Quad

Head-to-head

Pennsylvania State
U. Pittsburgh

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. Pittsburgh's grants cover 19% of its full price on average, vs. 9% at Pennsylvania State

    Aid generosity
  2. 2

    Pennsylvania State has 2.1× as many undergrads as U. Pittsburgh

    Undergrads
  3. 3

    U. Pittsburgh costs about $7.1K less per year on average than Pennsylvania State ($37,774 vs. $44,836, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  4. 4

    Pennsylvania State has 8 pts more first-gen students than U. Pittsburgh (29% vs. 21%)

    First-generation students
  5. 5

    Pennsylvania State's yield is 4 pts higher than U. Pittsburgh's

    Yield rate
  6. 6

    U. Pittsburgh's SAT midpoint is 35 points higher than Pennsylvania State's

    SAT midpoint

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

U. Pittsburgh admits 58%, Pennsylvania State 61%; Pennsylvania State's yield is higher, at 17%.

Acceptance rate
Pennsylvania State61%
U. Pittsburgh58%
Quad's selectivity
  • Pennsylvania StateVery selective
  • U. PittsburghVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
Pennsylvania State
1240–1420
U. Pittsburgh
1280–1450
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Pennsylvania StateGPA and school record required48%
  • U. PittsburghRigor and GPA very importantweighted GPAs

Who's on each campus

Pennsylvania State has 2.1× as many undergrads as U. Pittsburgh; both have the same Pell share, 14%.

Undergrads
Pennsylvania State42.3K
U. Pittsburgh20.4K
Pell Grant share
Pennsylvania State14%
U. Pittsburgh14%

Majors and faculty

Psychology leads at Pennsylvania State, and Research and Experimental Psychology at U. Pittsburgh.

Students per faculty member
Pennsylvania State16 to 1
U. Pittsburgh13 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Pennsylvania StatePsychology, General5%
  • U. PittsburghResearch and Experimental Psychology, Other10%

What each costs

U. Pittsburgh costs about $7.1K 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
U. Pittsburgh$37.8K
Aid generosity
Pennsylvania State9%
U. Pittsburgh19%

What each pays off

U. Pittsburgh's former students earn more, a median $66.1K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Pennsylvania State$63.4K
U. Pittsburgh$66.1K
Graduation rate
Pennsylvania State86%
U. Pittsburgh82%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Pennsylvania StateGrowing+76%
  • U. PittsburghGrowing+99%
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 2018;University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019About 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