Penn State Altoona vs. Bennington

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

 Penn State Altoona Bennington
Location Altoona, PA Bennington, VT
Setting Small City Rural Fringe
Enrollment 2,577 880
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #584
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu bennington.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 Penn State Altoona Bennington
Tuition (In State) $15,388 $60,648
Tuition (Out of State) $25,854 $60,648
Room & Board $12,984 $17,720
Avg Net Price $20,621 $32,497
Avg Grant Aid $9,574 $49,183
% Receiving Grant Aid 68% 98%

Admission

 Penn State Altoona Bennington
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 7,523 2,801
Admitted 7,204 1,269
Acceptance Rate 95.8% 45.3%
Enrolled % 12.6% 17.3%
Avg High School GPA 3.4 3.51
Typical High School Grades B+ B+
Admissions Standards Average Very High
Applicant Competition Low
ACT Range 21/28 29/33
SAT Range 1050/1250 1260/1370
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 Jan 15, 2024

Academics

 Penn State Altoona Bennington
Student to Faculty Ratio 12:1 9:1
Popular Majors
  • Health Professions (19%)
  • Business (17%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (13%)
  • Engineering (7%)
  • Education (6%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (39%)
  • Social Sciences (12%)
  • English and Literature (11%)
  • Foreign Languages (8%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (6%)

Outcomes

 Penn State Altoona Bennington
Graduation Rate 65% 67%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $31,700
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 77%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $26,000
Median Loan Payment $277 $268

Diversity

 Penn State Altoona Bennington
% Men 53% 31%
% Women 47% 69%
Racial Diversity Low Medium
HBCU No No
% White 77% 65%
% Black 7% 2%
% Hispanic 6% 6%
% Native American 0% 1%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 5%
% International 5% 13%
% Unknown Race 1% 5%

Students

 Penn State Altoona Bennington
% In-State 59% 2%
% Out-of-State 35% 87%

Campus

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

Comparable Facts

  • Penn State Altoona is larger than than Bennington based on total student enrollment (2,577 students vs. 880 students)

Penn State Altoona vs. Bennington Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Penn State Altoona or Bennington?

  • Bennington College is 294.1% more expensive to attend than Penn State Altoona for in-state tuition ($60,648.00 vs. $15,388.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 134.6% higher at Bennington than Penn State Altoona ($60,648.00 vs. $25,854.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Altoona than Bennington ($20,621 vs. $32,497)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Altoona are 36.5% lower than costs at Bennington College ($12,984 vs. $17,720)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Bennington College than Penn State Altoona (98% vs. 68%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Bennington College students is 413.7% larger than aid received Penn State Altoona ($49,183 vs. $9,574)

Penn State Altoona vs. Bennington Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • Accepted freshman Bennington students have a 0.11 point higher average high school GPA (3.51) than students at Penn State Altoona (3.4)
  • Penn State Altoona has a higher acceptance rate (95.8%) than Bennington (45.3%)

Penn State Altoona vs. Bennington Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Penn State Altoona or Bennington? 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 Bennington and Penn State Altoona.

  • The graduation rate at Bennington is higher than Penn State Altoona (67% vs. 65%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Altoona earn on average $23,600 more per year than Bennington graduates after ten years. ($55,300 vs. $31,700)
  • Bennington College students graduate with a $818 lower median federal student loan debt than Penn State Altoona graduates. ($26,000 vs. $26,818)
  • Bennington graduates are paying $9 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Altoona graduates. ($268 vs. $277)
  • More Bennington graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Penn State Altoona students, three years after graduation. (77% vs. 69%)

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