Jackson College vs The Pennsylvania State University (PSU)

Jackson College and The Pennsylvania State University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to students with diverse aspirations. Jackson College, a community college located in Jackson, Michigan, prides itself on its open admissions policy, welcoming students from all backgrounds. In contrast, The Pennsylvania State University, a public research university with multiple campuses across Pennsylvania, has a more selective admissions process, ensuring a competitive academic environment. While both institutions offer a wide range of undergraduate programs, Jackson College specializes in associate degrees and career-oriented programs, while Penn State excels in research-intensive fields and offers a comprehensive selection of bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover further distinctions between these two institutions, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, to determine which institution aligns best with your academic goals and preferences.

	Jackson College	The Pennsylvania State University
Overview
Location	Jackson, Michigan	University Park, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate		87.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	92.3%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	N/A	1140 - 1360
ACT range	N/A	25 - 31
Students submitting SAT score		32.0%
Students submitting ACT score		6.0%
Total number of applicants		96,686
Total number of admissions given out		89,207
Admitted students who chose to enroll		16,049
Yield rate		18.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Not required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $20,692 Out of state: $24,802	In state: $38,270 Out of state: $55,848
Average net price	$11,568	$24,012
Tuition	In state: $5,700 Out of state: $9,810	In state: $18,368 Out of state: $35,946
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,800 Meal plan: $4,200	Room/dormitory: $7,360 Meal plan: $5,618
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	84.0% Average amount $7,604	51.0% Average amount $9,884
Students receiving federal student loan	28.0% Average amount $5,873	49.0% Average amount $5,305
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	13.0% Average amount $19,837

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,103 Men 34.9% Women 65.1%	73,476 Men 53.7% Women 46.3%
Graduate students	N/A	15,438 Men 51.7% Women 48.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	34.1%
International students	0.0%	10.5%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	398	20,547
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Liberal Arts Business Computer and Information Science Engineering Technologies	Business Engineering Computer and Information Science Health Professions Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	15.4%	72.3%
Dropout rate	42.0%	25.7%
Transferred out	40.6%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $63,999 Year 2: $60,689 Year 3: $54,826 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $26,676 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Physical Sciences (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $28,940 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $31,557 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $47,988 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $36,529 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $109,295 Year 2: $120,549 Year 3: $125,527 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,798 Year 2: $95,930 Year 3: $120,289 Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,190 Year 2: $97,959 Year 3: $113,544 Mining and Mineral Engineering (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $98,403 Year 3: $108,754 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,372 Year 2: $100,455 Year 3: $107,874 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,574 Year 2: $99,291 Year 3: $104,370 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,304 Year 2: $97,855 Year 3: $104,056 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,512 Year 2: $94,864 Year 3: $103,461 Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $92,632 Year 3: $98,201 Nuclear Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $89,155 Year 3: $94,780

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