Frequently-asked questions about the Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR).
Yes. Our review staff will make sure that those courses are appropriately match to courses that will result in proper Carnegie Units if applicable.
Any core curriculum course taken for high school credit must be listed on the SRAR. Enter the course in the appropriate year. The SRAR includes options for entering middle school courses. If you’ve taken math or world language course work prior to 9th grade, and these courses are necessary to meet Penn State admission requirements, please indicate those courses on your SRAR in the middle school section for your high school record. Please select Pass/Fail – Pass as your grade for the course. You do not need to designate the name of your middle or junior high school.
If available, you should provide the weighted GPA. You should not add or remove any weight. There will be a separate field on the SRAR (Course Level) for you to list the type of course it is, i.e. honors, AP, dual enrollment, etc.
When a student accepts an offer of admission to Penn State, the student will be expected to submit a final high school transcript following graduation and prior to enrollment at the University. Typically, this will be done during the summer prior to the start of the semester. Official transcripts should be submitted by secondary school counselors as soon as possible following graduation. Students accepting offers of admission for summer may bring a sealed copy of their official transcript to New Student Orientation.
Our experience has been that it will take approximately an hour to complete SRAR if students have on hand a copy of the high school transcript showing their high school record for grades 9 through 11. The additional time should not create an undue burden.
International students will be asked to select their school's grading system as part of SRAR. International first-year students will be expected to complete the SRAR portion of the application, unless they are directed otherwise based on their educational system. International students should follow the advisories appearing in the application and send secondary school documents as directed.
MyPennState application: students will be directed to begin their SRAR following completion of the High School Information portion of the application. Students will be prompted from within the application and via a button in MyPennState.
Common App: Once a student has started their Common App, they will be directed via email to establish their MyPennState login credentials and can access their SRAR via a button in MyPennState. Students will receive email instructions within 36 hours of starting their application.
Students submit SRAR as part of the application process. They may submit the application and SRAR in any order. The SRAR does not have to be submitted prior to the application.
If submitting the MyPennState application, students will be directed to begin their SRAR following completion of the High School Information portion of the application. Students will be prompted from within the application and via a button in MyPennState.
If submitting Common App, once a student has started the Common App, they will be directed via email to establish their MyPennState login credentials and can access their SRAR via a button in MyPennState. Students will receive email instructions within 36 hours of starting their application.
A student’s application is not complete and ready for evaluation until Penn State has received the application, the SRAR (unless otherwise directed), and the official test scores sent to Penn State from the testing agency.
SRAR is expected of all traditional first-year students (domestic and international) still in high school as well as adult learners applying as first-year students. At this time, transfer applicants do not complete the SRAR, and will only provide final high school transcripts after they have been offered admission. First-year applicants studying in a South Korean education system must submit official transcripts from their last three years of work, in place of completing the SRAR.
SRAR is short for Self-Reported Academic Record. Penn State uses an applicant’s SRAR as one of many factors in making an admission decision and will compare the applicant’s SRAR and final high school transcript once the applicant has accepted an offer of admission to Penn State.
First-year applicants are expected to self-report all high school courses. High school seniors are asked to report grades 9-11 and their senior year schedule.
Regardless of the application method used (MyPennState or the Common App) a student will not be evaluated until the SRAR is provided. If a student is not required to submit SRAR, evaluation will not be done until all required documentation is in place.
No, as long as all of the classes and grades are represented on the current high school transcript.
Students will be expected to provide the cumulative GPA from grades 9 through 11 as recorded on their transcript, but will not need to recalculate to a 4.0 scale. Students should enter the GPA as it appears on their transcript. If the school provides both a weighted and unweighted GPA on the transcript, students should provide the weighted GPA.
If available, students should provide the weighted GPA and should not add or remove any weight. There will be a separate field on the SRAR (Course Level) for students to list the type of course it is (i.e. honors, AP, dual enrollment, etc.).
Applicants are expected to provide self-reported high school record information. Applicants not able to provide the information (adult learners many years out of high school, for example) will be handled on a case-by-case basis through Penn State’s review process. Students should email admissions@psu.edu if they are having difficulty with SRAR.