Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. WVU

Should I go to Penn State Wilkes Barre or West Virginia University? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if Penn State Wilkes-Barre or WVU 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 Wilkes Barre vs. West Virginia University comparison
Penn State Wilkes Barre West Virginia University College 3 College 4
Penn State Wilkes Barre West Virginia University
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Overview

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre WVU
Location Lehman, PA Morgantown, WV
Setting Rural Fringe Small City
Enrollment 368 24,741
Type Public 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #559
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu wvu.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre WVU
Tuition (In State) $13,824 $9,360
Tuition (Out of State) $23,086 $26,568
Room & Board $12,984 $11,618
Avg Net Price $16,728 $12,202
Avg Grant Aid $10,598 $11,685
% Receiving Grant Aid 94% 94%

Admission

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre WVU
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 653 18,206
Admitted 622 16,091
Acceptance Rate 95.3% 88.4%
Enrolled % 20.4% 28.4%
Avg High School GPA - 3.45
Typical High School Grades - B+
Admissions Standards Average Moderate
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 20/26
SAT Range 1070/1260 1000/1220
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 Wilkes-Barre WVU
Student to Faculty Ratio 10:1 17:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (34%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (28%)
  • Engineering Technology (19%)
  • English and Literature (12%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (5%)
  • Business (12%)
  • Engineering (11%)
  • General Studies (10%)
  • Communication (9%)
  • Health Professions (8%)

Outcomes

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre WVU
Graduation Rate 47% 57%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $50,600
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 59%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $24,001
Median Loan Payment $277 $248

Diversity

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre WVU
% Men 64% 47%
% Women 36% 53%
Racial Diversity Very Low Very Low
HBCU No No
% White 88% 81%
% Black 3% 5%
% Hispanic 5% 4%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 3%
% International 0% 6%
% Unknown Race 1% 0%

Students

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre WVU
% In-State 83% 42%
% Out-of-State 17% 57%

Campus

 Penn State Wilkes-Barre WVU
Campus Housing No Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan No Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes No No
Daycare Facility No Yes
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • West Virginia University is larger than than Penn State Wilkes-Barre based on total student enrollment (24,741 students vs. 368 students)

Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. WVU Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Penn State Wilkes-Barre or WVU?

  • Penn State Wilkes Barre is 47.7% more expensive to attend than WVU for in-state tuition ($13,824.00 vs. $9,360.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 15.1% higher at WVU than Penn State Wilkes Barre ($26,568.00 vs. $23,086.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at West Virginia University than Penn State Wilkes-Barre ($12,202 vs. $16,728)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at West Virginia University are 11.8% lower than costs at Penn State Wilkes Barre ($11,618 vs. $12,984)
  • The same percent of students receive financial grant aid at Penn State Wilkes Barre as West Virginia University (94% vs. 94%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by West Virginia University students is 10.3% larger than aid received Penn State Wilkes Barre ($11,685 vs. $10,598)

Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. WVU Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at West Virginia University (1078) is 96 points higher than at Penn State Wilkes-Barre (982)
  • Incoming WVU students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (24) than students at Penn State Wilkes-Barre (22)
  • Penn State Wilkes-Barre has a higher acceptance rate (95.3%) than WVU (88.4%)

Penn State Wilkes-Barre vs. WVU Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Penn State Wilkes-Barre or WVU? 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 WVU and Penn State Wilkes-Barre.

  • The graduation rate at WVU is higher than Penn State Wilkes Barre (57% vs. 47%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Wilkes Barre earn on average $4,700 more per year than WVU graduates after ten years. ($55,300 vs. $50,600)
  • West Virginia University students graduate with a $2,817 lower median federal student loan debt than Penn State Wilkes-Barre graduates. ($24,001 vs. $26,818)
  • WVU graduates are paying $29 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Wilkes-Barre graduates. ($248 vs. $277)
  • More Penn State Wilkes-Barre graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former WVU students, three years after graduation. (69% vs. 59%)

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