SUNY Poly vs. Penn State Altoona

Should I go to SUNY Polytechnic Institute or Penn State Altoona? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if SUNY Poly or Penn State Altoona 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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SUNY Polytechnic Institute vs. Penn State Altoona comparison
SUNY Polytechnic Institute Penn State Altoona College 3 College 4
SUNY Polytechnic Institute
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Overview

 SUNY Poly Penn State Altoona
Location Utica, NY Altoona, PA
Setting Rural Fringe Small City
Enrollment 2,704 2,421
Type Public 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #307 #618
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website sunyit.edu psu.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 SUNY Poly Penn State Altoona
Tuition (In State) $7,070 $15,388
Tuition (Out of State) $18,720 $26,112
Room & Board $14,750 $13,820
Avg Net Price $14,646 $22,506
Avg Grant Aid $8,137 $8,730
% Receiving Grant Aid 90% 64%

Admission

 SUNY Poly Penn State Altoona
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 4,936 7,134
Admitted 3,872 6,942
Acceptance Rate 78.4% 97.3%
Enrolled % 10% 12.4%
Avg High School GPA 3.7 3.4
Typical High School Grades A- B+
Admissions Standards Challenging Average
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 24/27 22/27
SAT Range 1150/1330 1050/1260
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 Aug 1, 2026

Academics

 SUNY Poly Penn State Altoona
Student to Faculty Ratio 14:1 12:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (24%)
  • Engineering Technology (20%)
  • Health Professions (20%)
  • Computer and Information Sciences (13%)
  • Psychology (10%)
  • Health Professions (19%)
  • Business (17%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (13%)
  • Engineering (7%)
  • Education (6%)

Outcomes

 SUNY Poly Penn State Altoona
Graduation Rate 47% 65%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $53,200 $55,300
Making Student Loan Payments 63% 69%
Median Student Loan Debt $16,585 $26,818
Median Loan Payment $171 $277

Diversity

 SUNY Poly Penn State Altoona
% Men 11% 0%
% Women 19% 0%
Racial Diversity Low Low
HBCU No No
% White 79% 77%
% Black 6% 7%
% Hispanic 7% 6%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 2%
% International 1% 5%
% Unknown Race 0% 1%

Students

 SUNY Poly Penn State Altoona
% In-State 95% 59%
% Out-of-State 3% 35%

Campus

 SUNY Poly Penn State Altoona
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan Yes Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes Yes No
Daycare Facility No No
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • SUNY Polytechnic Institute is larger than than Penn State Altoona based on total student enrollment (2,704 students vs. 2,421 students)

SUNY Poly vs. Penn State Altoona Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, SUNY Poly or Penn State Altoona?

  • Penn State Altoona is 117.7% more expensive to attend than SUNY Poly for in-state tuition ($15,388.00 vs. $7,070.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 39.5% higher at Penn State Altoona than SUNY Polytechnic Institute ($26,112.00 vs. $18,720.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at SUNY Polytechnic Institute than Penn State Altoona ($14,646 vs. $22,506)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Altoona are 6.7% lower than costs at SUNY Polytechnic Institute ($13,820 vs. $14,750)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at SUNY Polytechnic Institute than Penn State Altoona (90% vs. 64%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Penn State Altoona students is 7.3% larger than aid received SUNY Polytechnic Institute ($8,730 vs. $8,137)

SUNY Poly vs. Penn State Altoona Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at SUNY Polytechnic Institute (1141) is 148 points higher than at Penn State Altoona (993)
  • Incoming SUNY Poly students have a 4 point higher average ACT score (26) than students at Penn State Altoona (22)
  • Accepted freshman SUNY Poly students have a 0.3 point higher average high school GPA (3.7) than students at Penn State Altoona (3.4)
  • Penn State Altoona has a higher acceptance rate (97.3%) than SUNY Poly (78.4%)

SUNY Poly vs. Penn State Altoona Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, SUNY Poly or Penn State Altoona? 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 Altoona and SUNY Poly.

  • The graduation rate at Penn State Altoona is higher than SUNY Polytechnic Institute (65% vs. 47%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Altoona earn on average $2,100 more per year than SUNY Poly graduates after ten years. ($55,300 vs. $53,200)
  • SUNY Polytechnic Institute students graduate with a $10,233 lower median federal student loan debt than Penn State Altoona graduates. ($16,585 vs. $26,818)
  • SUNY Poly graduates are paying $106 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Altoona graduates. ($171 vs. $277)
  • More Penn State Altoona graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former SUNY Poly students, three years after graduation. (69% vs. 63%)

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