York College of Pennsylvania (YCP) vs The Pennsylvania State University (PSU)

York College of Pennsylvania and The Pennsylvania State University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning in Pennsylvania, offer distinct educational experiences. York College, a private liberal arts college, boasts a tight-knit community with a focus on personalized attention, while Penn State, a public research university, offers a vast array of academic programs and a vibrant campus life. With acceptance rates of 75% and 54%, respectively, both universities welcome a diverse student body. York College's popular majors include business, nursing, and education, while Penn State excels in engineering, business, and health professions. While York College's smaller size fosters a sense of community, Penn State's larger student body provides ample opportunities for extracurricular involvement. With graduation rates of 65% and 84%, both institutions prepare students for successful careers. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	The Pennsylvania State University	York College of Pennsylvania
Overview
Location	University Park, Pennsylvania	York, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: 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%	74.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	92.3%	77.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1140 - 1360	1028 - 1220
ACT range	25 - 31	22 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%	46.0%
Students submitting ACT score	6.0%	4.0%
Total number of applicants	96,686	5,584
Total number of admissions given out	89,207	4,338
Admitted students who chose to enroll	16,049	738
Yield rate	18.0%	17.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	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	$37,740
Average net price	$24,012	$22,543
Tuition	In state: $18,368 Out of state: $35,946	$20,260
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,360 Meal plan: $5,618	Room/dormitory: $6,720 Meal plan: $5,330
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	51.0% Average amount $9,884	99.0% Average amount $11,797
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $5,305	67.0% Average amount $5,384
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $19,837	22.0% Average amount $13,770

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	73,476 Men 53.7% Women 46.3%	3,527 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	15,438 Men 51.7% Women 48.3%	325 Men 22.2% Women 77.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	34.1%	N/A
International students	10.5%	0.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	20,547	2,252
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Computer and Information Science Health Professions Social Sciences	Business Health Professions Education Engineering Law Enforcement and Firefighting
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%	65.6%
Dropout rate	25.7%	9.4%
Transferred out	N/A	24.1%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,210 Year 2: $63,362 Year 3: $67,954 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,121 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $57,453 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,513 Year 2: $54,644 Year 3: $54,113 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,700 Year 2: $42,363 Year 3: $53,049 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,425 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $49,571 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,439 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $46,401 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,479 Year 2: $30,119 Year 3: $45,954 Hospitality Administration/Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,398 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $45,342 Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,774 Year 2: $42,905 Year 3: $45,202 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,722 Year 2: $29,250 Year 3: $44,722

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