St. Mary's vs. Penn State Harrisburg

Should I go to St Mary's College of Maryland or Penn State Harrisburg? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if St. Mary's or Penn State Harrisburg 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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St Mary's College of Maryland vs. Penn State Harrisburg comparison
St Mary's College of Maryland Penn State Harrisburg College 3 College 4
St Mary's College of Maryland Penn State Harrisburg
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Overview

 St. Mary's Penn State Harrisburg
Location St. Mary's City, MD Middletown, PA
Setting Distant Rural Large Suburban
Enrollment 1,520 4,572
Type Public 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #143 #613
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website smcm.edu psu.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 St. Mary's Penn State Harrisburg
Tuition (In State) $12,116 $15,388
Tuition (Out of State) $28,192 $25,854
Room & Board $14,146 $14,978
Avg Net Price $20,714 $22,096
Avg Grant Aid $10,265 $8,882
% Receiving Grant Aid 94% 63%

Admission

 St. Mary's Penn State Harrisburg
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 2,934 9,925
Admitted 2,268 9,483
Acceptance Rate 77.3% 95.5%
Enrolled % 18.1% 12.6%
Avg High School GPA 3.45 3.48
Typical High School Grades B+ B+
Admissions Standards Difficult Challenging
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 28/30 24/28
SAT Range 1130/1370 1100/1310
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, 2025

Academics

 St. Mary's Penn State Harrisburg
Student to Faculty Ratio 10:1 14:1
Popular Majors
  • Social Sciences (28%)
  • Psychology (18%)
  • English and Literature (13%)
  • Biology (11%)
  • History (6%)
  • Business (34%)
  • Engineering (23%)
  • Psychology (7%)
  • Communication (7%)
  • English and Literature (5%)

Outcomes

 St. Mary's Penn State Harrisburg
Graduation Rate 79% 63%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $51,500 $55,300
Making Student Loan Payments 82% 69%
Median Student Loan Debt $20,370 $26,818
Median Loan Payment $210 $277

Diversity

 St. Mary's Penn State Harrisburg
% Men 41% 60%
% Women 59% 40%
Racial Diversity Low High
HBCU No No
% White 71% 59%
% Black 8% 11%
% Hispanic 8% 6%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 5% 3%
% International 1% 10%
% Unknown Race 3% 2%

Students

 St. Mary's Penn State Harrisburg
% In-State 87% 46%
% Out-of-State 12% 27%

Campus

 St. Mary's Penn State Harrisburg
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan Yes Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes No Yes
Daycare Facility No Yes
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • Penn State Harrisburg is larger than than St. Mary's based on total student enrollment (4,572 students vs. 1,520 students)

St. Mary's vs. Penn State Harrisburg Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, St. Mary's or Penn State Harrisburg?

  • Penn State Harrisburg is 27% more expensive to attend than St. Mary's for in-state tuition ($15,388.00 vs. $12,116.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 9% higher at St. Mary's than Penn State Harrisburg ($28,192.00 vs. $25,854.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at St Mary's College of Maryland than Penn State Harrisburg ($20,714 vs. $22,096)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at St Mary's College of Maryland are 5.9% lower than costs at Penn State Harrisburg ($14,146 vs. $14,978)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at St Mary's College of Maryland than Penn State Harrisburg (94% vs. 63%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by St Mary's College of Maryland students is 15.6% larger than aid received Penn State Harrisburg ($10,265 vs. $8,882)

St. Mary's vs. Penn State Harrisburg Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, St. Mary's or Penn State Harrisburg? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Penn State Harrisburg or St. Mary's .

  • The average SAT score at St Mary's College of Maryland (1145) is 102 points higher than at Penn State Harrisburg (1043)
  • Incoming St. Mary's students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Penn State Harrisburg (23)
  • Accepted freshman Penn State Harrisburg students have a 0.03 point higher average high school GPA (3.48) than students at St. Mary's (3.45)
  • Penn State Harrisburg has a higher acceptance rate (95.5%) than St. Mary's (77.3%)

St. Mary's vs. Penn State Harrisburg Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, St. Mary's or Penn State Harrisburg? 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 Harrisburg and St. Mary's.

  • The graduation rate at St. Mary's is higher than Penn State Harrisburg (79% vs. 63%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Harrisburg earn on average $3,800 more per year than St. Mary's graduates after ten years. ($55,300 vs. $51,500)
  • St Mary's College of Maryland students graduate with a $6,448 lower median federal student loan debt than Penn State Harrisburg graduates. ($20,370 vs. $26,818)
  • St. Mary's graduates are paying $67 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Harrisburg graduates. ($210 vs. $277)
  • More St. Mary's graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Penn State Harrisburg students, three years after graduation. (82% vs. 69%)

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