Penn State Lehigh Valley vs. Cairn

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

 Penn State Lehigh Valley Cairn
Location Center Valley, PA Langhorne, PA
Setting Large Suburban Large Suburban
Enrollment 888 1,031
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu cairn.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 Penn State Lehigh Valley Cairn
Tuition (In State) $14,624 $31,255
Tuition (Out of State) $24,318 $31,255
Room & Board $12,984 $11,764
Avg Net Price $18,142 $25,923
Avg Grant Aid $9,886 $18,376
% Receiving Grant Aid 78% 96%

Admission

 Penn State Lehigh Valley Cairn
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 1,806 468
Admitted 1,699 379
Acceptance Rate 94.1% 81%
Enrolled % 15.7% 53.3%
Avg High School GPA 3.42 3.31
Typical High School Grades B+ B+
Admissions Standards Average Unavailable
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 22/26
SAT Range 1100/1290
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 Lehigh Valley Cairn
Student to Faculty Ratio 14:1 11:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (46%)
  • Education (25%)
  • Psychology (18%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (4%)
  • Foreign Languages (3%)
  • Philosophy and Religious Studies (71%)
  • Education (13%)
  • Business (8%)
  • Human Services (6%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (2%)

Outcomes

 Penn State Lehigh Valley Cairn
Graduation Rate 47% 63%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $37,000
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 69%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $27,000
Median Loan Payment $277 $279

Diversity

 Penn State Lehigh Valley Cairn
% Men 57% 47%
% Women 43% 53%
Racial Diversity Medium Low
HBCU No No
% White 64% 72%
% Black 6% 14%
% Hispanic 16% 7%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 2%
% International 0% 2%
% Unknown Race 1% 0%

Students

 Penn State Lehigh Valley Cairn
% In-State 93% 60%
% Out-of-State 6% 36%

Campus

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

Comparable Facts

  • Cairn University is larger than than Penn State Lehigh Valley based on total student enrollment (1,031 students vs. 888 students)

Penn State Lehigh Valley vs. Cairn Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Penn State Lehigh Valley or Cairn?

  • Cairn University is 113.7% more expensive to attend than Penn State Lehigh Valley for in-state tuition ($31,255.00 vs. $14,624.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 28.5% higher at Cairn than Penn State Lehigh Valley ($31,255.00 vs. $24,318.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Lehigh Valley than Cairn ($18,142 vs. $25,923)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Cairn University are 10.4% lower than costs at Penn State Lehigh Valley ($11,764 vs. $12,984)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Cairn University than Penn State Lehigh Valley (96% vs. 78%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Cairn University students is 85.9% larger than aid received Penn State Lehigh Valley ($18,376 vs. $9,886)

Penn State Lehigh Valley vs. Cairn Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at Penn State Lehigh Valley (1019) is 43 points higher than at Cairn (976)
  • Incoming Penn State Lehigh Valley students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (23) than students at Cairn (21)
  • Accepted freshman Penn State Lehigh Valley students have a 0.11 point higher average high school GPA (3.42) than students at Cairn (3.31)
  • Penn State Lehigh Valley has a higher acceptance rate (94.1%) than Cairn (81%)

Penn State Lehigh Valley vs. Cairn Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Penn State Lehigh Valley or Cairn? 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 Cairn and Penn State Lehigh Valley.

  • The graduation rate at Cairn is higher than Penn State Lehigh Valley (63% vs. 47%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Lehigh Valley earn on average $18,300 more per year than Cairn graduates after ten years. ($55,300 vs. $37,000)
  • Penn State Lehigh Valley students graduate with a $182 lower median federal student loan debt than Cairn graduates. ($26,818 vs. $27,000)
  • Penn State Lehigh Valley graduates are paying $2 less per month on federal student loans than Cairn graduates. ($277 vs. $279)
  • More Penn State Lehigh Valley graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Cairn students, three years after graduation. (69% vs. 69%)

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