Penn State Altoona vs. PAFA

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

Penn State Altoona PAFA
Location Altoona, PA Philadelphia, PA
Setting Small City Large City
Enrollment 2,577 172
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #584
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu pafa.org
Team Colors                    

Costs

Penn State Altoona PAFA
Tuition (In State) $15,388 $40,500
Tuition (Out of State) $25,854 $40,500
Room & Board $12,984 $17,512
Avg Net Price $20,621 $48,191
Avg Grant Aid $9,574 $16,087
% Receiving Grant Aid 68% 80%

Admission

Penn State Altoona PAFA
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 7,523 183
Admitted 7,204 167
Acceptance Rate 95.8% 91.3%
Enrolled % 12.6% 11.4%
Avg High School GPA 3.4 -
Typical High School Grades B+ -
Admissions Standards Average Unavailable
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 21/28
SAT Range 1050/1250
Submit Test Scores Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional) Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)
Application Deadline Feb 1, 2024

Academics

Penn State Altoona PAFA
Student to Faculty Ratio 12:1 5:1
Popular Majors
  • Health Professions (19%)
  • Business (17%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (13%)
  • Engineering (7%)
  • Education (6%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (100%)

Outcomes

Penn State Altoona PAFA
Graduation Rate 65% 73%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $22,000
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 63%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $26,500
Median Loan Payment $277 $274

Diversity

Penn State Altoona PAFA
% Men 53% 31%
% Women 47% 69%
Racial Diversity Low Medium
HBCU No No
% White 77% 61%
% Black 7% 5%
% Hispanic 6% 7%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 6%
% International 5% 6%
% Unknown Race 1% 7%

Students

Penn State Altoona PAFA
% In-State 59% 53%
% Out-of-State 35% 42%

Campus

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

Comparable Facts

  • Penn State Altoona is larger than than PAFA based on total student enrollment (2,577 students vs. 172 students)

Penn State Altoona vs. PAFA Cost Comparison

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

  • Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is 163.2% more expensive to attend than Penn State Altoona for in-state tuition ($40,500.00 vs. $15,388.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 56.6% higher at PAFA than Penn State Altoona ($40,500.00 vs. $25,854.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Altoona than PAFA ($20,621 vs. $48,191)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Altoona are 34.9% lower than costs at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts ($12,984 vs. $17,512)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts than Penn State Altoona (80% vs. 68%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts students is 68% larger than aid received Penn State Altoona ($16,087 vs. $9,574)

Penn State Altoona vs. PAFA Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • Penn State Altoona has a higher acceptance rate (95.8%) than PAFA (91.3%)

Penn State Altoona vs. PAFA Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

  • The graduation rate at PAFA is higher than Penn State Altoona (73% vs. 65%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Altoona earn on average $33,300 more per year than PAFA graduates after ten years. ($55,300 vs. $22,000)
  • Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts students graduate with a $318 lower median federal student loan debt than Penn State Altoona graduates. ($26,500 vs. $26,818)
  • PAFA graduates are paying $3 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Altoona graduates. ($274 vs. $277)
  • More Penn State Altoona graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former PAFA students, three years after graduation. (69% vs. 63%)

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