Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus vs Southern Methodist University

University Park, PA · Dallas, TX · largest Scorecard gap: in-state tuition

Scorecard match plate

Pair PA:TX

MIXED-SECTOR · CROSS-STATE · ACCEPT-OPEN · NET-SPLIT · EARN-SPLIT · DEBT-SPLIT · COMPLETE-HIGH · GAP-TUITION

  • MIXED-SECTOR Mixed sector
  • CROSS-STATE PA × TX
  • ACCEPT-OPEN Open admission
  • NET-SPLIT Net-price split
  • EARN-SPLIT Earnings split
  • DEBT-SPLIT Debt split
  • COMPLETE-HIGH High completion
  • GAP-TUITION Largest gap · In-State Tuition

Instrument codes from this pair's College Scorecard ownership, geography, acceptance, net price, earnings, debt, and completion, plus the ENROLL-1SIDE · modest · 2013–2023 decade-path stamp below, not a ranking or recommendation.

Decade path · College Scorecard

Only one enrollment path is a trend

ENROLL-1SIDE · modest · 2013–2023

Size changed directionally at one school over 2013–2023; the peer's series stays a range. Pair any selectivity note with that asymmetry before treating the two campuses as parallel growth stories.

  • Southern Methodist University: enrollment grew +12.9% over 2013–2023; fitted +85 students/yr fitted, r² 0.92.
  • Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus: enrollment ranged 39,460–74,630 (2013–2023, 9 points) without a stable fitted direction.
  • Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus: acceptance-rate path 2013–2023 stays non-directional here (r² 0.07).
  • Southern Methodist University: acceptance-rate path 2013–2023 stays non-directional here (r² 0.33).

College Scorecard institution series; dollars are nominal. Direction claims require r² ≥ 0.40 on the fitted annual slope, otherwise the page reports the observed range. Descriptive history, not a recommendation.

Scorecard metrics

Largest gaps: Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus vs Southern Methodist University

  1. IN-STATE-TUITION Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus leads on in-state tuition ($20,644 vs $67,040 at Southern Methodist University)
  2. OUT-OF-STATE-TUITI Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus leads on out-of-state tuition ($41,790 vs $67,040 at Southern Methodist University)
  3. MEDIAN-DEBT-AT-GRA Southern Methodist University leads on median debt at graduation ($19,500 vs $25,000 at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus)

Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus profile · Southern Methodist University profile · Compare other colleges

In-State Tuition and other Scorecard questions

On in-state tuition, who leads between Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus and Southern Methodist University?
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus leads on in-state tuition at $20,644 versus $67,040 at Southern Methodist University. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On out-of-state tuition, who leads between Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus and Southern Methodist University?
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus leads on out-of-state tuition at $41,790 versus $67,040 at Southern Methodist University. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On median debt at graduation, who leads between Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus and Southern Methodist University?
Southern Methodist University leads on median debt at graduation at $19,500 versus $25,000 at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard College Scorecard institution outcomes (earnings, completion, debt); in-state tuition focus for this pair · 2025