Purdue vs The Pennsylvania State University (PSU)

Purdue University-Main Campus and The Pennsylvania State University are two highly regarded public research universities with distinct characteristics. Purdue is known for its strong engineering, technology, and agriculture programs, while Penn State excels in a wide range of disciplines, including business, engineering, and liberal arts. With acceptance rates of 57% and 54%, respectively, both universities offer competitive admissions. Purdue's student body is slightly smaller, with an undergraduate population of around 30,000 compared to Penn State's 40,000. In terms of popular majors, Purdue students often pursue engineering, computer science, and management, while Penn State students frequently choose business, engineering, and communications. Both universities boast impressive graduation rates, with Purdue's four-year rate at 68% and Penn State's at 79%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these aspects and more. Explore the

	The Pennsylvania State University	Purdue University-Main Campus
Overview
Location	University Park, Pennsylvania	West Lafayette, Indiana
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	87.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	92.3%	68.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1140 - 1360	1190 - 1430
ACT range	25 - 31	26 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%	62.0%
Students submitting ACT score	6.0%	31.0%
Total number of applicants	96,686	59,436
Total number of admissions given out	89,207	40,898
Admitted students who chose to enroll	16,049	10,278
Yield rate	18.0%	25.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $38,270 Out of state: $55,848	In state: $22,812 Out of state: $41,614
Average net price	$24,012	$14,619
Tuition	In state: $18,368 Out of state: $35,946	In state: $9,718 Out of state: $28,520
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,360 Meal plan: $5,618	Room/dormitory: $4,860 Meal plan: $5,398
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	51.0% Average amount $9,884	68.0% Average amount $7,324
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $5,305	29.0% Average amount $5,101
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $19,837	7.0% Average amount $18,535

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	73,476 Men 53.7% Women 46.3%	37,806 Men 57.8% Women 42.2%
Graduate students	15,438 Men 51.7% Women 48.3%	12,538 Men 57.5% Women 42.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	34.1%	51.2%
International students	10.5%	17.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	20,547	15,597
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Virginia	Indiana Illinois California New Jersey Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Computer and Information Science Health Professions Social Sciences	Engineering Business Health Professions Agriculture Education
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	72.3%	82.7%
Dropout rate	25.7%	16.0%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $86,594 Year 2: $112,363 Year 3: $123,756 Engineering, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,166 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $110,527 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,310 Year 2: $88,342 Year 3: $105,735 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,040 Year 2: $92,632 Year 3: $104,408 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,895 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $101,018 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $81,749 Year 2: $85,981 Year 3: $94,727 Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $84,821 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $89,107 Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $70,034 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $88,209 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,843 Year 2: $72,448 Year 3: $85,950 Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,780 Year 2: $70,057 Year 3: $79,694

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