The Pennsylvania State University (PSU) vs Oregon State

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant college towns of State College, Pennsylvania, and Corvallis, Oregon, home to The Pennsylvania State University and Oregon State University, respectively. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence and offer a diverse range of programs, they possess unique characteristics that cater to different student aspirations. Delve into our comprehensive comparison to uncover the nuances that set these universities apart, from their contrasting acceptance rates and popular majors to the distinct demographics of their student bodies and the varying success rates of their graduates. Discover which university aligns best with your academic pursuits, personal preferences, and future goals.

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

Admission
Acceptance rate	89.2%	92.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1120 - 1370	1140 - 1360
ACT range	21 - 28	25 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	25.0%	32.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	6.0%
Total number of applicants	23,188	96,686
Total number of admissions given out	20,687	89,207
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,965	16,049
Yield rate	19.2%	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: $29,393 Out of state: $48,784	In state: $38,270 Out of state: $55,848
Average net price	$20,318	$24,012
Tuition	In state: $10,065 Out of state: $29,456	In state: $18,368 Out of state: $35,946
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,260 Meal plan: $4,500	Room/dormitory: $7,360 Meal plan: $5,618
Available payment plans		Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	87.0% Average amount $9,156	51.0% Average amount $9,884
Students receiving federal student loan	28.0% Average amount $4,944	49.0% Average amount $5,305
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $18,709	13.0% Average amount $19,837

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	27,564 Men 52.0% Women 48.0%	73,476 Men 53.7% Women 46.3%
Graduate students	5,629 Men 46.2% Women 53.8%	15,438 Men 51.7% Women 48.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	35.8%	34.1%
International students	7.6%	10.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	5,055	20,547
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Oregon California Washington Hawaii Colorado	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Education Natural Resources and Conservation Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions	Business Engineering Computer and Information Science Health Professions Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	68.2%	72.3%
Dropout rate	10.0%	25.7%
Transferred out	18.9%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $114,696 Year 2: $124,122 Year 3: $129,702 Education, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $105,213 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $87,539 Year 2: $78,719 Year 3: $92,424 Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $79,421 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $87,236 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,600 Year 2: $73,446 Year 3: $84,460 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,654 Year 2: $73,035 Year 3: $83,827 Construction Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,542 Year 2: $71,295 Year 3: $81,840 Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,943 Year 2: $67,420 Year 3: $76,191 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,476 Year 2: $62,863 Year 3: $76,134 Manufacturing Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $75,733	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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