SUNY-Potsdam vs. Penn State

Deciding between SUNY College at Potsdam and Penn State Main Campus? The table below shows tuition, aid, admissions, and outcomes side by side. Data comes from public sources across more than 3,000 U.S. colleges and universities. No account is required.

SUNY College at Potsdam
Penn State Main Campus

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  • Overview

  • Location
  • SUNY-Potsdam Potsdam, NY
  • Penn State University Park, PA
  • Setting
  • SUNY-Potsdam Remote Town
  • Penn State Small City
  • Total enrollment
  • SUNY-Potsdam 2,832
  • Penn State 50,737
  • Type
  • SUNY-Potsdam Public 4 Year
  • Penn State Public 4 Year
  • National Ranking
  • SUNY-Potsdam
  • Penn State #185
  • Religious Affiliation
  • SUNY-Potsdam -
  • Penn State -
  • Status
  • SUNY-Potsdam Non-profit
  • Penn State Non-profit
  • Team Colors
  • SUNY-Potsdam
  • Penn State

  • Cost

  • Tuition (In State)
  • SUNY-Potsdam $8,768
  • Penn State $20,644
  • Tuition (Out of State)
  • SUNY-Potsdam $18,678
  • Penn State $41,790
  • Room & Board
  • SUNY-Potsdam $15,280
  • Penn State $14,474
  • Average Net Price
  • SUNY-Potsdam $13,730
  • Penn State $27,889
  • Average Grant Aid
  • SUNY-Potsdam $11,147
  • Penn State $11,336
  • % Receiving Grant Aid
  • SUNY-Potsdam 93%
  • Penn State 37%

  • Admissions

  • Applied
  • SUNY-Potsdam 4,530
  • Penn State 88,478
  • Admitted
  • SUNY-Potsdam 3,520
  • Penn State 53,579
  • Acceptance Rate
  • SUNY-Potsdam 77.7%
  • Penn State 60.6%
  • Enrolled
  • SUNY-Potsdam 10%
  • Penn State 17.1%
  • Typical SAT score
  • SUNY-Potsdam
  • Penn State 1330
  • Typical ACT score
  • SUNY-Potsdam
  • Penn State 29
  • Average High School GPA
  • SUNY-Potsdam 3.3
  • Penn State -
  • Typical High School Grades
  • SUNY-Potsdam B+
  • Penn State -
  • Admissions Standards
  • SUNY-Potsdam Unavailable
  • Penn State Very High
  • Applicant Competition
  • SUNY-Potsdam
  • Penn State Low
  • ACT Range
  • SUNY-Potsdam
  • Penn State 27/32
  • SAT Range
  • SUNY-Potsdam
  • Penn State 1240/1420
  • Submit Test Scores
  • SUNY-Potsdam Test optional
  • Penn State Test optional
  • Application Deadline
  • SUNY-Potsdam
  • Penn State

  • Academics

  • Student to Faculty Ratio
  • SUNY-Potsdam 11:1
  • Penn State 16:1
  • Popular Majors
  • SUNY-Potsdam
    • Education (24%)
    • Visual and Performing Arts (12%)
    • English and Literature (11%)
    • Social Sciences (10%)
    • Business (8%)
  • Penn State
    • Business (16%)
    • Engineering (12%)
    • Communication (9%)
    • Computer and Information Sciences (7%)
    • Social Sciences (7%)

  • Outcomes

  • Graduation Rate
  • SUNY-Potsdam 51%
  • Penn State 87%
  • Median Earnings (After 10 years)
  • SUNY-Potsdam $39,100
  • Penn State $55,300
  • Making Student Loan Payments
  • SUNY-Potsdam 60%
  • Penn State 69%
  • Median Student Loan Debt
  • SUNY-Potsdam $25,000
  • Penn State $26,818
  • Median Loan Payment
  • SUNY-Potsdam $258
  • Penn State $277

  • Diversity

  • % Men
  • SUNY-Potsdam 36%
  • Penn State 52%
  • % Women
  • SUNY-Potsdam 64%
  • Penn State 48%
  • Racial Diversity
  • SUNY-Potsdam Medium
  • Penn State Medium
  • HBCU
  • SUNY-Potsdam No
  • Penn State No
  • % White
  • SUNY-Potsdam 65%
  • Penn State 69%
  • % Asian
  • SUNY-Potsdam 2%
  • Penn State 6%
  • % Black
  • SUNY-Potsdam 10%
  • Penn State 4%
  • % Hispanic
  • SUNY-Potsdam 13%
  • Penn State 6%
  • % Native American
  • SUNY-Potsdam 2%
  • Penn State 0%
  • % Pacific Islander
  • SUNY-Potsdam 0%
  • Penn State 0%
  • % Two or More Races
  • SUNY-Potsdam 2%
  • Penn State 3%
  • % International
  • SUNY-Potsdam 1%
  • Penn State 11%
  • % Unknown Race
  • SUNY-Potsdam 6%
  • Penn State 2%

