Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. VMI

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

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre VMI
Location Lehman, PA Lexington, VA
Setting Rural Fringe Distant Rural
Enrollment 353 1,560
Type Public 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #175
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu vmi.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre VMI
Tuition (In State) $13,824 $10,076
Tuition (Out of State) $23,316 $40,778
Room & Board $13,448 $10,990
Avg Net Price $16,275 $17,229
Avg Grant Aid $8,945 $13,735
% Receiving Grant Aid 91% 81%

Admission

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre VMI
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 640 1,171
Admitted 605 957
Acceptance Rate 94.5% 81.7%
Enrolled % 14.9% 49%
Avg High School GPA - 3.65
Typical High School Grades - B+
Admissions Standards Challenging Challenging
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 22/28
SAT Range 1060/1305 1040/1260
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 Feb 1, 2026

Academics

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre VMI
Student to Faculty Ratio 10:1 10:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (34%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (28%)
  • Engineering Technology (19%)
  • English and Literature (12%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (5%)
  • Social Sciences (30%)
  • Engineering (23%)
  • History (14%)
  • Psychology (12%)
  • Foreign Languages (7%)

Outcomes

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre VMI
Graduation Rate 47% 69%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $62,100
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 84%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $25,000
Median Loan Payment $277 $258

Diversity

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre VMI
% Men 0% 61%
% Women 1% 9%
Racial Diversity Very Low Very Low
HBCU No No
% White 88% 80%
% Black 3% 6%
% Hispanic 5% 5%
% Native American 0% 1%
% Pacific Islander 0% 1%
% Two or More Races 2% 2%
% International 0% 2%
% Unknown Race 1% 0%

Students

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre VMI
% In-State 83% 63%
% Out-of-State 17% 35%

Campus

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

Comparable Facts

  • Virginia Military Institute is larger than than Penn State Wilkes-Barre based on total student enrollment (1,560 students vs. 353 students)

Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. VMI Cost Comparison

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

  • Penn State Wilkes Barre is 37.2% more expensive to attend than VMI for in-state tuition ($13,824.00 vs. $10,076.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 74.9% higher at VMI than Penn State Wilkes Barre ($40,778.00 vs. $23,316.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Wilkes Barre than VMI ($16,275 vs. $17,229)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Virginia Military Institute are 22.4% lower than costs at Penn State Wilkes Barre ($10,990 vs. $13,448)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Penn State Wilkes Barre than Virginia Military Institute (91% vs. 81%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Virginia Military Institute students is 53.5% larger than aid received Penn State Wilkes Barre ($13,735 vs. $8,945)

Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. VMI Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at Virginia Military Institute (1139) is 157 points higher than at Penn State Wilkes-Barre (982)
  • Incoming VMI students have a 3 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Penn State Wilkes-Barre (22)
  • Penn State Wilkes-Barre has a higher acceptance rate (94.5%) than VMI (81.7%)

Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. VMI Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

  • The graduation rate at VMI is higher than Penn State Wilkes Barre (69% vs. 47%)
  • Graduates from Virginia Military Institute earn on average $6,800 more per year than Penn State Wilkes-Barre graduates after ten years. ($62,100 vs. $55,300)
  • Virginia Military Institute students graduate with a $1,818 lower median federal student loan debt than Penn State Wilkes-Barre graduates. ($25,000 vs. $26,818)
  • VMI graduates are paying $19 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Wilkes-Barre graduates. ($258 vs. $277)
  • More VMI 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/