Harvey Mudd College vs The Pennsylvania State University (PSU)

Harvey Mudd College and The Pennsylvania State University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Harvey Mudd, a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 14.4%, while Penn State, a public research university with multiple campuses across Pennsylvania, welcomes a larger applicant pool, resulting in a 54.4% acceptance rate. Both institutions excel in STEM fields, with Harvey Mudd renowned for its rigorous engineering and science programs, while Penn State offers a diverse range of majors, including engineering, business, and the arts. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further distinctions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your college decision.

	Harvey Mudd College	The Pennsylvania State University
Overview
Location	Claremont, California	University Park, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	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	98.0%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	10.0%	92.3%
Application fees	$70	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1480 - 1560	1140 - 1360
ACT range	34 - 36	25 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	32.0%
Students submitting ACT score	20.0%	6.0%
Total number of applicants	4,737	96,686
Total number of admissions given out	473	89,207
Admitted students who chose to enroll	225	16,049
Yield rate	47.6%	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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$82,236	In state: $38,270 Out of state: $55,848
Average net price	$33,838	$24,012
Tuition	$60,402	In state: $18,368 Out of state: $35,946
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,592 Meal plan: $8,741	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)	63.0% Average amount $32,188	51.0% Average amount $9,884
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $4,821	49.0% Average amount $5,305
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $9,820	13.0% Average amount $19,837

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	905 Men 50.3% Women 49.7%	73,476 Men 53.7% Women 46.3%
Graduate students	N/A	15,438 Men 51.7% Women 48.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	34.1%
International students	8.5%	10.5%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	926	20,547
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Computer and Information Science Multidisciplinary Studies Physical Science Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Business Engineering Computer and Information Science Health Professions Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	94.4%	72.3%
Dropout rate	0.5%	25.7%
Transferred out	4.7%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Mathematics and Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $118,973 Year 2: $122,038 Year 3: $166,134 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $123,339 Year 2: $142,581 Year 3: $159,657 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $81,948 Year 2: $81,997 Year 3: $90,517	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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