Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. Penn

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

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Penn
Location Lehman, PA Philadelphia, PA
Setting Rural Fringe Large City
Enrollment 368 28,201
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #23
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu upenn.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Penn
Tuition (In State) $13,824 $56,212
Tuition (Out of State) $23,086 $56,212
Room & Board $12,984 $17,888
Avg Net Price $16,728 $26,123
Avg Grant Aid $10,598 $57,175
% Receiving Grant Aid 94% 46%

Admission

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Penn
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 653 54,588
Admitted 622 3,549
Acceptance Rate 95.3% 6.5%
Enrolled % 20.4% 67.9%
Avg High School GPA - 3.95
Typical High School Grades - A-
Admissions Standards Average Elite
Applicant Competition Extreme
ACT Range 34/35
SAT Range 1070/1260 1500/1570
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 5, 2025

Academics

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Penn
Student to Faculty Ratio 10:1 8:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (34%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (28%)
  • Engineering Technology (19%)
  • English and Literature (12%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (5%)
  • Business (26%)
  • Social Sciences (16%)
  • Biology (8%)
  • Engineering (7%)
  • Health Professions (7%)

Outcomes

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Penn
Graduation Rate 47% 96%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $123,600
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 84%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $20,633
Median Loan Payment $277 $213

Diversity

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Penn
% Men 64% 44%
% Women 36% 56%
Racial Diversity Very Low Very High
HBCU No No
% White 88% 45%
% Black 3% 7%
% Hispanic 5% 10%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 4%
% International 0% 11%
% Unknown Race 1% 3%

Students

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Penn
% In-State 83% 16%
% Out-of-State 17% 67%

Campus

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre Penn
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

  • University of Pennsylvania is larger than than Penn State Wilkes-Barre based on total student enrollment (28,201 students vs. 368 students)

Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. Penn Cost Comparison

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

  • University of Pennsylvania is 306.6% more expensive to attend than Penn State Wilkes-Barre for in-state tuition ($56,212.00 vs. $13,824.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 143.5% higher at Penn than Penn State Wilkes Barre ($56,212.00 vs. $23,086.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Wilkes Barre than Penn ($16,728 vs. $26,123)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Wilkes Barre are 37.8% lower than costs at University of Pennsylvania ($12,984 vs. $17,888)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Penn State Wilkes Barre than University of Pennsylvania (94% vs. 46%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by University of Pennsylvania students is 439.5% larger than aid received Penn State Wilkes Barre ($57,175 vs. $10,598)

Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. Penn Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at University of Pennsylvania (1457) is 475 points higher than at Penn State Wilkes-Barre (982)
  • Incoming Penn students have a 11 point higher average ACT score (33) than students at Penn State Wilkes-Barre (22)
  • Penn State Wilkes-Barre has a higher acceptance rate (95.3%) than Penn (6.5%)

Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. Penn Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

  • The graduation rate at Penn is higher than Penn State Wilkes Barre (96% vs. 47%)
  • Graduates from University of Pennsylvania earn on average $68,300 more per year than Penn State Wilkes-Barre graduates after ten years. ($123,600 vs. $55,300)
  • University of Pennsylvania students graduate with a $6,185 lower median federal student loan debt than Penn State Wilkes-Barre graduates. ($20,633 vs. $26,818)
  • Penn graduates are paying $64 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Wilkes-Barre graduates. ($213 vs. $277)
  • More Penn graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Penn State Wilkes-Barre students, three years after graduation. (84% vs. 69%)

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