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Brown University vs The Pennsylvania State University (PSU)

Brown University and The Pennsylvania State University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Brown, an Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 7.1%. Penn State, a public research university with multiple campuses across Pennsylvania, welcomes a larger applicant pool, resulting in a higher acceptance rate of 54.4%. While both universities offer a diverse range of academic programs, Brown is known for its strengths in the humanities and social sciences, while Penn State excels in engineering, business, and agriculture. The student bodies at these universities also differ, with Brown's undergraduate population being smaller and more diverse than Penn State's. Additionally, Brown's graduation rate is slightly higher than Penn State's, at 96% compared to 86%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions between these two exceptional universities and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Brown University logo

Brown University

 		The Pennsylvania State University logo

The Pennsylvania State University

Overview

Location Providence, Rhode Island University Park, Pennsylvania
Campus setting City: Midsize 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 98.0% 87.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 5.5% 92.3%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $75
Graduate: $75
Undergraduate: $65
Graduate: $65
SAT range 1460 - 1570 1140 - 1360
ACT range 33 - 35 25 - 31
Students submitting SAT score 51.0% 32.0%
Students submitting ACT score 30.0% 6.0%
Total number of applicants 46,568 96,686
Total number of admissions given out 2,568 89,207
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,705 16,049
Yield rate 66.4% 18.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Required
Recommendation letters Required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $82,570
In state: $38,270
Out of state: $55,848
Average net price $25,028 $24,012
Tuition $60,944
In state: $18,368
Out of state: $35,946
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $10,054
Meal plan: $6,292
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)

 46.0%
Average amount $55,420 		51.0%
Average amount $9,884
Students receiving federal student loan 9.0%
Average amount $5,159 		49.0%
Average amount $5,305
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $27,008 		13.0%
Average amount $19,837

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students 7,349
Men 48.1% Women 51.9% 		73,476
Men 53.7% Women 46.3%
Graduate students 3,347
Men 50.0% Women 50.0% 		15,438
Men 51.7% Women 48.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students 96.5% 34.1%
International students 18.6% 10.5%
Campus local/setting City: Midsize City: Small
Dormitory capacity 5,013 20,547
First year students are required to live on campus? Yes No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from New York California Mississippi New Jersey Texas Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Virginia

Academics

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

Outcome

Graduation rate 95.8% 72.3%
Dropout rate 3.7% 25.7%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $130,101
  • Year 2: $153,718
  • Year 3: $184,762
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $105,532
  • Year 2: $88,506
  • Year 3: $97,037
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,171
  • Year 2: $73,769
  • Year 3: $91,029
Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,583
  • Year 2: $75,921
  • Year 3: $80,783
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,028
  • Year 2: $63,302
  • Year 3: $78,949
Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,505
  • Year 2: $61,020
  • Year 3: $74,894
Medicine (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $60,843
  • Year 2: $61,294
  • Year 3: $73,224
International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $37,882
  • Year 2: $50,105
  • Year 3: $65,953
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,247
  • Year 2: $58,673
  • Year 3: $63,507
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $50,186
  • Year 2: $53,108
  • Year 3: $62,581
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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