Penn State Altoona vs. Ferrum College

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

 Penn State Altoona Ferrum College
Location Altoona, PA Ferrum, VA
Setting Small City Distant Rural
Enrollment 2,577 855
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #584
Religious Affiliation - United Methodist - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu ferrum.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 Penn State Altoona Ferrum College
Tuition (In State) $15,388 $37,400
Tuition (Out of State) $25,854 $37,400
Room & Board $12,984 $13,230
Avg Net Price $20,621 $25,558
Avg Grant Aid $9,574 $26,580
% Receiving Grant Aid 68% 94%

Admission

 Penn State Altoona Ferrum College
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 7,523 1,452
Admitted 7,204 1,224
Acceptance Rate 95.8% 84.3%
Enrolled % 12.6% 19.4%
Avg High School GPA 3.4 3.14
Typical High School Grades B+ B
Admissions Standards Average Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 21/28
SAT Range 1050/1250 900/1110
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 Sep 15, 2023

Academics

 Penn State Altoona Ferrum College
Student to Faculty Ratio 12:1 11:1
Popular Majors
  • Health Professions (19%)
  • Business (17%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (13%)
  • Engineering (7%)
  • Education (6%)
  • Business (20%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (10%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (8%)
  • Education (7%)
  • Psychology (6%)

Outcomes

 Penn State Altoona Ferrum College
Graduation Rate 65% 31%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $39,000
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 49%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $28,000
Median Loan Payment $277 $289

Diversity

 Penn State Altoona Ferrum College
% Men 53% 58%
% Women 47% 42%
Racial Diversity Low High
HBCU No No
% White 77% 52%
% Black 7% 34%
% Hispanic 6% 5%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 6%
% International 5% 1%
% Unknown Race 1% 1%

Students

 Penn State Altoona Ferrum College
% In-State 59% 64%
% Out-of-State 35% 34%

Campus

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

Comparable Facts

  • Penn State Altoona is larger than than Ferrum College based on total student enrollment (2,577 students vs. 855 students)

Penn State Altoona vs. Ferrum College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Penn State Altoona or Ferrum College?

  • Ferrum College is 143% more expensive to attend than Penn State Altoona for in-state tuition ($37,400.00 vs. $15,388.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 44.7% higher at Ferrum College than Penn State Altoona ($37,400.00 vs. $25,854.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Altoona than Ferrum College ($20,621 vs. $25,558)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Altoona are 1.9% lower than costs at Ferrum College ($12,984 vs. $13,230)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Ferrum College than Penn State Altoona (94% vs. 68%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Ferrum College students is 177.6% larger than aid received Penn State Altoona ($26,580 vs. $9,574)

Penn State Altoona vs. Ferrum College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at Penn State Altoona (993) is 112 points higher than at Ferrum College (881)
  • Incoming Penn State Altoona students have a 4 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at Ferrum College (18)
  • Accepted freshman Penn State Altoona students have a 0.26 point higher average high school GPA (3.4) than students at Ferrum College (3.14)
  • Penn State Altoona has a higher acceptance rate (95.8%) than Ferrum College (84.3%)

Penn State Altoona vs. Ferrum College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Penn State Altoona or Ferrum College? 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 Ferrum College and Penn State Altoona.

  • The graduation rate at Penn State Altoona is higher than Ferrum College (65% vs. 31%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Altoona earn on average $16,300 more per year than Ferrum College graduates after ten years. ($55,300 vs. $39,000)
  • Penn State Altoona students graduate with a $1,182 lower median federal student loan debt than Ferrum College graduates. ($26,818 vs. $28,000)
  • Penn State Altoona graduates are paying $12 less per month on federal student loans than Ferrum College graduates. ($277 vs. $289)
  • More Penn State Altoona graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Ferrum College students, three years after graduation. (69% vs. 49%)

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