College of Mount St. Joseph vs. Penn State Altoona

Should I go to College of Mount St. Joseph or Penn State Altoona? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if College of Mount St. Joseph 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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College of Mount St. Joseph vs. Penn State Altoona comparison
College of Mount St. Joseph Penn State Altoona College 3 College 4
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Overview

 College of Mount St. Joseph Penn State Altoona
Location Cincinnati, OH Altoona, PA
Setting Large Suburban Small City
Enrollment 2,027 2,577
Type Private 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #470 #584
Religious Affiliation Roman Catholic - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website msj.edu psu.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 College of Mount St. Joseph Penn State Altoona
Tuition (In State) $33,750 $15,388
Tuition (Out of State) $33,750 $25,854
Room & Board $10,650 $12,984
Avg Net Price $17,506 $20,621
Avg Grant Aid $25,149 $9,574
% Receiving Grant Aid 100% 68%

Admission

 College of Mount St. Joseph Penn State Altoona
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 2,127 7,523
Admitted 1,156 7,204
Acceptance Rate 54.3% 95.8%
Enrolled % 25.6% 12.6%
Avg High School GPA 3.56 3.4
Typical High School Grades B+ B+
Admissions Standards Average Average
Applicant Competition Low
ACT Range 21/27 21/28
SAT Range 1068/1233 1050/1250
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

Academics

 College of Mount St. Joseph Penn State Altoona
Student to Faculty Ratio 10:1 12:1
Popular Majors
  • Health Professions (27%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (13%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (12%)
  • Business (10%)
  • Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (7%)
  • Health Professions (19%)
  • Business (17%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (13%)
  • Engineering (7%)
  • Education (6%)

Outcomes

 College of Mount St. Joseph Penn State Altoona
Graduation Rate 59% 65%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $44,700 $55,300
Making Student Loan Payments 59% 69%
Median Student Loan Debt $28,000 $26,818
Median Loan Payment $289 $277

Diversity

 College of Mount St. Joseph Penn State Altoona
% Men 37% 53%
% Women 63% 47%
Racial Diversity Low Low
HBCU No No
% White 78% 77%
% Black 11% 7%
% Hispanic 1% 6%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 4% 2%
% International 0% 5%
% Unknown Race 5% 1%

Students

 College of Mount St. Joseph Penn State Altoona
% In-State 74% 59%
% Out-of-State 26% 35%

Campus

 College of Mount St. Joseph Penn State Altoona
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan Yes Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes Yes No
Daycare Facility Yes No
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • Penn State Altoona is larger than than College of Mount St. Joseph based on total student enrollment (2,577 students vs. 2,027 students)

College of Mount St. Joseph vs. Penn State Altoona Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, College of Mount St. Joseph or Penn State Altoona?

  • College of Mount St. Joseph is 119.3% more expensive to attend than Penn State Altoona for in-state tuition ($33,750.00 vs. $15,388.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 30.5% higher at College of Mount St. Joseph than Penn State Altoona ($33,750.00 vs. $25,854.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at College of Mount St. Joseph than Penn State Altoona ($17,506 vs. $20,621)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at College of Mount St. Joseph are 21.9% lower than costs at Penn State Altoona ($10,650 vs. $12,984)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at College of Mount St. Joseph than Penn State Altoona (100% vs. 68%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by College of Mount St. Joseph students is 162.7% larger than aid received Penn State Altoona ($25,149 vs. $9,574)

College of Mount St. Joseph vs. Penn State Altoona Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, College of Mount St. Joseph 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 College of Mount St. Joseph .

  • Accepted freshman College of Mount St. Joseph students have a 0.16 point higher average high school GPA (3.56) than students at Penn State Altoona (3.4)
  • Penn State Altoona has a higher acceptance rate (95.8%) than College of Mount St. Joseph (54.3%)

College of Mount St. Joseph vs. Penn State Altoona Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, College of Mount St. Joseph 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 College of Mount St. Joseph.

  • The graduation rate at Penn State Altoona is higher than College of Mount St. Joseph (65% vs. 59%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Altoona earn on average $10,600 more per year than College of Mount St. Joseph graduates after ten years. ($55,300 vs. $44,700)
  • Penn State Altoona students graduate with a $1,182 lower median federal student loan debt than College of Mount St. Joseph graduates. ($26,818 vs. $28,000)
  • Penn State Altoona graduates are paying $12 less per month on federal student loans than College of Mount St. Joseph graduates. ($277 vs. $289)
  • More Penn State Altoona graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former College of Mount St. Joseph students, three years after graduation. (69% vs. 59%)

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