Northwestern vs. Penn State vs. Georgia Tech

Northwestern University vs. Penn State Main Campus vs. Georgia Institute of Technology Main Campus comparison

	Northwestern University	Penn State Main Campus	Georgia Institute of Technology Main Campus	College 4
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Overview	Northwestern	Penn State	Georgia Tech
Location	Evanston, IL	University Park, PA	Atlanta, GA
Setting	Small City	Small City	Large City
Enrollment	23,161	50,028	45,296
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#15	#167	#139
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	northwestern.edu	psu.edu	gatech.edu
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Comparable Facts

• Penn State Main Campus is larger than than Northwestern based on total student enrollment (50,028 students vs. 23,161 students)

Northwestern vs. Penn State Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Northwestern or Penn State?

• Northwestern University is 239.7% more expensive to attend than Penn State for in-state tuition ($62,391.00 vs. $18,368.00)
• Out of state tuition is 73.6% higher at Northwestern than Penn State Main Campus ($62,391.00 vs. $35,946.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Northwestern University than Penn State ($22,095 vs. $26,747)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Main Campus are 52.5% lower than costs at Northwestern University ($12,744 vs. $19,440)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Northwestern University than Penn State Main Campus (50% vs. 44%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Northwestern University students is 513.1% larger than aid received Penn State Main Campus ($61,716 vs. $10,066)

Northwestern vs. Penn State Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Northwestern University (1460) is 258 points higher than at Penn State (1202)
• Incoming Northwestern students have a 6 point higher average ACT score (33) than students at Penn State (27)
• Penn State has a higher acceptance rate (55.2%) than Northwestern (7.2%)

Northwestern vs. Penn State Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Northwestern or Penn State? 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 and Northwestern.

• The graduation rate at Northwestern is higher than Penn State Main Campus (94% vs. 87%)
• Graduates from Northwestern University earn on average $34,500 more per year than Penn State graduates after ten years. ($89,800 vs. $55,300)
• Northwestern University students graduate with a $7,440 lower median federal student loan debt than Penn State graduates. ($19,378 vs. $26,818)
• Northwestern graduates are paying $77 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State graduates. ($200 vs. $277)
• More Northwestern graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Penn State students, three years after graduation. (87% vs. 69%)

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