Penn State vs. Ship

Should I go to Penn State Main Campus or Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if Penn State or Ship 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 Main Campus vs. Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania comparison
Penn State Main Campus Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania College 3 College 4
Penn State Main Campus Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
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Overview

Penn State Ship
Location University Park, PA Shippensburg, PA
Setting Small City Distant Town
Enrollment 50,028 5,162
Type Public 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #167 #666
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu ship.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

Penn State Ship
Tuition (In State) $18,368 $9,570
Tuition (Out of State) $35,946 $10,048
Room & Board $12,744 $11,538
Avg Net Price $26,747 $21,462
Avg Grant Aid $10,066 $7,593
% Receiving Grant Aid 44% 91%

Admission

Penn State Ship
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 85,784 6,367
Admitted 47,360 5,590
Acceptance Rate 55.2% 87.8%
Enrolled % 19.5% 19.3%
Avg High School GPA - 3.23
Typical High School Grades - B
Admissions Standards Very High Moderate
Applicant Competition Low
ACT Range 26/31
SAT Range 1210/1390 980/1210
Submit Test Scores Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional) Required to be considered for admission
Application Deadline

Academics

Penn State Ship
Student to Faculty Ratio 15:1 17:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (16%)
  • Engineering (12%)
  • Communication (9%)
  • Computer and Information Sciences (7%)
  • Social Sciences (7%)
  • Business (26%)
  • Education (13%)
  • Psychology (8%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (6%)
  • Social Sciences (6%)

Outcomes

Penn State Ship
Graduation Rate 87% 60%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $47,200
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 72%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $25,000
Median Loan Payment $277 $258

Diversity

Penn State Ship
% Men 53% 47%
% Women 47% 53%
Racial Diversity Medium Low
HBCU No No
% White 69% 78%
% Black 4% 10%
% Hispanic 6% 5%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 3% 3%
% International 11% 0%
% Unknown Race 2% 1%

Students

Penn State Ship
% In-State 51% 90%
% Out-of-State 40% 10%

Campus

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

Comparable Facts

  • Penn State Main Campus is larger than than Ship based on total student enrollment (50,028 students vs. 5,162 students)

Penn State vs. Ship Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Penn State or Ship?

  • Penn State Main Campus is 91.9% more expensive to attend than Ship for in-state tuition ($18,368.00 vs. $9,570.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 257.7% higher at Penn State than Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania ($35,946.00 vs. $10,048.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania than Penn State ($21,462 vs. $26,747)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania are 10.5% lower than costs at Penn State Main Campus ($11,538 vs. $12,744)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania than Penn State Main Campus (91% vs. 44%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Penn State Main Campus students is 32.6% larger than aid received Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania ($10,066 vs. $7,593)

Penn State vs. Ship Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at Penn State Main Campus (1202) is 223 points higher than at Ship (979)
  • Incoming Penn State students have a 6 point higher average ACT score (27) than students at Ship (21)
  • Ship has a higher acceptance rate (87.8%) than Penn State (55.2%)

Penn State vs. Ship Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

  • The graduation rate at Penn State is higher than Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (87% vs. 60%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Main Campus earn on average $8,100 more per year than Ship graduates after ten years. ($55,300 vs. $47,200)
  • Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania students graduate with a $1,818 lower median federal student loan debt than Penn State graduates. ($25,000 vs. $26,818)
  • Ship graduates are paying $19 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State graduates. ($258 vs. $277)
  • More Ship graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Penn State students, three years after graduation. (72% vs. 69%)

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