Penn State Altoona vs. VWC

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

 Penn State Altoona VWC
Location Altoona, PA Norfolk, VA
Setting Small City Large City
Enrollment 2,577 1,538
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #584 #631
Religious Affiliation - United Methodist - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu vwc.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 Penn State Altoona VWC
Tuition (In State) $15,388 $36,010
Tuition (Out of State) $25,854 $36,010
Room & Board $12,984 $11,070
Avg Net Price $20,621 $23,046
Avg Grant Aid $9,574 $27,568
% Receiving Grant Aid 68% 100%

Admission

 Penn State Altoona VWC
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 7,523 1,718
Admitted 7,204 1,399
Acceptance Rate 95.8% 81.4%
Enrolled % 12.6% 20.1%
Avg High School GPA 3.4 3.39
Typical High School Grades B+ B+
Admissions Standards Average Difficult
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 21/28 27/29
SAT Range 1050/1250 1190/1365
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 Altoona VWC
Student to Faculty Ratio 12:1 13:1
Popular Majors
  • Health Professions (19%)
  • Business (17%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (13%)
  • Engineering (7%)
  • Education (6%)
  • Business (16%)
  • Social Sciences (14%)
  • Communication (10%)
  • Education (8%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (8%)

Outcomes

 Penn State Altoona VWC
Graduation Rate 65% 48%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $41,700
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 57%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $27,000
Median Loan Payment $277 $279

Diversity

 Penn State Altoona VWC
% Men 53% 44%
% Women 47% 56%
Racial Diversity Low High
HBCU No No
% White 77% 54%
% Black 7% 24%
% Hispanic 6% 8%
% Native American 0% 1%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 5%
% International 5% 1%
% Unknown Race 1% 6%

Students

 Penn State Altoona VWC
% In-State 59% 73%
% Out-of-State 35% 26%

Campus

 Penn State Altoona VWC
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 VWC based on total student enrollment (2,577 students vs. 1,538 students)

Penn State Altoona vs. VWC Cost Comparison

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

  • Virginia Wesleyan College is 134% more expensive to attend than Penn State Altoona for in-state tuition ($36,010.00 vs. $15,388.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 39.3% higher at VWC than Penn State Altoona ($36,010.00 vs. $25,854.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Altoona than VWC ($20,621 vs. $23,046)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Virginia Wesleyan College are 17.3% lower than costs at Penn State Altoona ($11,070 vs. $12,984)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Virginia Wesleyan College than Penn State Altoona (100% vs. 68%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Virginia Wesleyan College students is 187.9% larger than aid received Penn State Altoona ($27,568 vs. $9,574)

Penn State Altoona vs. VWC Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at Penn State Altoona (993) is 11 points higher than at VWC (982)
  • Incoming Penn State Altoona students have at the same average ACT score (22) as students at VWC (22)
  • Accepted freshman Penn State Altoona students have a 0.01 point higher average high school GPA (3.4) than students at VWC (3.39)
  • Penn State Altoona has a higher acceptance rate (95.8%) than VWC (81.4%)

Penn State Altoona vs. VWC Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

  • The graduation rate at Penn State Altoona is higher than Virginia Wesleyan College (65% vs. 48%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Altoona earn on average $13,600 more per year than VWC graduates after ten years. ($55,300 vs. $41,700)
  • Penn State Altoona students graduate with a $182 lower median federal student loan debt than VWC graduates. ($26,818 vs. $27,000)
  • Penn State Altoona graduates are paying $2 less per month on federal student loans than VWC graduates. ($277 vs. $279)
  • More Penn State Altoona graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former VWC students, three years after graduation. (69% vs. 57%)

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