Alert Date to Accept Offers of Admission Extended to May 15

Penn State will extend its offer acceptance deadline from May 1 to May 15, 2024, for incoming first-year students enrolling in the summer or fall 2024 terms.
Penn State News Release

SRAR FAQ

Frequently-asked questions about the Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR).

Do I have to submit the SRAR?

Yes, all first-year applicants must complete and submit a Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR).  Your application will only be evaluated after we have received all your required materials, including your SRAR.   

The only students exempt from submitting the SRAR are:  

  • Homeschooled students.  

    • But, if your curriculum follows the traditional U.S. educational grading system, you should still submit the SRAR.  

    • If your curriculum doesn’t follow the traditional U.S. educational grading system, contact us at admissions@psu.edu for further instructions.  

  • GED holders.  

  • Students in the South Korean educational system.  

    • You will be required to submit an official high school transcript from your last three years of work in place of your SRAR.   

  • Military who are currently stationed overseas.   

    • You will be required to submit an official high school transcript instead.  

    • Please contact us at admissions@psu.edu so we can provide you with further instructions.  

If you’re having trouble obtaining your high school transcript from your high school, school district, or your state’s department of education, please contact us at admissions@psu.edu.

Can I send my high school transcript instead of filling out the SRAR?

No, Penn State will not accept your high school transcript instead of your SRAR. We will only evaluate your application based on the data you enter on your SRAR, so be sure the information you submit is complete and accurate. 

How much time will it take to complete SRAR?

The SRAR takes about an hour to complete.  

When do I need to submit my SRAR? 

Penn State must receive all required application materials by the November 1 deadline to be considered for Early Action. The SRAR is only one piece of your required application materials, and we are unable to evaluate your application until we receive your SRAR.  

Please log in to the MyPennState portal using your Penn State Account, locate Application Tools under the left-hand menu, and access “Self-Reported Academic Record.” Although we encourage students to submit their SRAR as soon as possible, applicants may need to wait up to 24 hours after application submission to receive either their Penn State Account information or access their SRAR. 

I applied through the Common App. Do I still need to submit a SRAR? 

Yes, students who apply through the Common App need to submit a SRAR. Even if you report your grades on the Common App or send us your transcript, Penn State requires applicants to submit a SRAR.  

Please monitor your email for instructions to activate your Penn State Account, log in to the MyPennState portal, and submit your SRAR. 

I'm reapplying for first-year admission to Penn State. Do I need to resubmit the SRAR?  

Yes, you will need to review, update, and resubmit your SRAR.  

I can't find my school in the list. What should I do? 

When searching for your school, try to use variants of the official school name. For example, if you attended Theodore Roosevelt High School, enter "Roosevelt" in the search box.   

If, after you have searched, your high school is not listed, please select "My high school is not on the list below" to record the name and address of the school on your SRAR.  

I attended more than one high school. How do I complete the SRAR?

If all your letter/numeric grades and courses are listed on your current high school transcript, you do not need to obtain a transcript from your previous high school(s) to fill out the SRAR. If your current high school transcript does not reflect your grades and courses from your previous high school(s), you will need to obtain a transcript from your previous high school(s) to fill out the SRAR.  

My school uses block scheduling. How do I report that on the SRAR? 

If you’re on a block schedule, you must select the Course Length that best aligns with the duration of your course and edit the Credits/Units to match your transcript. For example, you would report a course lasting half of a year as “semester,” and a course lasting an entire year as “full year.”    

My school reports semester grades and final grades. Which grades should I report? 

If your school gives final grades at the end of each year, then enter that grade.  If your school gives grades only by term or semester, then list each course with its grade by term or semester. You may list the same course multiple times if repeated in a different term. Give the final grade for each term if that is how it appears on your year-end final transcript.  

What if 9th or 10th grades are not considered high school in my district? 

No matter how your district defines middle, junior, or senior high school, please include coursework and grades from your 9-12th years.   

Do I need to report classes I failed on the SRAR? 

Yes, you must report the classes you’ve failed on the SRAR. If you retake a class and both classes appear on your transcript, both need to be represented in the SRAR.  

I took the same class more than once. How do I report that on the SRAR? 

You should report every course on your SRAR exactly as it is listed on your transcript, including courses you have taken multiple times.   

I took a course, but I didn't receive credit. What grade should I select? 

You should enter all courses on your SRAR exactly as they appear on your transcript, even if you didn’t receive credit for them. Please select “No Credit” as the grade for courses where you didn’t receive credit.  

