Penn State vs. Wilkes

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

Penn State Wilkes
Location University Park, PA Wilkes-Barre, PA
Setting Small City Small City
Enrollment 50,028 5,207
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #167 #478
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu wilkes.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

Penn State Wilkes
Tuition (In State) $18,368 $39,134
Tuition (Out of State) $35,946 $39,134
Room & Board $12,744 $15,850
Avg Net Price $26,747 $27,918
Avg Grant Aid $10,066 $29,441
% Receiving Grant Aid 44% 97%

Admission

Penn State Wilkes
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 85,784 4,798
Admitted 47,360 4,517
Acceptance Rate 55.2% 94.1%
Enrolled % 19.5% 10.6%
Avg High School GPA - 3.56
Typical High School Grades - B+
Admissions Standards Very High Average
Applicant Competition Low
ACT Range 26/31 21/26
SAT Range 1210/1390 1060/1260
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

Academics

Penn State Wilkes
Student to Faculty Ratio 15:1 13:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (16%)
  • Engineering (12%)
  • Communication (9%)
  • Computer and Information Sciences (7%)
  • Social Sciences (7%)
  • Business (18%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (13%)
  • Health Professions (11%)
  • Engineering (11%)
  • Communication (8%)

Outcomes

Penn State Wilkes
Graduation Rate 87% 58%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $58,200
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 75%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $26,000
Median Loan Payment $277 $268

Diversity

Penn State Wilkes
% Men 53% 31%
% Women 47% 69%
Racial Diversity Medium Low
HBCU No No
% White 69% 73%
% Black 4% 4%
% Hispanic 6% 6%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 3% 4%
% International 11% 9%
% Unknown Race 2% 2%

Students

Penn State Wilkes
% In-State 51% 75%
% Out-of-State 40% 24%

Campus

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

Comparable Facts

  • Penn State Main Campus is larger than than Wilkes based on total student enrollment (50,028 students vs. 5,207 students)

Penn State vs. Wilkes Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Penn State or Wilkes?

  • Wilkes University is 113.1% more expensive to attend than Penn State for in-state tuition ($39,134.00 vs. $18,368.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 8.9% higher at Wilkes than Penn State Main Campus ($39,134.00 vs. $35,946.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Main Campus than Wilkes ($26,747 vs. $27,918)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Main Campus are 24.4% lower than costs at Wilkes University ($12,744 vs. $15,850)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Wilkes University than Penn State Main Campus (97% vs. 44%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Wilkes University students is 192.5% larger than aid received Penn State Main Campus ($29,441 vs. $10,066)

Penn State vs. Wilkes Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at Penn State Main Campus (1202) is 149 points higher than at Wilkes (1053)
  • Wilkes has a higher acceptance rate (94.1%) than Penn State (55.2%)

Penn State vs. Wilkes Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

  • The graduation rate at Penn State is higher than Wilkes University (87% vs. 58%)
  • Graduates from Wilkes University earn on average $2,900 more per year than Penn State graduates after ten years. ($58,200 vs. $55,300)
  • Wilkes University students graduate with a $818 lower median federal student loan debt than Penn State graduates. ($26,000 vs. $26,818)
  • Wilkes graduates are paying $9 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State graduates. ($268 vs. $277)
  • More Wilkes graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Penn State students, three years after graduation. (75% vs. 69%)

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