Home
Colleges
Penn State Altoona
Academics

Penn State Altoona
Academics

Back to Profile

How strong are the academics at Penn State Altoona?

Let's cover class sizes, graduation rates, and outcomes.

12:1
Student to faculty ratio
24
Average class size
47%
4-year grad rate

Class Sizes

Class sizes likely stayed the same for you through high school. You'll find that college is much different. Some of the largest universities have classes that can seat hundreds of students in giant lecture halls. Conversely, as they progress and their focus narrows, higher-level courses can sometimes have just a handful of students.

Penn State Altoona has an average student-to-faculty ratio of 12:1. The typical school is 14:1. While this ratio is important, what’s more important is how big a typical class is.

Class Sizes
2-9
98
10-19
145
20-29
185
30-39
65
40-49
31
50-99
28
100+
1

Honors Programs

Penn State Altoona has an honors program and/or honors college. Specifics of these programs vary, but benefits of being in an Honors Program might include priority registration, being part of a tight-knit community, and accessing unique learning opportunities.

Learn more about honors options on Penn State Altoona's website.

Outcomes

It’s critical to understand a school’s outcomes to understand if your four (or more) years at the school will be worth it. Here are some key statistics about the outcomes of students who enroll at Penn State Altoona:

77%
First-year retention rate
47%
4-year grad rate
64%
6-year grad rate

Majors

Many students choose a school largely based on the what they want to study. The are Penn State Altoona's most popular majors, ranked by how many people graduated with the concentration in the most recent year:

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Other
Electromechanical/Electromechanical Engineering Technology/Technician
Business/Commerce, General
Teacher Education, Multiple Levels
Criminal Justice/Safety Studies
4.8
18.24
31.68
45.12
58.56
72

The Full List

Major Graduates
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
  • Biology/Biological Sciences, General 7
Business
  • Business/Commerce, General 27
  • Accounting 11
Communication
  • Speech Communication and Rhetoric 9
Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
  • Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance 9
  • Computer and Information Sciences, Other 5
Education
  • Teacher Education, Multiple Levels 25
Engineering
  • Transportation and Highway Engineering 7
  • Civil Engineering, General 1
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians
  • Electromechanical/Electromechanical Engineering Technology/Technician 32
English Language And Literature/Letters
  • English Language and Literature, General 3
Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
  • Human Development and Family Studies, General 10
Health Professions And Related Programs
  • Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Other 72
History
  • History, General 5
Homeland Security
  • Criminal Justice/Safety Studies 16
Liberal Arts And Sciences
  • Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies 3
Mathematics And Statistics
  • Mathematics, General 1
Natural Resources And Conservation
  • Environmental Studies 8
Parks
  • Exercise Science and Kinesiology 12
Psychology
  • Psychology, General 14
Social Sciences
  • Political Science and Government, General 3
Visual And Performing Arts
  • Visual and Performing Arts, General 4
  • Design and Applied Arts, Other 4

Mistakes were made

(But not by you!)

These are the top 10 mistakes people make when searching for colleges

Top Ten Mistakes

CollegeIQ relies on data from government and private resources. Always confer with the individual college or university for the most recent data. Learn more about our data and methodology.

© 2025 Whittier Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service