Public · University
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona
Altoona, Pennsylvania · Small city
- 98.1%
- Admit rate
- $22,213
- Avg net price
- 17%
- Graduation rate
- $63,435
- Median earnings
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Altoona, Pennsylvania (small city setting), enrolling 2,367 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 98.1%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1070–1290
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.37
Enter a test score to see where you land against Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
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
- Bachelor's
- Nearest big city
- 82 miles to Harrisburg, PA
- To the ocean
- 130 miles
- Nearest airport
- 18 miles to Altoona Blair County (AOO)
How Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona compares
More selective than 7% · #105 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania
Higher than 54%
Higher than 4% · #113 of 116 in Pennsylvania
Higher than 61%
Higher than 75% · #33 of 116 in Pennsylvania
Cheaper than 40% · #47 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania
Lower than 34%
Lower than 50%
Larger than 62%
Percentiles compare Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Pennsylvania.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,18650%
- Men1,18150%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White68%
- Black7.9%
- Hispanic9.5%
- Asian4.8%
- Other or multiracial9.5%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,367
- Student–faculty ratio
- 13 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 29%
- First-generation students
- 29%
- Students over 25
- 4%
- Median family income
- $61,924
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $85,419
- Endowment
- $46,075,310
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 98.1%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1070–1290
- SAT average
- 1187
- SAT reading
- 530–650
- SAT math
- 540–640
- ACT composite
- 22–28
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.37
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $15,972
- Out-of-state tuition
- $26,958
- Room & board
- $14,474
- Books & supplies
- $1,200
- Total cost of attendance
- $32,559
- Average net price
- $22,213
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 (within 6 years)
- 17%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 12%
- First-year retention
- 80%
- Transferred to another college
- 45%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $55,620
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $63,435
- Median debt at graduation
- $25,000
- Students with federal loans
- 54%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 64%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 889
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 38%
- Housing charge (year)
- $8,508
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,312
- Application fee
- $65
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III without football
- Varsity athletes
- 253 (144 men · 109 women)
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%.
Varsity sports (9)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 3.8 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 21
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 6
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,371 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
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.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$19,464/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Modest institutional aid: 62% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,418. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 897 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $63,435
- Typical debt at graduation
- $25,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 39%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 70%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.9 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 $14,436 (26%) 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 (4.4 mi from campus).
What Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona 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 Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona side by side →
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks
Reading, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 28 mi to Lancaster
- Students
- 1,872
- Admission
- 99%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1174
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $63k
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington
Abington, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 12 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 2,877
- Admission
- 97%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 1181
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $63k
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine
Media, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 15 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 1,223
- Admission
- 98%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1200
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $63k
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College
Erie, Pennsylvania · Midsize suburb · 5 mi to Erie
- Students
- 3,240
- Admission
- 97%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1228
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $63k
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg
Middletown, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 9 mi to Harrisburg
- Students
- 4,031
- Admission
- 98%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1227
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $63k
University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg
Greensburg, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 27 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 1,305
- Admission
- 95%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 1160
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $66k
Colleges near Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona
Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center
Altoona, PA · Public · Certificate · 220 students
Altoona Beauty School Inc
Altoona, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 70 students
YTI Career Institute-Altoona
Altoona, PA · Private for-profit · Associate · 32 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.














