Syracuse University vs The Pennsylvania State University (PSU)

Syracuse University and The Pennsylvania State University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Syracuse, a private research university, boasts a lower acceptance rate (40%) compared to Penn State's (54%), a public research university. Syracuse students predominantly pursue degrees in the fields of communications, business, and engineering, while Penn State's popular majors include engineering, business, and health professions. Syracuse's student body is more diverse, with 23% international students compared to Penn State's 10%. Penn State, however, has a higher graduation rate (86%) than Syracuse (83%). Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	The Pennsylvania State University	Syracuse University
Overview
Location	University Park, Pennsylvania	Syracuse, New York
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	87.0%	90.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	92.3%	59.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1140 - 1360	1220 - 1400
ACT range	25 - 31	27 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%	25.0%
Students submitting ACT score	6.0%	13.0%
Total number of applicants	96,686	39,682
Total number of admissions given out	89,207	23,489
Admitted students who chose to enroll	16,049	3,765
Yield rate	18.0%	16.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $38,270 Out of state: $55,848	$77,896
Average net price	$24,012	$43,545
Tuition	In state: $18,368 Out of state: $35,946	$55,920
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,360 Meal plan: $5,618	Room/dormitory: $9,075 Meal plan: $7,820
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	51.0% Average amount $9,884	86.0% Average amount $31,590
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $5,305	37.0% Average amount $5,350
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $19,837	7.0% Average amount $26,377

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	73,476 Men 53.7% Women 46.3%	14,778 Men 45.4% Women 54.6%
Graduate students	15,438 Men 51.7% Women 48.3%	6,994 Men 48.0% Women 52.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	34.1%	67.2%
International students	10.5%	16.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	20,547	8,291
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Virginia	New York New Jersey Mississippi California Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Computer and Information Science Health Professions Social Sciences	Business Computer and Information Science Engineering Communication and Journalism Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	72.3%	82.4%
Dropout rate	25.7%	17.0%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,789 Year 2: $88,195 Year 3: $94,942 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,396 Year 2: $77,966 Year 3: $88,763 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,925 Year 2: $66,989 Year 3: $82,179 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,264 Year 2: $64,087 Year 3: $79,186 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,439 Year 2: $66,653 Year 3: $79,132 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,871 Year 2: $62,343 Year 3: $77,924 Business/Managerial Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $62,674 Year 3: $77,843 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,673 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $76,227 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $59,689 Year 2: $56,776 Year 3: $74,295 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,229 Year 2: $61,303 Year 3: $73,883

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Syracuse University vs The Pennsylvania State University (PSU)

The Pennsylvania State University

Syracuse University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About