Interested in becoming a Nittany Lion? Then you’ll want to explore the Penn State admission requirements for potential students. With over 100,000 students applying to Penn State in recent years, it’s no wonder that the university has awarded over half a million bachelor degrees since its inception. As a well-respected research university founded in 1855, Penn State has a strong tradition of producing students that value community, discovery, and integrity. Penn State boasts some famous alumni: musician and Jonas Brothers band member Joe Jonas attended Penn State, and comedian and co-creator of the Key and Peele Show Keegan-Michael Key finished his master degree at Penn State.
Penn State is known for having competitive business programs, some of the best Engineering programs, and highly ranked computer science programs. You can apply to your program of choice through either MyPennState or the Common Application.
Throughout this post, you’ll find information that covers several topics—how to get into Penn State, Penn State GPA requirements, Penn State acceptance rate, when to apply and more—that will hopefully help you navigate the Penn State admissions process.
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(click to skip ahead)How hard is it to get into Penn State?
With an acceptance rate of just over 50%, it is somewhat difficult to get accepted to Penn State. The grade point average of people who get accepted to Penn State are in the upper-middle of their class, with the unweighted GPA of its students ranging from 3.12 - 3.93 (for both the Commonwealth Campus and University Park). People who successfully get into Penn State also tend to have fairly strong extracurricular activities and college applications essays.
Penn State Acceptance Rate
The acceptance rate of Penn State last year was 55%, making it a moderately competitive school to get into. Acceptance rate is generally an indication of how competitive a school is, but it is also an indication of how popular a school is. Speaking of popularity, Penn State received 85,784 and accepted 47,360 applications for the fall of 2022. To get into a school like Penn State, you will need to perform well in some areas (cough, cough like academic GPA) of your college application.
Penn State Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision, and Transfer Acceptance Rate
Penn State is a widely popular school to apply to, which is why it receives close to 100,000 applications through early action, regular decision, and transfer applications. Penn State offers early action for all applicants, as long as they submit their application by the November 1st deadline. Penn State early action applicants will receive Penn’s decision by December 24th. If you’re unable to submit your application before the November 1st deadline, you can always apply during their regular cycle, which is on a rolling admissions basis.
While the majority of applications Penn State receives are through their early action and rolling decision, Penn does see its fair share of transfer applications. For the fall of 2022, Penn State accepted 962 out of 1,696 transfer applications, which means Penn State’s transfer acceptance rate is right at 56%.
Penn State GPA Requirements
The unweighted GPA requirements for Penn State are between 3.59 - 3.93 and 3.12 - 3.78 for University Park and Commonwealth Campus, respectively. Regardless of the campus you apply to, you will need a moderately high GPA and will likely be graduating at the top quarter of your class in order to get into Penn State. If your GPA is lower than the suggested 3.59 for University Park, you’ll want to perform above average on your standardized tests, show your high school course rigor, and emphasize your talents and abilities in the different sections of the application. Out of a list of 19 different variables, academic GPA is the only variable labeled as ‘very important’ for first time applicants. If your grades aren’t as high as they could have been due to life experiences or hardship, you should consider writing about it in your additional information section.
Penn State Unweighted GPA Requirements
Penn State Unweighted Average GPA: 3.68
The recommended GPA requirements to get into Penn State are between 3.5 and 4.0. You will need a very high GPA and will likely be graduating at the top half of your class in order to get into Penn State. If your GPA is lower than suggested at the time you apply, you may have to perform above average on your standardized tests. If your grades aren’t as high as they could have been due to life experiences or hardship, you should consider writing about it in your additional information section.
| GPA Distribution | Percent Admitted |
|---|---|
| 4.0 | 0.00% |
| 3.75-3.99 | 47.91% |
| 3.50-3.74 | 25.87% |
| 3.25-3.49 | 16.55% |
| 3.00-3.24 | 7.41% |
| 2.5-2.99 | 1.98% |
| 2.0-2.49 | 0.27% |
| 1.0-1.99 | 0.27% |
| Below 1.0 | 0.00% |
What GPA is required for Penn State?
An applicants’ unweighted GPA when applying to Penn State should be between 3.53 - 3.83 to be considered strong candidates. Having less than this will require you to compensate in your personal statement and standardized tests scores should you choose to submit them in your application—Penn State is test optional through the 2025 fall term, but admission officers will consider tests scores that are submitted in applications.
Penn State considers weighted GPA as one of its admission factors. In fact, academic GPA is the only factor for general admissions decisions listed as ‘very important’ in the Penn State Common Data Set for 2022-2023. The median unweighted GPA for Penn State is 3.68, and its middle 50 percentile ranges from 3.59 - 3.93 and 3.12 - 3.78 for University Park and Commonwealth Campus, respectively. This indicates that you will likely have to take some higher level classes like AP and IB in order to be a competitive candidate for Penn State. Penn State offers a GPA Calculator that can be used to determine your GPA, as well as a Grade-Point Average Table that lists grades and their respective grade point.
If your high school provides you with both a weighted and unweighted GPA, Penn State asks that you use your weighted GPA and grades when completing their application. Applicants will be able to list the course type—dual enrollment, AP, Honors, IB—on the Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR).
Penn State SAT Requirements
The SAT scores submitted for Penn State are usually between a 1270 - 1450 composite score, combining the reading and writing, and math sections together. To put this score into perspective, the College Board stated that in 2022 around 18% of the total SAT composite scores were between 1200 - 1390, which means you will want to submit a high SAT score to Penn State if you choose to include it with your application.
Penn State is currently test optional (until the fall of 2025), which means that you do not have to submit your SAT score if it is lower than the suggested score at the time you apply. If you do decide to include your SAT score, it will be one—of many—factors that can impact Penn State’s final decision regarding your application. A strong personal statement, effectively utilizing the additional information section, and showcasing talent and abilities are factors that can help compensate for low test scores and GPAs.
Penn State Average SAT Composite Score: 1360
| SAT Score Distribution | Reading % | Math % |
|---|---|---|
| 700-800 | 20.52% | 30.87% |
| 600-699 | 56.50% | 48.07% |
| 500-599 | 20.52% | 19.03% |
| 400-499 | 2.31% | 1.83% |
| 300-399 | 0.14% | 0.20% |
| 200-299 | 0.00% | 0.00% |
What SAT score is required for Penn State?
Penn State does not require an SAT score in their application process, but students are encouraged to submit their SAT scores. SAT scores that are submitted will be considered during the application process. Applicants with a score between 1220 - 1380 on their SAT will be considered strong candidates for admission to this school. Talk with your college counselor about whether to submit an SAT score that falls below the 1220 - 1380 range to Penn State.
| Penn State SAT Distribution | Composite Score % |
|---|---|
| 1400 - 1600 | 22.19% |
| 1200 - 1399 | 59.97% |
| 1000 - 1199 | 16.07% |
| 800 - 999 | 1.69% |
| 600 - 799 | 0.08% |
| 400 - 599 | 0.00% |
Penn State ACT Requirements
While Penn State does not require the ACT for general admissions, the applicants that did submit their ACT composite scores—combining all English, mathematics, reading, and science sections—typically showed scores between 28 - 33. If your ACT is not what you’d hoped by the time you apply to Penn State, talk with your counselor about the pros and cons of submitting (or not submitting) your ACT composite score. If your ACT wasn’t as high as you’d like because of difficulties or hardship, you should consider writing about it in your additional information section.
Penn State Average ACT: 31
| ACT Score Range | Composite Score % |
|---|---|
| 30-36 | 43.12% |
| 24-29 | 45.41% |
| 18-23 | 9.94% |
| 12-17 | 1.53% |
| 6-11 | 0.00% |
| Below 6 | 0.00% |
What ACT score is required for Penn State?
Applicants should score between 26 - 31 on their ACT to be strong candidates for admission to this school. If your ACT score falls below this range, you might consider substituting it with a higher SAT score or ensuring that you have an above-average GPA. Keep in mind that Penn State—currently—does not require an ACT or SAT score from their applicants.
What does Penn State look for in students?
Let’s take a quick look at Penn State’s mission statement to see if you and Penn are a good fit for each other. According to the university, they have six core values that are encapsulated and exhibited by the Penn State community—integrity, respect, responsibility, discovery, excellence, and community. Combining its rich research-based foundation with its core values, the university hopes to “promote human and economic development, global understanding, and advancement in professional practice.” With 20 undergraduate campuses, you’ll find that Penn State offers research opportunities and fellowships for a variety of topics, ranging from the relationship between early adolescent year experiences and family-based interventions to the correlation between parent-to-child anxiety in early childhood. If you have time, consider browsing Penn State’s research database.
