Pennsylvania State University (2024)

FAQs

What is the lowest GPA accepted to Penn State? ›

Penn State does not have a minimum GPA or standardized test score used for admission.

The acceptance rate at Penn State is 55.2%.

This means the school is moderately selective. The school expects you to meet their requirements for GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but they're more flexible than other schools. If you exceed their requirements, you have an excellent chance of getting in.

Penn State is generally regarded as a reputable and respected institution. While it may not hold the same level of prestige as Ivy League schools or some top-tier private institutions, it is still a well-regarded public university with a strong academic reputation, especially in certain fields.

Penn State does not have any minimum GPA or test score requirements.

The recommended GPA requirements to get into Penn State are between 3.5 and 4.0.

The Penn State acceptance rate for University Park, the school's most competitive campus, was 54%. Early Action applicants saw a higher acceptance rate of 68%. The Penn State acceptance rate is competitive for a public university. Of every 100 applicants, 46 will receive a rejection.

Grading Scale

A = 95 to 100, A- = 90 to 94.99, B+ = 87 to 89.99, B = 83 to 86.99 B- = 80 to 82.99, C+ = 77 to 79.99, C = 70 to 76.99. D = 60 to 69.99, F = 59.99 and below. Note: The Penn State grading scale does not allow the option of awarding grades of C-, D+ or D- grades.

At Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus, the most popular majors students study are Finance, General, Information Science/Studies, Psychology, and General. In fact, Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus awards 449 degrees annually to Finance, General majors.

Penn State's assessment of application materials includes the academic courses, grades and levels of those courses and standardized test scores (optional through summer/fall 2025), plus additional factors that may include an audition, a portfolio review, the geographic and cultural background of the student, the ...

Does Penn State read your Common App essay? ›

In short, no. The Penn State application includes one optional essay. It's essentially a personal statement, much like the CommonApp essay. While this Penn State supplemental essay is optional, we highly recommend responding to the Penn State essay prompt.

Penn State does not require a specific high school GPA or minimum standardized test scores. The middle 50% range for high school GPA is 3.16–3.65 and the middle 50 percent range for SATs is 1060–1250.

Why is Penn State so popular? Penn State offers a high-quality education and a variety of highly regarded academic programs. Penn State is also known for its sports teams, extracurricular activities, and clubs.

Penn State is tied at 31st on the U.S. News & World Report's 2022-2023 "Top Public Schools" rankings and tied at 77th among "National Universities." QS World University Rankings ranked the university at No. 93 internationally and No. 9 for U.S. public universities.

Penn State also showcased its interdisciplinarity, ranking in the top 75 in the world in the broad subject areas of natural sciences, social sciences and management, and engineering and technology.

A minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA is required. International transcripts: Applicants who have attended high school, college, or university outside the US are required to have a course-by-course credential evaluation (with grade point average and course levels) performed by an outside evaluation service.

If that's the goal, to have tons of options for higher education, a 2.0 GPA won't result in that. Unofficially, 2.0 is the lowest GPA accepted into a standard college, so while there's a chance that college admission is possible, it's not likely at more than a few institutions.

Cumulative grade-point average must be at least a C (2.00) or better. Students must complete their courses; students with Deferred Grades (DF) or No Grades (NG) will not be allowed to graduate. A student must earn at least a C grade in each course designated as a C-required course in their major.

Grading Scale

A = 95 to 100, A- = 90 to 94.99, B+ = 87 to 89.99, B = 83 to 86.99 B- = 80 to 82.99, C+ = 77 to 79.99, C = 70 to 76.99.