American University vs The Pennsylvania State University (PSU)

American University and The Pennsylvania State University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. American University, located in the heart of Washington, D.C., boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on international relations and public policy. In contrast, The Pennsylvania State University, situated in the vibrant town of State College, Pennsylvania, is known for its large and spirited student body, its comprehensive academic offerings, and its strong athletic programs. While both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, they differ in their acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	American University	The Pennsylvania State University
Overview
Location	Washington, District of Columbia	University Park, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	90.0%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.1%	92.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $61	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1280 - 1440	1140 - 1360
ACT range	29 - 33	25 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%	32.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%	6.0%
Total number of applicants	19,650	96,686
Total number of admissions given out	12,594	89,207
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,372	16,049
Yield rate	18.8%	18.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$70,512	In state: $38,270 Out of state: $55,848
Average net price	$28,622	$24,012
Tuition	$52,542	In state: $18,368 Out of state: $35,946
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,096 Meal plan: $6,314	Room/dormitory: $7,360 Meal plan: $5,618
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	64.0% Average amount $27,332	51.0% Average amount $9,884
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $4,933	49.0% Average amount $5,305
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $25,877	13.0% Average amount $19,837

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,463 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%	73,476 Men 53.7% Women 46.3%
Graduate students	6,389 Men 37.1% Women 62.9%	15,438 Men 51.7% Women 48.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	34.1%
International students	10.6%	10.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	4,080	20,547
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Legal Profession Social Sciences Public Administration and Social Service Education	Business Engineering Computer and Information Science Health Professions Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.7%	72.3%
Dropout rate	20.9%	25.7%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,187 Year 2: $97,907 Year 3: $111,993 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,205 Year 2: $99,458 Year 3: $107,216 Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,457 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $93,099 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,734 Year 2: $74,953 Year 3: $85,544 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,308 Year 2: $60,771 Year 3: $80,276 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $60,267 Year 2: $63,203 Year 3: $78,002 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,356 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $76,697 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $66,014 Year 3: $76,448 International Relations and National Security Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,460 Year 2: $63,692 Year 3: $73,342 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,600 Year 3: $72,861	Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $109,295 Year 2: $120,549 Year 3: $125,527 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,798 Year 2: $95,930 Year 3: $120,289 Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,190 Year 2: $97,959 Year 3: $113,544 Mining and Mineral Engineering (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $98,403 Year 3: $108,754 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,372 Year 2: $100,455 Year 3: $107,874 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,574 Year 2: $99,291 Year 3: $104,370 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,304 Year 2: $97,855 Year 3: $104,056 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,512 Year 2: $94,864 Year 3: $103,461 Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $92,632 Year 3: $98,201 Nuclear Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $89,155 Year 3: $94,780

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