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Penn State University鈥檚 University Park campus, affectionately known as 鈥淗appy Valley,鈥� has long been a favored destination of Keystone State residents, many of whom have adopted the Nittany Lion lifestyle as a family tradition. Yet, the 2000s saw PSU shift from a solid flagship university ably serving its residents to a desirable destination for out-of-staters and even international students. To that point, in 1990, 77% of undergraduates were in-staters, and under 5% were international students. By 2015, just 56% were homegrown and 15% were international students. While the Penn State acceptance rate has not tightened up the way it has at many other public institutions, the caliber of students admitted today is certainly more academically accomplished than a generation ago.

With the admissions landscape at Penn State changing in recent decades, it鈥檚 important for applicants to have an up-to-date understanding of what they are up against. To help, the 国产第一福利影院草草 team will present the following data:

• Penn State acceptance rate (plus how to predict your chances with our free admissions calculator)
• Penn State in-state vs. out-of-state acceptance rate
• Penn State Early Action acceptance rate
• SAT, ACT, GPA, and class rank of Penn State applicants
• Admissions trends
• The demographics of current undergraduates
• Yield rate
• How Penn State鈥檚 admissions officers evaluate candidates
• Tips for applying
• Penn State’s supplemental essay
• How to assess whether applying to Penn State is even worth the $65 application fee (for you)

Penn State University (PSU) Admissions Calculator

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Penn State (PSU) Acceptance Rate 鈥� Class of 2028

Penn State is notoriously cagey about its acceptance rate. For the Class of 2028, Penn State admitted 53,579 of the 88,478 freshman applicants who sought admission. This equates to a 60% acceptance rate, which is markedly higher than the past few years.

Historical Penn State acceptance rates are as follows:

Penn State In-State vs. Out-of-State Acceptance Rate 鈥� Class of 2028

Currently, in-state and out-of-state students are accepted at a fairly even clip. In the past, however, out-of-state students were consistently accepted at a higher rate than PA residents. This is because the university relied heavily on the higher tuition rates paid by non-residents for funding.

For the incoming Class of 2028, the Penn State in-state and out-of-state acceptance rates were as follows:

In-State

• Applications: 19,483
• Admitted: 12,179
• Acceptance Rate: 62%

Out-of-State

• Applications: 58,681
• Admitted: 34,761
• Acceptance Rate: 59%

Penn State Early Action Acceptance Rate 鈥� Class of 2027

For the 2023-24 cycle (most recent data available), Penn State received 35,462 early action applications and admitted 25,053 of them. This means that the Penn State early action acceptance rate was 71%鈥攎uch higher than the regular decision round.

Moreover, the university notes that applicants will “possibly” have a higher likelihood of acceptance if they apply early action, and provide the following reasoning: “By applying during the Early Action deadline, you will be among the first students to be considered for admission to Penn State, when we have more flexibility in our decisions.”

What GPA do you need to get into Penn State?

Among admitted students to the Class of 2028, the average unweighted mid-50% GPA was 3.65-3.94. Of the students who enrolled in the Class of 2028, 50% had a GPA of 4.0 or above. Another 25% had a GPA of 3.75-3.99 and 15% had a GPA between 3.5 and 3.74.

What class rank do you need to get accepted to Penn State?

Among enrolled 2024-25 first-year students, 95% hailed from the top half of their graduating class. To break that down further, 72% placed in the top quarter and 37% in the top decile.

What is the minimum SAT or ACT score for Penn State?

According to statistics for the admitted Class of 2028, the mid-50% SAT range was 1320-1450. In addition, the mid-50% ACT range was 29-33.

For the students who actually enrolled in the Class of 2028, the numbers were considerably lower. The mid-50% SAT range for these enrolled students was 1250-1410 and the mid-50% ACT range was 27-32. Overall, 31% of applicants opted to submit SAT scores, while just 5% submitted ACT scores.

Admissions Trends & Notes

• The Class of 2028 had a 60% acceptance rate, which is significantly higher than the previous year’s 54% acceptance rate.
• Women generally enjoy a slightly higher acceptance rate at Penn State than their male counterparts. For the Class of 2027, the edge for female applicants was 62% to 57% for men.
• The yield rate has been decreasing — from 21% (Class of 2024) to 19% (Class of 2027) and 15% for the Class of 2028.
• Over the past five years, applications have increased 20%.

Who Gets Into Penn State?

Let鈥檚 look at the demographics of Penn State undergraduates:

The majority of enrolled Class of 2028 PSU students hailed from the Keystone State and paid in-state tuition. The split was:

• In-state: 53%
• Out-of-state: 39%
• International: 7%

Looking at ethnic identity among the Nittany Lion undergraduate student body, the breakdown is as follows:

• Asian American: 7.6%
• Hispanic: 9.3%
• African American: 4.5%
• International: 9.3%
• White: 62.6%

International students hail from over 100 countries. Historically, the following countries send the most students to Penn State:

1. China
2. India
3. Saudi Arabia
4. South Korea
5. Taiwan

The breakdown by gender of the Class of 2028 shows an even split of men and women:

• Male: 48%
• Female: 50%

Penn State’s Yield Rate

Penn State鈥檚 yield rate鈥攖he percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted鈥攚as only 15% for the class of 2028. The early action yield rate (for the class of 2027) was significantly higher鈥�25%.

To compare this school to other flagship public institutions, UT-Austin, UGA, and Ohio State all have significantly higher yield rates.

How Penn State Rates Applicants

There is only one factor that Penn State ranks as being 鈥渧ery important鈥� to their admissions process and that is an applicant鈥檚 GPA. The only category ranked as 鈥渋mportant鈥� is the rigor of one鈥檚 secondary school record. Five factors are 鈥渃onsidered鈥� by Penn State. Those are: standardized test scores, talent/ability, legacy status, geographical residence, and state residency.

Penn State went test-optional due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the 2020-21 admissions cycle. They will remain test-optional through summer/fall 2026 unless you are applying to certain programs, such as the BS/MD program.

In the admissions office鈥檚 own words: “The most important piece of our review is your academic record, which represents your individual four years of academic development鈥�We take a hard look at the many roles you serve as a student, sibling, athlete, son or daughter, volunteer, and/or employee. Assembling a class of students with diverse interests and experiences is a task that we take seriously. Penn State does not have a minimum GPA or standardized test score used for admission. There are no such things as ‘cut-offs.’ We review students taking into account a full range of factors.”

Since Penn State possesses one of the premier athletic programs in the country, it most definitely helps if you are recruited as an athlete to join one of . There are over 800 designated student-athletes at PSU.

Tips for Applying

If you plan on joining the 88,000+ Nittany Lion hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:

• Penn State does not offer interviews. Therefore, the best way to personalize the admissions process is through your essays and recommendations.
• Penn State does not consider 鈥�demonstrated interest鈥� in the admissions process. This means you will not gain an advantage by visiting campus, connecting through social media, emailing an admissions officer, etc.
• Penn State has a deadline of November 1st, but admissions are rolling and you should apply as early as possible for maximum consideration (the application opens in August).
• You must list an Intended Major/Program of Study on the supplemental Common App form. There are a number of at PSU.
• Lastly, make sure to take the opportunity to submit a personal statement to Penn State. Per admissions: Penn State does not require a Personal Statement for your application to be considered complete. However, if you wrote a Personal Essay in your Common App profile and choose to include it in your application, your Personal Essay will be sent to Penn State once you submit your application.

For a detailed look at the ins and outs of this essay, visit our blog entitled: Penn State Supplemental Essay Prompt and Tips.

Should I apply to Penn State?

Penn State students generally sport A-/B+ averages and possess average standardized test scores right around the 80th percentile of all test-takers. To assess your competitiveness, be sure to compare your academic profile to Penn State’s mid-50% GPA and test scores. According to the university, “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.”

Penn State University (PSU) Acceptance Rate – Final Thoughts

Remember, Penn State has a 60% acceptance rate, so they accept more students than they reject. If your academic profile is below average, there is still a good chance that you could gain acceptance to one of PSU鈥檚 19 branch campuses located throughout the state of Pennsylvania.

In conclusion, we want to stress that all college-bound high school students should formulate an appropriate college list, containing a complement of 鈥渢arget鈥� and 鈥渟afety鈥� schools. This can be done in collaboration with an admissions professional who is aware of the latest trends and strategies associated with your prospective colleges.

Ready to begin your application? Consider perusing the following resources:

• Should You Start College Applications in the Summer?
• What is Demonstrated Interest?
• Do Colleges Look at Social Media?
• College Fair Advice for High School Students
• How to Complete the Common App Activities List
• Common App Essay Prompts
• 25 Inspiring College Essay Topic Ideas