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    Colleges like Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus: 10 similar schools

    The 10 colleges most similar to Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus, ranked by shared features and how close their published figures are.

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

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    The colleges most similar to Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus are University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus (graduation rate 86%, close to 85%); Temple University-Pennsylvania (same Carnegie classification); and The Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus (same control type (public)). Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus admits 61% of applicants and has an average net price of $33,675 a year; 10 of its 10 alternatives cost less and 9 admit a larger share of applicants, in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition.

    The score is profile closeness out of 100; the order also counts shared features and location. How matches are scored

    Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus vs. its top 10 alternatives

    Acceptance rate, average net price per year after grants, six-year graduation rate, median earnings ten years after entry and profile match score for Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus and its closest alternatives.
    CollegeStateAcceptance rateNet priceGraduation rateMedian earningsMatch score
    Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusPA60.6%$33,67585.4%$71,762This college
    University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh CampusPA58.1%$29,36285.8%$73,11386/100
    Temple University-PennsylvaniaPA80.4%$23,05872.7%$71,02765/100
    The Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusPA92%$24,01272%Not reported64/100
    West Chester University of PennsylvaniaPA78.4%$24,77867.8%$66,62957/100
    Slippery Rock University of PennsylvaniaPA71.5%$19,97268.3%$57,99541/100
    Bloomsburg University of PennsylvaniaPA90%$16,73859%Not reported27/100
    Kutztown University of PennsylvaniaPA90.8%$22,14655.4%$57,64726/100
    Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main CampusPA90.8%$17,39151.8%$57,18226/100
    Millersville University of PennsylvaniaPA86.2%$18,81754.8%$58,44323/100
    Pennsylvania Western UniversityPA94.3%$17,83951.4%$51,16121/100

    Net price is the average yearly cost after grants; graduation rate is within six years; earnings are ten years after entry. Match score is profile closeness out of 100. “Not reported” means the college sent no figure to the U.S. Department of Education.

    Top 10 alternatives to Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus

    Ranked by similarity. Each card lists what the college shares with Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus and where it differs.

    How the matches differ from Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus

    • Graduation rates across the matches run from 51% (Pennsylvania Western University) to 86% (University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus), against 85% at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus; 1 of 10 graduate a larger share of students.
    • Median earnings ten years after entry across the matches run from $51,161 (Pennsylvania Western University) to $73,113 (University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus), against $71,762 at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus; 1 of 8 report higher earnings.
    • Enrollment sizes across the matches run from 5,728 students (Millersville University of Pennsylvania) to 73,476 students (The Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus), against 42,284 students at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus; 1 of 10 are larger.
    • All 10 matches are in Pennsylvania, like Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus.

    Questions about Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus alternatives

    What colleges are similar to Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus?

    The closest matches to Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus are University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus, Temple University-Pennsylvania, The Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, and Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. CollegesRef ranks them on admissions, cost, graduation rate, size, and campus profile using IPEDS and College Scorecard data.

    Is Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus hard to get into?

    Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus admitted 61% of applicants in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition, so it is moderately selective. 9 of its 10 closest alternatives admit a larger share of applicants.

    Which Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus alternatives cost less?

    10 of the 10 closest alternatives have a lower average net price than Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus ($33,675 a year), including Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania ($16,738), Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus ($17,391), and Pennsylvania Western University ($17,839). Net price is what first-time, full-time students paid after grants; your own price depends on family income.

    Data sources

    Admissions
    U.S. College Scorecard · latest data
    Cost
    U.S. College Scorecard · latest data
    Outcomes
    U.S. College Scorecard · latest data
    Enrollment
    U.S. College Scorecard · latest data

    Matches and their reasons come from CollegesRef matching on these figures. How we match colleges

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    Acceptance rates, tuition and verified admissions data. Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition.

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    Bars: admit rate on a 0–100% scale; tuition relative to the highest tuition shown here.