Yale University vs The Pennsylvania State University (PSU)

Yale University and The Pennsylvania State University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Yale, an Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 6.3%. Penn State, a public research university with multiple campuses across Pennsylvania, offers a more accessible admissions process with an acceptance rate of 54.4%. While Yale's student body is predominantly undergraduate, Penn State has a larger graduate student population. Both universities offer a wide range of academic programs, with popular majors at Yale including Social Sciences, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, and Engineering, while Penn State's popular majors include Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Engineering, and Social Sciences. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
The Pennsylvania State University logo

The Pennsylvania State University

Yale University logo

Yale University

Overview

Location University Park, Pennsylvania New Haven, Connecticut
Campus setting City: Small City: Midsize
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 87.0% 98.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 92.3% 5.3%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $65

Graduate: $65
Undergraduate: $80

Graduate: $105
SAT range 1140 - 1360 1480 - 1580
ACT range 25 - 31 33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score 32.0% 54.0%
Students submitting ACT score 6.0% 35.0%
Total number of applicants 96,686 47,240
Total number of admissions given out 89,207 2,509
Admitted students who chose to enroll 16,049 1,786
Yield rate 18.0% 71.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Not required
Recommendation letters Not required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $38,270

Out of state: $55,848
$82,170
Average net price $24,012 $20,605
Tuition
In state: $18,368

Out of state: $35,946
$59,950
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $7,360

Meal plan: $5,618
Room/dormitory: $10,100

Meal plan: $7,700
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

51.0%
Average amount $9,884
58.0%
Average amount $58,715
Students receiving federal student loan 49.0%
Average amount $5,305
5.0%
Average amount $4,879
Students taking out private loans 13.0%
Average amount $19,837
0.0%
Average amount $5,094

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 73,476
Men 53.7% Women 46.3%
6,536
Men 48.6% Women 51.4%
Graduate students 15,438
Men 51.7% Women 48.3%
8,031
Men 46.3% Women 53.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Moderate
Out-of-state students 34.1% 93.6%
International students 10.5% 21.6%
Campus local/setting City: Small City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity 20,547 5,576
First year students are required to live on campus? No Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Virginia California New York Connecticut Texas New Jersey

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Health Professions
  • Social Sciences
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Social Sciences
  • Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio 15:1 6:1
Institutional accreditation Middle States Commission on Higher Education New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 72.3% 96.9%
Dropout rate 25.7% 2.5%
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
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $133,998
  • Year 2: $122,038
  • Year 3: $168,803
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $150,882
  • Year 2: $147,858
  • Year 3: $167,455
Law (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $76,705
  • Year 2: $132,032
  • Year 3: $165,012
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $132,023
  • Year 2: $132,866
  • Year 3: $142,164
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $115,929
  • Year 2: $111,017
  • Year 3: $117,291
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $95,157
  • Year 2: $98,213
  • Year 3: $112,141
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $88,985
  • Year 2: $95,473
  • Year 3: $95,527
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $87,166
  • Year 2: $86,621
  • Year 3: $91,001
Medicine (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,834
  • Year 2: $63,625
  • Year 3: $73,597
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,489
  • Year 2: $58,522
  • Year 3: $72,034

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