penn State Main Campus and Penn State Wilkes-Barre graduates both have the same median student loan debt upon graduation ($26,818 vs. $26,818)
  • Penn State Main Campus and Penn State Wilkes-Barre graduates both have a median monthly student loan payment upon graduation ($277 vs. $277)
  • Penn State Main Campus and Penn State Wilkes-Barre graduates both have a median monthly student loan payment upon graduation (69% vs. 69%)

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