Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus (Penn State)

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Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus can be found in University Park, PA, a public college which focuses on only a select few programs offered. Penn State has around 94,000 students enrolled yearly.

An ACT or SAT exam may be required before applying to this school. Scores between 1070 (25th percentile) - 1310 (75th percentile) on the SAT and between 23 (25th percentile) - 30 (75th percentile) on the ACT is typical among applicants admitted to this school. By applying sampled GPA data from over 150 schools, we are able to estimate that the Penn State average GPA ranges from 3.28 to 3.64 for accepted students. Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus admits about 80 percent of students applying each year. Of those that are admitted, around 22 percent registered for enrollment. When applying historical data, we have projected that the Penn State acceptance rate 2021 will be around 59%. You can get more information from the admissions office website at admissions.psu.edu.

Overall Penn State Acceptance Rate - Fall 2020

76.0%

The overall acceptance rate for Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus was reported as 76.0% in Fall 2020 with over 95,800 college applications submitted to Penn State. Both in state and out of state applicants are included in these figures. We do not have data on transfer acceptance rates currently.

Accepted Applicants Profile

  • Penn State ACT Scores: 23 - 30
  • Penn State Average GPA: 3.28 - 3.64

How Hard Is It to Get into Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus?

Applicant Selectivity: High

Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus has a very competitive selection process for applicants, where most students accepted have a higher than average high school GPA and scored in the top percentiles on standardized tests like the SAT or ACT exam.

Historical Trend and Acceptance Rate 2024 Projection

The historical trend chart shows acceptance rates from the previous years, from which we have projected the acceptance rate for the 2024-2025 school year. The overall acceptance rate trend for Penn State has been getting much higher in the past few years.

Acceptance Rate By Year

  • 2016-2017: 56.4%
  • 2017-2018: 50.3%
  • 2018-2019: 56.5%
  • 2019-2020: 76.0%
  • Projected Penn State Acceptance Rate 2024-2025: 58.7%

How Does Penn State Compare?

76.0%
This School
56.7%
National Avg

The acceptance rate for Penn State is thirty-four percent higher than the national average of all colleges which is around 56.7%.

Nearby Similar College Acceptance Rates

SchoolAcceptance Rate
Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus93.0%
Carnegie Mellon University15.4%
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus56.7%
Towson University76.3%
Johns Hopkins University11.2%

Admissions Rates & Enrollment Rates - Details

General Recommendations & Requirements for Admissions

  • High School GPA Scores are Required
  • School Records are Required
  • Standardized Test Scores (SAT,ACT,...) are Required
  • TOEFL Exam (Foreign Language Students) are Required

Number of Applicants, Percent Accepted, and Enrolled Students (Fall 2020)

TotalMaleFemale
Applicants95,77048.4%51.6%
Admitted72,74249.1%50.9%
Enrolled15,98954.0%46.0%

Average ACT/SAT Scores of Applicants to Penn State (Fall 2020)

SAT® SectionScore Range
Critical Reading540 - 640
Math530 - 670
Total Score1070 - 1310
ACT®Score Range
English22 - 30
Math23 - 29
Composite Score23 - 30
To learn more about the data and calculations that power this site, please visit our data discussion page.

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School Details

Address

201 Old Main
University Park, PA 16802-1503

Phone

(814) 865-4700

Website

School Code

#003329

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