Do I need to list any courses from middle school or junior high on the SRAR? 

If you’ve taken any high school-level math or world language courses prior to 9th grade, please indicate those courses on your SRAR in the middle school section with a pass or fail grade. For example, some students take Algebra 1 or Spanish 1 in middle school. You do not need to designate the name of your middle or junior high school.  

How do I list summer courses on the SRAR? 

For courses taken during the summer, list the courses and associated grades in the preceding school year. For example, if you took a summer course between 9th and 10th grade, you will list the course and grade in the final semester of your 9th grade year on the SRAR. 

I'm graduating early. How do I enter my grades and coursework? 

If you are graduating at the end of year 11, please enter your year 11 grades and coursework as year 12. Your academic year selections should be 9, 10, and 12.  

My course name is not on the General Course Title drop-down list. What should I do? 

Please select the course title that most closely represents the subject matter of the course and type the course title in exactly as it appears on your transcript.   

I don't know what subject area to pick. What should I do?  

If a course doesn’t align with a provided subject area, please select “Other Subject Area.”

How should I list Dual Enrollment courses on the SRAR? 

If dual enrollment courses are on your high school transcript, select the course level as “Dual Enrollment.”  

What if my Dual Enrollment course is also an AP or Honors course? 

If your Dual Enrollment course is also an AP or Honors course, please select AP or Honors for the course level.  

What grade scale should I select? 

There are four grade scale options on the SRAR. Please select:  

  • Letter grades if your transcript has all letter grades  

  • Number grades if your transcript has all number grades  

  • Letter & number grades if your transcript has a combination of both letter and number grades  

  • Decimal grades if your transcript uses decimal grades  

If your school uses non-traditional grades, please contact us at admissions@psu.edu for further instructions.  

Do I need to report my senior year grades?

Enter your final grades for completed courses exactly as they appear on your high school transcript or your score report. Mid-term grades, first marking period grades, or progress report grades should not to be included on the SRAR.  

How do I report my GPA?

If your high school provides a GPA for each academic year, you should report them as they appear on your transcript. If you receive both a weighted and unweighted GPA, please report your weighted GPA. If your high school does not calculate a GPA, there is no need for you to report one.  

Can I round up my GPA and grades? 

No, you should report your GPA and all grades exactly as they appear on your high school transcript.   

Should I report my class rank?

Yes, if your class rank is reported on your high school transcript, include it on your SRAR. If your high school doesn’t report a class rank, do not report one on your SRAR.  

I'm an international student and my school doesn't use the U.S. grading scale. Should I convert my grades? 

Please select your school’s grading system on the SRAR. Do not recalculate or adjust your grades, report them exactly as they appear on your high school transcript.   

I'm seeing someone else's SRAR data when I'm trying to access my SRAR. What should I do? 

First, be sure you are logged into the MyPennState portal using your own Penn State Account.   

Your Penn State Account must use a personal email address that is not linked to your high school and is not shared by anyone else. For example, if you and your sibling used your parent’s email address to submit your application, you may see your sibling’s SRAR information.   

To fix this problem, please:  

  • Update your Penn State Account with your email address that is not linked to your high school and is not shared by anyone else, and  

  • Send an email to admissions@psu.edu including:  

    • Your Penn State user ID and personal email address  

    • The name and email address of the person you see in the SRAR.  

I've completed my SRAR, but it won't let me submit it. What should I do?

If you are having difficulty submitting your SRAR, please review your SRAR responses to ensure the following fields are complete and correct:   

  • Grades and coursework for years 9-12 that are completed, in-progress, or scheduled  

  • GPA and class rank/size, and if they aren’t provided by your high school, select GPA or class rank/size not provided  

  • Start and end date for each high school you attended, even if you only attended one  

If you need further assistance, please contact us at admissions@psu.edu.   

I made an intentional or unintentional error in my SRAR, how do I fix it? 

If you discover an error in your SRAR please contact us at admissions@psu.edu so we can work with you to make a correction.  

Penn State will evaluate your application based on the data you enter in your SRAR, so be sure the information you submit is complete and accurate. If Penn State determines you intentionally misrepresent any information in your SRAR, your offer of admission will be rescinded, and your academic schedule will be canceled.  

Can I make updates to my SRAR after it is submitted? 

If you need to make any updates to your SRAR, please contact us at admissions@psu.edu.