Penn State's admission decisions for first-year students are determined by a combination of factors, including:

  • High school record (final grades in years 9-11, and senior year schedule) 
  • AP/IB/Honors courses, weighting, and class rank
  • Required Carnegie (high school) Units

We highly encourage students to submit personal statements, which may be factored in to admission decisions along with students’ activities lists.

Important notes for first-year applicants

Penn State will be test-optional through 2025

Students applying for admission to Penn State for the summer or fall terms through 2025 will have the option of having SAT/ACT scores included in their evaluation for admission. 

Browse Penn State's SAT Test-Optional FAQ

Class of 2024 profile and middle 50% GPA data

The ranges in the charts below represent the middle 50 percent of students offered admission for summer/fall 2020—they are not cutoffs or averages. This chart is for estimating purposes only and in no way represents a promise or guarantee of admission.

Placing in the upper end of both ranges increases the likelihood of being offered your first choice of campus and/or major. Placing in the lower end may require you to be more flexible in making your campus (and perhaps major) choices.

 

Summer/fall 2020 middle 50% GPA statistics
Academic Scale University Park Schuylkill
High School GPA (4.0 scale) 3.55 - 3.90 3.07 - 3.60

 

Scores computed based on a 1600-point scale
Academic Scale University Park Schuylkill
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and
Writing + Math		 1240-1410 1080-1260

 

Scores computed based on a 36-point scale
Academic Scale University Park Schuylkill
Composite ACT 27-33 23-28

 

Read more about Penn State's admission requirements, including information about individual majors and information for transfer students.