Academic Comparison between Penn State Harrisburg and PAFA

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts are frequently compared when students or parents prepare college admissions. Penn State Harrisburg is a four-year, public school located in Middletown, PA and PAFA is a four-year, private (not-for-profit) school located in Philadelphia, PA.

Comparison at a Glance

The following list compares two colleges briefly in important perspectives. You can compare them with comprehensive information on full comparison page.

  • Penn State Harrisburg is a public and PAFA is a private (not-for-profit) school and both are four-year schools.
  • PAFA has more expensive tuition & fees ($44,600) than Penn State Harrisburg ($26,958).
  • Penn State Harrisburg has more students with 4,478 students while PAFA has 41 students.
  • PAFA has a lower number of students per faculty with 2 to 1 while Penn State Harrisburg's ratio is 15 to 1.
  • Penn State Harrisburg has more full-time faculties with 246 faculties while PAFA has 21 full-time faculties.
Which school is more in your mind and would you like to go to?
Penn State Harrisburg PAFA
Vote to see the other's choices.

Comparison Table with important Academic Factors

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburgvs.Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Middletown, PennsylvaniaLocationPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Four-year, PublicSchool Typefour-year, Private (not-for-profit)
Doctor's degreeHighest Degree OfferedMaster's degree
Carnegie ClassificationSchool of art, music, and design
In-State$15,972
Out-Of-State$26,958
2025 Tuition & Fees$44,600
63%% Receiving Financial Aid100%
$10,737Average Amount of Financial Aid$24,541
97.60 %Acceptance Rates-
11.24 %Yield (Enrollment Rates)-
1,220SAT Score-
27ACT Score-
26 %Graduation Rate58 %
-Transfer-out Rate42 %
82 %Retention Rate-
4,478Student Population41
246Number of Faculties21
15 to 1Students to Faculty Ratio2 to 1
Distance Learning (Online Classes), ROTC, Study Abroad, Weekend/Evening College, Teacher CertificationSpecial Learning OpportunitiesDistance Learning (Online Classes)
Academic/career counseling service, Employment servicesOn Campus Student ServicesAcademic/career counseling service