  • Students

  • % In-State
  • SUNY-Potsdam 96%
  • Penn State 53%
  • % Out-of-State
  • SUNY-Potsdam 3%
  • Penn State 40%

  • Campus

  • Campus Housing
  • SUNY-Potsdam Yes
  • Penn State Yes
  • Freshman Dorm Required
  • SUNY-Potsdam No
  • Penn State Yes
  • Meal Plan
  • SUNY-Potsdam Yes
  • Penn State Yes
  • Weekend/Evening Classes
  • SUNY-Potsdam No
  • Penn State Yes
  • Daycare Facility
  • SUNY-Potsdam Yes
  • Penn State Yes

Comparable Facts

Compare SUNY College at Potsdam in Potsdam, NY with Penn State Main Campus in University Park, PA on tuition, admissions, graduation, earnings, and student body data using the table above.

Penn State Main Campus is larger than SUNY-Potsdam based on total student enrollment (50,737 students vs. 2,832 students).

Location, institution type, and student-faculty ratio

  • SUNY College at Potsdam is located in Potsdam, NY (Remote Town setting); Penn State Main Campus is in University Park, PA (Small City setting).
  • SUNY College at Potsdam is a public, non-profit 4-year institution. Penn State Main Campus is a public, non-profit 4-year institution.
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: SUNY College at Potsdam 11:1; Penn State Main Campus 16:1.

SUNY-Potsdam vs. Penn State Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, SUNY-Potsdam or Penn State? Published tuition is the sticker price; many students pay less after aid (see average net price below).

  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at SUNY College at Potsdam than Penn State ($13,730 vs. $27,889).
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Main Campus are 5.3% lower than at SUNY College at Potsdam ($14,474 vs. $15,280).
  • Penn State Main Campus is 135.4% more expensive for in-state tuition than SUNY-Potsdam (about $11,876 more per year; $20,644.00 vs. $8,768.00).
  • Out-of-state tuition is 123.7% higher at Penn State than at SUNY College at Potsdam (about $23,112 more per year; $41,790.00 vs. $18,678.00).
  • A larger share of students receive grant aid at SUNY College at Potsdam than at Penn State Main Campus (93% vs. 37%).
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Penn State Main Campus students is 1.7% larger than aid received by SUNY College at Potsdam students ($11,336 vs. $11,147).

SUNY-Potsdam vs. Penn State Admissions comparison

Which college is harder to get into, SUNY-Potsdam or Penn State? Typical SAT and ACT scores (midpoint estimates from the mid-50% ranges in the table above), enrolled-tester score ranges where reported, test score submission policy, deadlines, and acceptance rates summarize admission difficulty between Penn State and SUNY-Potsdam.

  • Reported middle 50% SAT composite range (25th-75th percentile) among enrolled freshmen who submitted scoresPenn State Main Campus 1240/1420.
  • Reported middle 50% ACT composite range (25th-75th percentile) among enrolled freshmen who submitted scoresPenn State Main Campus 27/32.
  • Submitting SAT or ACT scores: SUNY-Potsdam - Test optional; Penn State - Test optional.
  • SUNY-Potsdam has a higher acceptance rate (77.7%) than Penn State (60.6%).
  • The share of admitted students who enrolled (yield) is 10% at SUNY-Potsdam vs. 17.1% at Penn State.

SUNY-Potsdam vs. Penn State Graduation Outcomes Comparison

How do outcomes compare for SUNY-Potsdam and Penn State? Where federal data is available for both schools, the bullets below compare graduation rate, earnings, and student loan debt using the same College Scorecard / IPEDS fields as the comparison table. If a metric is missing for one school, that school is noted separately.

  • Penn State Main Campus's six-year graduation rate (87%) is higher than SUNY College at Potsdam's (51%).
  • Graduates from Penn State Main Campus earn a median of about $16,200 more per year than SUNY-Potsdam graduates about ten years after starting college ($55,300 vs. $39,100), per the same Scorecard earnings definition.
  • Among federal student loan borrowers, SUNY College at Potsdam graduates have a $1,818 lower median loan debt than Penn State graduates ($25,000 vs. $26,818).
  • Among borrowers, SUNY-Potsdam graduates have an estimated $19 lower median monthly federal student loan payment than Penn State graduates ($258 vs. $277).
  • More Penn State graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former SUNY-Potsdam students, three years after graduation. (69% vs. 60%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/. Values reflect the most recent year available in our dataset.