Franklin and Marshall College (FandM) vs The Pennsylvania State University (PSU)

Franklin and Marshall College and The Pennsylvania State University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Pennsylvania, offer distinct educational experiences. Franklin and Marshall, a private liberal arts college, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 34%, while Penn State, a public research university, is more accessible with an acceptance rate of 54%. Franklin and Marshall's student body is smaller and more diverse, with 2,300 undergraduates representing 48 states and 60 countries, while Penn State's student body is larger and more local, with over 46,000 undergraduates primarily from Pennsylvania. Both institutions offer a wide range of academic programs, with popular majors at Franklin and Marshall including Business, Economics, and Government, and popular majors at Penn State including Engineering, Business, and Health Professions. With graduation rates of 88% and 84% respectively, both Franklin and Marshall and Penn State provide students with the tools and support they need
Franklin and Marshall College logo

Franklin and Marshall College

The Pennsylvania State University logo

The Pennsylvania State University

Overview

Location Lancaster, Pennsylvania University Park, Pennsylvania
Campus setting City: Small City: Small
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Public
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 91.0% 87.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 37.5% 92.3%
Application fees $60
Undergraduate: $65

Graduate: $65
SAT range N/A 1140 - 1360
ACT range N/A 25 - 31
Students submitting SAT score 32.0%
Students submitting ACT score 6.0%
Total number of applicants 7,720 96,686
Total number of admissions given out 2,898 89,207
Admitted students who chose to enroll 510 16,049
Yield rate 17.6% 18.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $80,618
In state: $38,270

Out of state: $55,848
Average net price $26,316 $24,012
Tuition $63,216
In state: $18,368

Out of state: $35,946
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $8,722

Meal plan: $6,018
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)

62.0%
Average amount $50,026
51.0%
Average amount $9,884
Students receiving federal student loan 53.0%
Average amount $4,947
49.0%
Average amount $5,305
Students taking out private loans 7.0%
Average amount $16,505
13.0%
Average amount $19,837

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 2,145
Men 44.2% Women 55.8%
73,476
Men 53.7% Women 46.3%
Graduate students N/A 15,438
Men 51.7% Women 48.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Low
Out-of-state students N/A 34.1%
International students 18.2% 10.5%
Campus local/setting City: Small City: Small
Dormitory capacity 2,272 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
  • Social Sciences
  • Physical Science
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Health Professions
  • Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio 9:1 15:1
Institutional accreditation Middle States Commission on Higher Education Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 82.8% 72.3%
Dropout rate 2.0% 25.7%
Transferred out 13.8% N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,518
  • Year 2: $52,733
  • Year 3: $67,095
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $45,376
  • Year 2: $55,964
  • Year 3: $59,284
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $45,852
  • Year 3: $53,518
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $20,220
  • Year 2: $36,848
  • Year 3: $50,175
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $32,598
  • Year 2: $41,441
  • Year 3: $49,088
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $46,421
  • Year 2: $42,682
  • Year 3: $48,325
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $24,421
  • Year 3: $44,196
Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $33,487
  • Year 2: $33,459
  • Year 3: $42,722
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $36,848
  • Year 3: N/A
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $25,194
  • Year 3: N/A
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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