Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona

Location and Contact Information

3000 Ivyside Pk
Altoona, PA 16601-3777
USA
Main Tel: (814) 949-5000
Web Site

The campus is in a small city.

Overview

Pennsylvania State University, also known as Penn State, is a state-supported, land-grant, space grant, public research university situated in University Park, Pennsylvania, United States. It was established in 1939. The university offers a wide variety of degrees and programs in diverse areas of study. The university offers more than 15 baccalaureate degrees, over 5 associate degrees and more than 15 minors in various subjects.

  • College of Arts and Architecture
  • College of Business, Smeal
  • College of Communication
  • College of Earth & Mineral Sciences
  • College of Education
  • College of Engineering
  • College of Engineering Environmental Institute
  • College of Health and Human Development
  • College of Medicine
  • College of Technology, Pennsylvania
  • College of the Liberal Arts

Penn State hosts more than 75 active student groups on campus. The university also has an active Greek life with several fraternities and sororities.

Highlights (vs. Other Schools)

  • Many students concentrating in engineering, conservation and resource management, and security and law enforcement.
  • Large number of students.
  • High male/female ratio.
  • Superior share of faculty on tenure track.
  • High faculty salary.

School characteristics:

  • The school is public.
  • Academic calender: Semester.

Features of note:

  • The school offers a faculty tenure system.
  • There are one or more libraries on-campus.
  • Campus housing is available.
  • Students may study abroad.
  • Distance learning is available.
  • Part-time classes are available.
  • ROTC.

Tuition and Financial Aid (2009-2010)

ItemCost
State Tuition and fees$ 12,750
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 19,078
Room$ 4,430
Board$ 4,360
Books and supplies$ 1,360
Other$ 3,924

Financial Aid

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona participates in US Title IV financial assistance programs.

In 2009-2010, 80% of students received financial aid of some sort.

Grants% of
Students		Average
Amount
Any Grant49%$6,525
Institutional Grant25%$3,768
Federal Grant28%$4,676
Pell Grant26%$3,244
Other Federal Grant22%$2,145
State or Local Grant31%$3,066

Loans% of
Students		Average
Amount
Student Loan70%$7,565
Federal Loan69%$5,590
Other Loan13%$11,486

(Please refer to BrainTrack's financial aid articles section for background information.)

Similar Schools

Based on proprietary BrainTrack computer comparisons against all other US colleges, these schools appear to be most similar to Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona:

Click a column header to sort.

 SchoolLocationEnrollment
1Embry Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona BeachDaytona Beach, FL5,062
2Kettering UniversityFlint, MI2,600
3Indiana Institute of TechnologyFort Wayne, IN3,653
4Pennsylvania State University-Penn State BerksReading, PA2,800
5Texas A & M University at GalvestonGalveston, TX1,612
6Norwich UniversityNorthfield, VT3,309
7Morgan State UniversityBaltimore, MD7,005
8Tennessee Technological UniversityCookeville, TN10,793
9Citadel Military College of South CarolinaCharleston, SC3,328
10The University of Texas at ArlingtonArlington, TX25,084

Degrees Awarded (in 2009-2010)

DegreeTotal
Earned		Different
Programs
Bachelor29817
Associate747
< 1 year certificate192

Faculty

Tenure (2009-2010):

Full-Time Faculty  Total
With tenure  63
Without tenure; working toward tenure  50
Without tenure; tenure not available  76

Students

Student enrollment was 4,013 in 2009-2010 (4,157 full-time equivalent).

About 53% of the freshmen class in 2009-2010 was male and women were 47% of the class.

Undergrads are 100% of enrolled students.

Students under 25 years old represent 90% of the student body. About 3% of the school is at least 40 years of age.

Among freshmen students, 99% are full-time and 1% are part-time.

Admissions Summary (2009-2010)

ApplicantsAdmitted
Men74%
Women75%
All75%

SAT Test Scores:

SATMiddle 50%
Verbal440-540
Math470-570

Room and Board

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona provides on-campus housing for 931 of its 4,157 (full-time) students (as of 2009-2010).

Athletics

The school is in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference for major sports.

Graduate School Focus

The highest degree offered is the Bachelor.

Programs of Study

(Number of degrees in 2009-2010 in parentheses)

ART STUDIES (4 awarded)

  • Visual and Performing Arts

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT (77 awarded)

  • Business/Commerce

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (8 awarded)

  • Environmental Studies

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS (1 awarded)

  • Visual and Performing Arts

EDUCATION AND TEACHING (43 awarded)

  • Elementary Education and Teaching

ENGINEERING (41 awarded)

  • Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
  • Engineering

ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN (7 awarded)

  • Electrical/Electronic/Communications Engr Technology/Technician
  • Mechanical Engineering/Mechanical Technology/Technician

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK (25 awarded)

  • Human Development and Family Studies

LIBERAL ARTS (43 awarded)

  • English Language and Literature
  • History
  • Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies

MATHEMATICS (4 awarded)

  • Mathematics

MEDIA (20 awarded)

  • Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE (43 awarded)

  • Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)

SCIENCE (11 awarded)

  • Biological and Physical Sciences
  • Biology/Biological Sciences

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT (42 awarded)

  • Criminal Justice/Safety Studies

THERAPY AND COUNSELING (22 awarded)

  • Psychology
  • Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling