Penn State Admissions The SAT, ACT Scores and GPA You Need to Get In

Lets talk about how to get into Penn State. First, its important to distinguish between the Penn State, and other campuses administered by Penn State. What do I mean by this? Well, Penn State is actually a university system, not a single school. But the most famous Penn State university is Penn State-University Park. This is the one nationally ranked university in the system. Its also the Penn State you are likely trying to get into if youre reading this article. And its a good choice! US News and World Report ranks Penn State at number 57 nationally, putting the school in the top 30 Penn State ACT Scores (middle 50%): 28-32 Penn State GPA (middle 50%): 3.55-3.97 Penn State Acceptance Rate: 56% (Sources: US News and World Report, Penn State Admissions statistics web page.) How to Get Into Penn State: Penn State SAT Scores Like most top schools, Penn State does not set an absolute rule for minimum SAT score. Instead, it lists the SAT scores of the middle 50% of accepted applicants. But how competitive are Penn States middle 50 SAT scores? To get a sense of that, we need to think not just in terms of scores, but also in terms of percentiles. According to the College Boards he 1250-130/96th percentile can be harder to reach. In any case, remember this: The lower your SAT score is, the stronger the rest of your application will need to be. And the higher your SAT score is above 1250, the better! Penn State ACT Scores and Penn State Admissions If you look at the ACTs own official ACT to SAT score conversion table, youll see that Penn States 28-32 ACT score range is exactly equivalent to their SAT 1250-1430 range. In other words, Penn State ACT scores and Penn State SAT scores require you to make the same standards. So theres no clear advantage to submitting ACT scores vs. SAT scores to Penn State admissions. Or is there? There are many factors to consider when taking the ACT vs. SAT. So if you are trying to decide if you should take the ACT for Penn Sate, check out Magooshs helpful article, ACT vs. SAT: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Test.) And always remember aim for the best score you can. A perfect or near-perfect score on the ACT can be a good thing to aspire to when applying to a competitive school like Penn State. Ultimately, however, these differences are pretty small. When deciding which test is right for you, ACT or SAT, its better to consider many other factors. How to Get Into Penn State: What does your GPA really mean for Penn State admissions? Lets take a closer look at what that 3.55 to 3.97 Penn State GPA range really means. In a nutshell, it means that to have the best shot at getting into Penn State, your high school grades need to be near-perfect. This is because a that Penn State GPA of 3.55 is equivalent to an A- average. And a 3.97 GPA is equal to an A or an A+ average. One thing you can take away from this is that Penn State cares a lot about high school grades. Its also tempting to take away a false message: that if you have something short of an A- average, you shouldnt bother to apply. Not true! Remember, Penn State sets no official minimum test scores or GPAs. If your GPA is a little below 3.55, its probably still worth it to apply, especially if the rest of your application is strong. If youre not quite sure how to calculate your GPA for Penn State admissions purposes, Magoosh can help! Check out our article on how to calculate your GPA. This should help you figure out the GPA part of how to get into Penn State. Penn State Freshman Profile Weve already taken a good look at what a Penn State freshman looks like in terms of Penn State SAT scores, Penn State ACT scores, and Penn State GPA. But what does a Penn State freshman look like on a personal level? Where do Penn State students come from? Where do they live? Once you figure out how to get into Penn State, will you fit in and thrive upon arrival? First, lets talk about where Penn State undergraduates are from geographically. As you might expect, more than half of Penn States students are from Pennsylvania. But only a little more than half. Roughly 60% of the incoming undergraduates are in-state students. Approximately 30% of students are from other parts of the U.S. And around 10% of students are international. So if you attend Penn State, youll get a strong taste of local Pennsylvania culture. But youll also get to interact with people from many other parts of the country and the world. Now, lets talk about where Penn State freshman are form economically. To be sure, Penn State has its share of wealthy and well-connected students, as youd expect from an elite university. However, a substantial number of Penn State students come form either middle-class or lower-income households. 45% of incoming freshman are found to me eligible for needs-based financial aid. So thats where Penn State students come from, physically and financially. But once they arrive, where do they live? The vast majority of Penn State freshman live in the dorms at first, since theyre actually required to live either on-campus in their first year. However, once a group of freshman move on to their second year of schooling (or later), they stop living in student housing for the most part. Over all, only 35% of Penn State students live on campus. (Sources for this section: Penn State Admissions Statistics, US News and World Report.) How to Get Into Penn State: Other Penn State Admissions Requirements and Info So weve discussed the Penn State SAT and ACT scores. And weve looked at Penn State GPA. While those are among the most important Penn State admissions requirements, there are a few other important things to consider. First, you should consider Penn States high school prerequisites. Youll need four years of high school English. These four years must include at least 1 year of English literature and at least 1 year of English composition. And for high school math, successful Penn State applicants must have taken a year each of Algebra, Algebra II, and Geometry. In addition, youll need to complete at least a half year of one of the following high school math topics: trigonometry, pre-calculus, or calculus. Finally, youll need 3 combined years of social studies, arts, or humanities, and 2 years of a foreign language. Next, its important to remember that there are additional requirements for certain undergraduate majors. To see a list of special major-specific requirements for undergrad applicants to Penn State, visit the official undergraduate requirements page for Penn State admissions. The Penn State FAQ Heres a quick FAQ to cover your most common additional questions students have about Penn State, besides the questions I already answered above. Is Penn State an Ivy League school? Actually, its the University of Pennsylvania, the other major top school in the state, thats in the Ivy League. Penn State is a high ranking school but is not an elite private school like the eight members of the Ivy League. Does Penn State require the essay portion of the SAT or ACT? No, Penn State does not require applicants to take the essay part of either the SAT or ACT. However, Penn State admissions is willing to look at and consider essay scores. What is Penn State best known for? Academically, Penn State is best known for several different departments. The most popular majors at Penn State are Engineering, Computer Science, Business, and Communication/Journalism. How much does it cost to attend Penn State? For the 2019-2020 school year, Penn States full-time tuition costs $18,454 per year for in-state students. Students from out of sate are charged $34,858 per year, however. To cover additional non-tuition expenses for living and studying, Penn State estimates students will also need to spend approximately $13,410 to $16,632 per year. For a detailed breakdown of Penn State expenses, see the official Penn State tuition and costs website for undergraduate Penn State admissions. Does Penn State use the Common Application? Yes. As of June 2018, Penn State now uses the Common Application. The Common Application is a third-party website that provides the application forms for many top schools. So the Common app is now an important part of how to get into Penn State, and it can be important at other universities too. To learn more about the Common Application and its essay check out this Magoosh blog post about the Common App essay. Does Penn State require letters of recommendation? For most Penn Sate applicants, letters of recommendation are neither required nor considered. However, if you want to apply to Penn State as an honors student, you will need two letters of recommendation. Here again, Magoosh has a helpful blog post. If you think you may need recommendations for Penn State or any other school youre applying to, we have a useful article on how to ask for a letter of recommendation for college. How to Get Into Penn State: Conclusion Penn State is an especially good choice if you are interested in enrolling in its top majors, which are geared toward communications, business, and STEM. But Penn State is really for everyone. Its a big school with a lot to offer. If you can meet the high standards for Penn State SAT scores, Penn State ACT scores, Penn State GPA, and Penn State admissions, Penn State will have a lot to offer you personally, regardless of your chosen major. So if youre considering Penn State as an option, good! I hope this guide to how to get into Penn State has been helpful.