UChicago vs The Pennsylvania State University (PSU)

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant intellectual hub of the University of Chicago or the sprawling, energetic campus of The Pennsylvania State University. As you embark on your higher education journey, understanding the nuances that set these two esteemed institutions apart is crucial. While both offer exceptional academic opportunities, their unique characteristics may resonate differently with your aspirations and preferences. Delve into our comprehensive comparison table to uncover the distinctions in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Discover which university aligns seamlessly with your academic pursuits, campus culture preferences, and long-term goals.

	The Pennsylvania State University	University of Chicago
Overview
Location	University Park, Pennsylvania	Chicago, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	87.0%	99.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	92.3%	6.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $90
SAT range	1140 - 1360	1510 - 1580
ACT range	25 - 31	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%	49.0%
Students submitting ACT score	6.0%	35.0%
Total number of applicants	96,686	37,974
Total number of admissions given out	89,207	2,460
Admitted students who chose to enroll	16,049	2,053
Yield rate	18.0%	83.5%
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	$84,126
Average net price	$24,012	$33,727
Tuition	In state: $18,368 Out of state: $35,946	$59,256
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,360 Meal plan: $5,618	$17,685
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	51.0% Average amount $9,884	52.0% Average amount $48,412
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $5,305	6.0% Average amount $5,265
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $19,837	2.0% Average amount $37,860

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	73,476 Men 53.7% Women 46.3%	7,636 Men 52.2% Women 47.8%
Graduate students	15,438 Men 51.7% Women 48.3%	11,196 Men 55.1% Women 44.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	34.1%	N/A
International students	10.5%	28.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	20,547	4,584
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Virginia	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Computer and Information Science Health Professions Social Sciences	Business Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Public Administration and Social Service Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	5:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	72.3%	95.9%
Dropout rate	25.7%	1.7%
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	Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $181,006 Year 2: $171,510 Year 3: $219,263 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $159,677 Year 2: $159,442 Year 3: $178,485 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $93,918 Year 2: $91,211 Year 3: $142,172 Statistics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $119,416 Year 2: $116,083 Year 3: $131,549 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,094 Year 2: $92,277 Year 3: $105,545 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $82,564 Year 2: $85,637 Year 3: $96,012 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,684 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $91,550 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,121 Year 2: $70,083 Year 3: $82,672 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $81,753 Year 2: $72,022 Year 3: $81,130 Public Policy Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,165 Year 2: $52,663 Year 3: $73,510

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UChicago vs The Pennsylvania State University (PSU)

The Pennsylvania State University

University of Chicago

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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