Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. VCU

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

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre VCU
Location Lehman, PA Richmond, VA
Setting Rural Fringe Midsize City
Enrollment 353 28,238
Type Public 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #469
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu vcu.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre VCU
Tuition (In State) $13,824 $12,850
Tuition (Out of State) $23,316 $34,744
Room & Board $13,448 $16,119
Avg Net Price $16,275 $22,852
Avg Grant Aid $8,945 $12,433
% Receiving Grant Aid 91% 99%

Admission

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre VCU
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 640 19,052
Admitted 605 17,729
Acceptance Rate 94.5% 93.1%
Enrolled % 14.9% 25.5%
Avg High School GPA - 3.75
Typical High School Grades - A-
Admissions Standards Challenging Challenging
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 22/30
SAT Range 1060/1305 1030/1270
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 Jan 18, 2026

Academics

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre VCU
Student to Faculty Ratio 10:1 17:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (34%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (28%)
  • Engineering Technology (19%)
  • English and Literature (12%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (5%)
  • Business (15%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (13%)
  • Health Professions (9%)
  • Psychology (9%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (8%)

Outcomes

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre 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 Wilkes-Barre VCU
% Men 0% 8%
% Women 1% 17%
Racial Diversity Very Low Very High
HBCU No No
% White 88% 50%
% Black 3% 18%
% Hispanic 5% 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 Wilkes-Barre VCU
% In-State 83% 92%
% Out-of-State 17% 6%

Campus

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre 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 Wilkes-Barre based on total student enrollment (28,238 students vs. 353 students)

Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. VCU Cost Comparison

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

  • Penn State Wilkes Barre is 7.6% more expensive to attend than VCU for in-state tuition ($13,824.00 vs. $12,850.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 49% higher at VCU than Penn State Wilkes Barre ($34,744.00 vs. $23,316.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Wilkes Barre than VCU ($16,275 vs. $22,852)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Wilkes Barre are 19.9% lower than costs at Virginia Commonwealth University ($13,448 vs. $16,119)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Virginia Commonwealth University than Penn State Wilkes Barre (99% vs. 91%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Virginia Commonwealth University students is 39% larger than aid received Penn State Wilkes Barre ($12,433 vs. $8,945)

Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. VCU Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at Virginia Commonwealth University (1097) is 115 points higher than at Penn State Wilkes-Barre (982)
  • Incoming VCU students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (24) than students at Penn State Wilkes-Barre (22)
  • Penn State Wilkes-Barre has a higher acceptance rate (94.5%) than VCU (93.1%)

Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. VCU Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Penn State Wilkes-Barre 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 Wilkes-Barre.

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