If you—after you’ve researched Penn State and all it has to offer—realize the two of you are a match, you’ll want to make sure that your application demonstrates all of the different qualities and qualifications Penn State is looking for, as well as how you’ll make a great addition to the already diverse Penn State community. When deciding on potential students, Penn State considers things like standardized test scores, talent, alumni relation, and geographical residence, but what it classifies as ‘important’ and ‘very important’ are the rigor of your secondary school record and your academic GPA, respectively.
What will help differentiate your application from others that have competitive GPAs and standardized test scores will be what you decide to include in your personal statement, activities list, and additional information section. In these sections, you’ll be able to emphasize your talents, abilities, relationship to Penn State, state residency, and other significant life experiences and roles—athlete, son/daughter, volunteer, employee, sibling, student—that have influenced your development. The more aligned you are with Penn State’s mission and vision, the better your application will show the admission officer that you’d make a fine addition to their community.
Penn State Application Deadlines
The Penn State application deadline for early action is November 1st. If you miss the early action deadline, you don’t need to worry about a Penn State regular decision deadline because it doesn’t have one. You can apply in their rolling decision process through the Common Application or MyPennState portal at any time (though we’d recommend not delaying). Below is a table showing the deadlines for each of the steps of the Penn State admissions process.
| Notification Plan | Application Material | Application Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Early Action | Submit Test Scores (test-optional until 2025) |
November 1st |
| Submit Application and Financial Aid Application |
November 1st (December 1st for FAFSA) |
|
| Admissions Decisions Released | December 24th | |
| Submit Test Scores | At time of application submission |
|
| Rolling Decision | Submit Application | Rolling |
| Submit Financial Aid Application (if still pending) |
At time of application submission |
|
| Admissions Decisions Released | July 31st |
Penn State Early Action Policy
Penn State offers early action to all of its applicants. If you are planning on applying early action, you’ll need to submit all of the required documents to Penn State by the November 1st deadline. Once you’ve submitted your application, Penn State will review your documents and respond with their decision by no later than December 24th. If admitted to Penn State, you’ll have until May 1st to accept their offer.
Penn State Supplemental Essay Prompts
Penn State does not require applicants to submit any supplemental essays. It does however offer optional essays that can be included with each applicant’s application. Their optional essay prompts are below and the Penn State supplemental essay guide that they were sourced from can be found here.
Optional Penn State Supplemental Essay Prompt 1: Please tell us something about yourself, your experiences, or activities that you believe would reflect positively on your ability to succeed at Penn State. This is your opportunity to tell us something about yourself that is not already reflected in your application or academic records. We suggest a limit of 500 words or fewer.
Optional Penn State Supplemental Essay Prompt 2: Please use this space to explain any time that has elapsed between your high school graduation and your anticipated enrollment at Penn State. Please provide a summary of why that gap occurred. If you attended another college or university during that time, please note it below and ensure that you have entered the information in the Academic History section of this application. (500 words)
Penn State Essay Tips
Should you submit either of these optional essays? The short answer is yes.
While the essays are not mandatory, they’re another great opportunity for you to showcase to the admission officer who you are and what things you value in life. Think of each essay as a chance for you to continue distinguishing your application from the close to 100,000 applications Penn State receives each year.
The first prompt is almost like a mini-ish personal statement. You’ll want to include information that adds to the reader’s understanding of who you are—think core values and insight. If you aren’t sure where to start or are worried about overlapping too much with your personal statement, you might consider browsing through some brainstorming exercises to identify potential topics. Regardless of the topic you choose to write about, be yourself. Don’t be afraid to let your personality show, you might have an easier time finding a common thread and uncommon connections when you are being yourself.
The second prompt is a chance for you to elaborate on any time that has passed between your high school academic career and your time applying to Penn State (and if none has, obviously don’t worry about this prompt at all). This additional information is yet another opportunity for you to give the admission officer information about who you are and where you are in life. As you outline and draft this essay, consider making sure the reasons you include are specific to you. Many students take time off for the same reasons before applying to college—financial instability, personal tragedy, being unsure of the next step in life. Focusing on your own experiences and how you’ve developed and learned from your experiences will help your essay not only stand out, but show a few more details about your life.
Kaila Barber (she/her)
Kaila Barber (she/her) attended the University of Notre Dame, where she pursued her passion for science, as well as competed as a collegiate hurdler. She completed a minor in Education, Schooling, and Society, a B.S. in PreProfessional Science, and a M.S. in Global Health. Now she serves as a member on CEG’s Quality Control, Essay Review, Workshop, and one-on-one coaching team. Kaila loves gardening, watching anime, and reading mystery novels.
Top Values: Adventure, Growth, Patience
