Answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) relating to the First-Year Student undergraduate application process.
Students may apply to Penn State using either the MyPennState application, or through the Common App. Penn State holds no preference between the two methods and encourages students to use the method which works best for them. You can find more information on admissions requirements and steps to apply by reviewing our How To Apply information.
Find helpful tips and instructions for filling out the Self-Reported Academic Record by visiting the SRAR Information page.
The early action deadline is November 1st. All application materials must be delivered by this date.
Students who have applied for a program that is eligible for early action, and have not already received an admission decision, will receive their application decision no later than December 24th.
Most Penn State students begin at a Commonwealth Campus, taking part in the popular 2+2 Plan to finish their last two years of study at University Park or another campus location. Transfer students typically need 2 years of coursework prior to studying at the University Park campus within available programs.
As part of the reported admissions statistics, Penn State provides a middle 50-percent range for both GPA and test scores of the current first year class to be used for estimating purposes.
The deadline for accelerated the Accelerated Premedical-Medical Program is October 15th. Please review the admission requirements for the Accelerated Premedical-Medical Program under the Eberly College of Science interdisciplinary-program information.
Students interested in the Schreyer Honors College may use the supplemental Schreyer Honors College application that can be accessed through the Penn State application in the Common App or MyPennState. All first-year students applying to any Penn State campus and major (with the exception of students accepted to a few programs) can apply for admission to the Honors College. For more on information on the undergraduate application process, review our How to Apply pages.
First Year students are required to live on campus at University Park, Behrend, and Schuylkill campuses. For more information on campus housing options please explore your campus of interest.
Students having applied to begin in either the summer or fall semester have until May 15th to accept their offer of admission to Penn State.
Dual Enrollment at Penn State prior to high school graduation is available by application. Students having outside dual enrollment course work earned from another college or university will be able to submit for possible Penn State credit after enrollment.
New Student Orientation (NSO) is a program takes place at the campus of admission prior to a student beginning their first semester at Penn State. Students will schedule a time to attend NSO typically during late spring or early summer.
New Student Orientation, or NSO, is a required program hosted at the campus you were offered that introduces you to Penn State. Review our Accepted student checklist for more information on planning for NSO. Learn more here. https://admissions.psu.edu/info/accepted/checklist/plan-for-new-student-orientation/
Penn State has a limited number of seats for our incoming first-year class and demand is high. It is possible that your application will be evaluated and may meet admissions requirements, but we do not have seats available at the time of evaluation. In this case, you would be invited to join the waitlist and may receive an offer of admission if space becomes available.
Students may apply to Penn State with a High School Equivalency Degree (HSED) or General Equivalency Degree (GED). Please note that students still must satisfy the High School requirements for Penn State programs. Please review the Penn State High School Requirements for 4-year degrees.
The Learning Edge Academic Program (LEAP) is for incoming First Year students held during the summer term (Summer Session II). Students wishing to participate in LEAP will need to have accepted an offer to attend the summer semester at University Park and register separately by any posted deadline.
Please visit the Aurora Program's website for information on Penn State's Outdoor Orientation Program for in-coming first-year students.