Quad

Head-to-head

Pennsylvania State
Ohio State

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Ohio State costs about $14.1K less per year on average than Pennsylvania State ($30,715 vs. $44,836, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Ohio State's grants cover 23% of its full price on average, vs. 9% at Pennsylvania State

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    Ohio State's SAT midpoint is 65 points higher than Pennsylvania State's

    SAT midpoint
  4. 4

    Ohio State has 6 pts more Pell recipients than Pennsylvania State (20% vs. 14%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  5. 5

    Ohio State's yield is 5 pts higher than Pennsylvania State's

    Yield rate
  6. 6

    Pennsylvania State graduates 3 pts more of its students than Ohio State (86% vs. 82%)

    Graduation rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Pennsylvania State admits 61%, Ohio State 61%; Ohio State's yield is higher, at 22%.

Acceptance rate
Pennsylvania State61%
Ohio State61%
Quad's selectivity
  • Pennsylvania StateVery selective
  • Ohio StateVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
Pennsylvania State
1240–1420
Ohio State
1310–1480
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Pennsylvania StateGPA and school record required48%
  • Ohio StateGPA, school record, rank, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Pennsylvania State and Ohio State are about the same size; Ohio State has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Pennsylvania State42.3K
Ohio State45.6K
Pell Grant share
Pennsylvania State14%
Ohio State20%

Majors and faculty

Psychology leads at Pennsylvania State, and Finance at Ohio State; both have 16 students per faculty member.

Students per faculty member
Pennsylvania State16 to 1
Ohio State16 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Pennsylvania StatePsychology, General5%
  • Ohio StateFinance, General8%

What each costs

Ohio State costs about $14.1K less a year than Pennsylvania State on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Pennsylvania State$44.8K
Ohio State$30.7K
Aid generosity
Pennsylvania State9%
Ohio State23%

What each pays off

Pennsylvania State's former students earn more, a median $63.4K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Pennsylvania State$63.4K
Ohio State$60.4K
Graduation rate
Pennsylvania State86%
Ohio State82%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Pennsylvania StateGrowing+76%
  • Ohio StateGrowing+98%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus Common Data Set 2022–23, Fall 2022;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why