Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for Pennsylvania State University, Temple University, CUNY City College. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | Penn StateUniversity Park, PA | Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA | CUNY CityNew York, NY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 60.6% | 80.4% | 60.0% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1240–1420 | Not reportedTemple University reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education. | 1070–1430 |
| Average net price | $32,87513.9% on Pell grants | $28,19832.0% on Pell grants | $3,77660.5% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $20,644 in-state · $41,790 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $23,011 in-state · $38,958 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $7,340 in-state · $15,290 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 86.1% | 75.0% | 56.8% |
| First-year retention | 92.6% | 82.6% | 79.3% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 13.9% | 32.0% | 60.5% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $63,435 | $63,727 | $66,039 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $25,000 | $24,395 | $11,990 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 15:1 | 12:1 | 14:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 42,284 | 20,970 | 12,505 |
| Consensus percentile | 32Lower is better | 32Lower is better | 33Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 67 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 41 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 64 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | Penn State | Temple University | CUNY City |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #59 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #102 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #132 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | #338 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #232 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #166 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | Not ranked by this source | #389 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #57 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | #346 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #196 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #225 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #68 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #183 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #472 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| QS | #83 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #729 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #1025 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 |
Students comparing Pennsylvania State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Temple University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing CUNY City College on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
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