Penn State Altoona vs. VCU

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

 Penn State Altoona VCU
Location Altoona, PA Richmond, VA
Setting Small City Midsize City
Enrollment 2,421 28,238
Type Public 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #618 #469
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu vcu.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 Penn State Altoona VCU
Tuition (In State) $15,388 $12,850
Tuition (Out of State) $26,112 $34,744
Room & Board $13,820 $16,119
Avg Net Price $22,506 $22,852
Avg Grant Aid $8,730 $12,433
% Receiving Grant Aid 64% 99%

Admission

 Penn State Altoona VCU
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 7,134 19,052
Admitted 6,942 17,729
Acceptance Rate 97.3% 93.1%
Enrolled % 12.4% 25.5%
Avg High School GPA 3.4 3.75
Typical High School Grades B+ A-
Admissions Standards Average Challenging
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 22/27 22/30
SAT Range 1050/1260 1030/1270
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 18, 2025

Academics

 Penn State Altoona VCU
Student to Faculty Ratio 12:1 17:1
Popular Majors
  • Health Professions (19%)
  • Business (17%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (13%)
  • Engineering (7%)
  • Education (6%)
  • Business (15%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (13%)
  • Health Professions (9%)
  • Psychology (9%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (8%)

Outcomes

 Penn State Altoona VCU
Graduation Rate 65% 53%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $47,500
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 56%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $23,250
Median Loan Payment $277 $240

Diversity

 Penn State Altoona VCU
% Men 0% 8%
% Women 0% 17%
Racial Diversity Low Very High
HBCU No No
% White 77% 50%
% Black 7% 18%
% Hispanic 6% 8%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 6%
% International 5% 3%
% Unknown Race 1% 1%

Students

 Penn State Altoona VCU
% In-State 59% 92%
% Out-of-State 35% 6%

Campus

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

Comparable Facts

  • Virginia Commonwealth University is larger than than Penn State Altoona based on total student enrollment (28,238 students vs. 2,421 students)

Penn State Altoona vs. VCU Cost Comparison

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

  • Penn State Altoona is 19.8% more expensive to attend than VCU for in-state tuition ($15,388.00 vs. $12,850.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 33.1% higher at VCU than Penn State Altoona ($34,744.00 vs. $26,112.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Altoona than VCU ($22,506 vs. $22,852)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Altoona are 16.6% lower than costs at Virginia Commonwealth University ($13,820 vs. $16,119)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Virginia Commonwealth University than Penn State Altoona (99% vs. 64%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Virginia Commonwealth University students is 42.4% larger than aid received Penn State Altoona ($12,433 vs. $8,730)

Penn State Altoona vs. VCU Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at Virginia Commonwealth University (1097) is 104 points higher than at Penn State Altoona (993)
  • Incoming VCU students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (24) than students at Penn State Altoona (22)
  • Accepted freshman VCU students have a 0.35 point higher average high school GPA (3.75) than students at Penn State Altoona (3.4)
  • Penn State Altoona has a higher acceptance rate (97.3%) than VCU (93.1%)

Penn State Altoona vs. VCU Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

  • The graduation rate at Penn State Altoona is higher than Virginia Commonwealth University (65% vs. 53%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Altoona earn on average $7,800 more per year than VCU graduates after ten years. ($55,300 vs. $47,500)
  • Virginia Commonwealth University students graduate with a $3,568 lower median federal student loan debt than Penn State Altoona graduates. ($23,250 vs. $26,818)
  • VCU graduates are paying $37 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Altoona graduates. ($240 vs. $277)
  • More Penn State Altoona graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former VCU students, three years after graduation. (69% vs. 56%)

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