The Pennsylvania State University (PSU) vs Iowa State

Envision yourself as a student, standing at the crossroads of two esteemed universities: The Pennsylvania State University and Iowa State University. Both institutions offer a wealth of opportunities, yet they possess distinct characteristics that may influence your academic journey. As you embark on this side-by-side comparison, delve into the intricacies of each university's acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Discover the unique strengths and offerings that set these universities apart, empowering you to make an informed decision that aligns with your aspirations and goals.

	Iowa State University	The Pennsylvania State University
Overview
Location	Ames, Iowa	University Park, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	88.0%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.1%	92.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1083 - 1330	1140 - 1360
ACT range	21 - 28	25 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	13.0%	32.0%
Students submitting ACT score	63.0%	6.0%
Total number of applicants	20,357	96,686
Total number of admissions given out	18,550	89,207
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,387	16,049
Yield rate	29.0%	18.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,152 Out of state: $37,964	In state: $38,270 Out of state: $55,848
Average net price	$15,422	$24,012
Tuition	In state: $8,324 Out of state: $24,136	In state: $18,368 Out of state: $35,946
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,590 Meal plan: $4,498	Room/dormitory: $7,360 Meal plan: $5,618
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	87.0% Average amount $8,833	51.0% Average amount $9,884
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $5,202	49.0% Average amount $5,305
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $11,630	13.0% Average amount $19,837

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	25,808 Men 56.1% Women 43.9%	73,476 Men 53.7% Women 46.3%
Graduate students	4,900 Men 50.6% Women 49.4%	15,438 Men 51.7% Women 48.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	34.1%
International students	8.2%	10.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	9,400	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	Engineering Agriculture Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Business Engineering Computer and Information Science Health Professions Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	76.0%	72.3%
Dropout rate	6.1%	25.7%
Transferred out	16.7%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,739 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $101,292 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,956 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $95,081 Industrial Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,120 Year 2: $89,059 Year 3: $92,521 Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $77,573 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $85,108 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,299 Year 2: $73,321 Year 3: $83,452 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,598 Year 2: $73,839 Year 3: $83,292 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,184 Year 2: $71,734 Year 3: $81,196 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $83,223 Year 2: $70,680 Year 3: $79,916 Construction Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,580 Year 2: $70,083 Year 3: $77,479 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,534 Year 2: $67,156 Year 3: $76,113	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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