The Pennsylvania State University (PSU) vs NC State

Envision yourself as a college student, surrounded by vibrant campuses and a diverse student body. As you embark on your academic journey, it's essential to find a university that aligns with your aspirations and goals. To help you make an informed decision, we present a comprehensive comparison of The Pennsylvania State University and North Carolina State University at Raleigh. Delve into the details of acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, meticulously presented in a side-by-side table. Discover the unique strengths and characteristics of each institution, empowering you to choose the university that best suits your academic pursuits and personal growth.

	North Carolina State University at Raleigh	The Pennsylvania State University
Overview
Location	Raleigh, North Carolina	University Park, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	94.0%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	47.5%	92.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1270 - 1440	1140 - 1360
ACT range	27 - 32	25 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	21.0%	32.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%	6.0%
Total number of applicants	32,998	96,686
Total number of admissions given out	15,669	89,207
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,046	16,049
Yield rate	32.2%	18.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,986 Out of state: $45,771	In state: $38,270 Out of state: $55,848
Average net price	$14,328	$24,012
Tuition	In state: $6,535 Out of state: $27,320	In state: $18,368 Out of state: $35,946
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,768 Meal plan: $4,833	Room/dormitory: $7,360 Meal plan: $5,618
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	62.0% Average amount $9,318	51.0% Average amount $9,884
Students receiving federal student loan	40.0% Average amount $5,022	49.0% Average amount $5,305
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $14,600	13.0% Average amount $19,837

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	26,505 Men 50.9% Women 49.1%	73,476 Men 53.7% Women 46.3%
Graduate students	10,326 Men 49.8% Women 50.2%	15,438 Men 51.7% Women 48.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	12.9%	34.1%
International students	9.5%	10.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	10,024	20,547
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	North Carolina Virginia New York New Jersey Maryland	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Virginia

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	84.4%	72.3%
Dropout rate	5.0%	25.7%
Transferred out	9.6%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Software and Media Applications (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,745 Year 2: $103,078 Year 3: $122,470 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,886 Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $113,307 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,892 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $92,582 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,869 Year 2: $74,200 Year 3: $88,476 Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $73,974 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $88,260 Civil Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,860 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: $86,459 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,857 Year 2: $70,710 Year 3: $83,417 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,627 Year 2: $70,057 Year 3: $83,342 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,222 Year 2: $69,757 Year 3: $81,552 Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,081 Year 2: $70,253 Year 3: $80,463	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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