Parker University vs The Pennsylvania State University (PSU)

Parker University and The Pennsylvania State University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Parker University, a private chiropractic university in Dallas, Texas, boasts a small student body and a high acceptance rate, fostering a close-knit community. In contrast, The Pennsylvania State University, a public research university with multiple campuses across Pennsylvania, is renowned for its large and diverse student body, rigorous academics, and extensive research opportunities. While both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, Parker University specializes in chiropractic and health sciences, while Penn State excels in a broad spectrum of disciplines, including engineering, business, and the arts. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about the acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates of these two esteemed institutions, and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Parker University	The Pennsylvania State University
Overview
Location	Dallas, Texas	University Park, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Trimester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	83.0%	87.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	92.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	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		96,686
Total number of admissions given out		89,207
Admitted students who chose to enroll		16,049
Yield rate		18.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)		N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Not required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$37,903	In state: $38,270 Out of state: $55,848
Average net price	$18,752	$24,012
Tuition	$15,264	In state: $18,368 Out of state: $35,946
Room & board		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)	97.0% Average amount $11,778	51.0% Average amount $9,884
Students receiving federal student loan	86.0% Average amount $9,194	49.0% Average amount $5,305
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	13.0% Average amount $19,837

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	466 Men 29.0% Women 71.0%	73,476 Men 53.7% Women 46.3%
Graduate students	1,488 Men 49.3% Women 50.7%	15,438 Men 51.7% Women 48.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	3.7%	34.1%
International students	0.4%	10.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	N/A	20,547
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Texas Florida Virginia	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Virginia

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	73.2%	72.3%
Dropout rate	26.8%	25.7%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Chiropractic (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $35,259 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $59,837 Chiropractic (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $46,548 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $51,993 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $51,712 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: N/A Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic Services (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $24,870 Year 2: N/A 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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