Public · Community college
Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center
Altoona, Pennsylvania · Small city
- 0%
- Transfer rate
- $12,419
- Avg net price
- 68%
- Grad / completion
- $38,008
- Median earnings
Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center is a public certificate-granting institution in Altoona, Pennsylvania (small city setting), enrolling 220 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Altoona, Pennsylvania
Altoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. One explanation of the city's name is that the word Altoona is a derivative of the Latin word altus, meaning high. Historically, the sole economic force driving the growth of Altoona into a city was the Pennsylvania Railroad. While the various local railroad shops still employ over a thousand people, they are no longer the driving economic engine of the area as they once were. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Certificate
- Nearest big city
- 81 miles to Harrisburg, PA
- To the ocean
- 128 miles
- Nearest airport
- 15 miles to Altoona Blair County (AOO)
How Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center compares
Higher than 60% · #76 of 151 in Pennsylvania
Higher than 51%
Higher than 60% · #75 of 137 in Pennsylvania
Cheaper than 60% · #31 cheapest of 152 in Pennsylvania
Lower than 57%
Lower than 82%
Larger than 47%
Percentiles compare Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Pennsylvania.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women14566%
- Men7534%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White91%
- Black5.0%
- Hispanic1.8%
- Asian0.9%
- Other or multiracial0.9%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 220
- Student–faculty ratio
- 10 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 52%
- First-generation students
- 57%
- Students over 25
- 53%
- Median family income
- $24,716
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- —
- Room & board
- —
- Total cost of attendance
- —
- Average net price
- $12,419
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated
- 68%
- First-year retention
- 73%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,211
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $38,008
- Median debt at graduation
- $9,500
- Students with federal loans
- 46%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 45%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center funds essentially no grants of its own — almost all aid here comes from federal (Pell), state, or outside sources rather than the school's own discount. Its sticker price is what it is.
Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid, 2022–23 full-time first-year undergraduates.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $38,008
- Typical debt at graduation
- $9,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 25%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 56%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $2,970 (8%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 81°F
- Winter low
- 19°F
- Annual rain
- 44.7″
- Annual snow
- 38.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Altoona 3 W, PA US station (3.7 mi from campus).
What Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center side by side →
Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology
Pleasant Gap, Pennsylvania · Fringe rural · 61 mi to Harrisburg
- Students
- 171
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $42k
Lancaster County Career and Technology Center
Willow Street, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 4 mi to Lancaster
- Students
- 279
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $45k
Indiana County Technology Center
Indiana, Pennsylvania · Fringe rural · 48 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 109
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $35k
Somerset County Technology Center
Somerset, Pennsylvania · Fringe rural · 59 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 59
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $38k
Venango County Area Vocational Technical School
Oil City, Pennsylvania · Remote town · 53 mi to Erie
- Students
- 59
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $38k
Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Jacksboro
Jacksboro, Tennessee · Distant town · 29 mi to Knoxville
- Students
- 231
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $36k
Colleges near Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center
Altoona Beauty School Inc
Altoona, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 70 students
YTI Career Institute-Altoona
Altoona, PA · Private for-profit · Associate · 32 students
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona
Altoona, PA · Public · Bachelor's · 2,367 students
The Salon Professional Academy-Altoona
Altoona, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 83 students
Mount Aloysius College
Cresson, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,094 students
Saint Francis University
Loretto, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,557 students
Juniata College
Huntingdon, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,191 students
Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center
Johnstown, PA · Public · Certificate · 105 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.