Anonymous
Post 11/23/2025 16:17     Subject: Penn State ?
Did you apply for any scholarships to Penn State?
Anonymous
Post 11/23/2025 16:02     Subject: Penn State ?
Anonymous wrote:Can someone tell if its easy to get into Penn state? I am seeing so many kids getting acceptance letter for OOS. I havent heard for my DS.

What do you mean by “easy”? The admit rate is around 60%, and the process is reasonably straightforward, so if you have high grades and high scores it’s pretty easy to get in. If your grades and scores are lower, it’s harder.

They issue decisions as they make them, so I’m sure your DS’s letter is coming.
Anonymous
Post 11/23/2025 15:52     Subject: Penn State ?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why people are saying that high 1300s is “low” for Penn State. The middle 50% of admitted students is 1330 to 1480, and the middle 50% of enrolled students is 1250 to 1410. Obviously they admit high scoring kids with little to no regard to yield (yay! good policy!), but given that only about 40% of enrolled students submit scores, and assuming that the kids who don’t submit have even lower scores, a kid with a 1370 or 1390 would easily be in the top 25% of the enrolled class.

And none of this is meant as shade. My 1570 kid is in and has PSU high on her list.


I am the PP who was surprised my daughter was accepted, due to her low-ish 3.9 weighted GPA. I didn’t think her 1370 would end up carrying so much weight, being that the school is TO. It was a nice surprise, but still too expensive OOS. She actually is “in love” with another OOS flagship (lower ranked, but excellent for her major) that offered enough $$ to bring it to in-state tuituon price. She is sitting pretty now, so any acceptance is a cherry on the cake.


Interesting! What school?
Anonymous
Post 11/23/2025 15:41     Subject: Penn State ?
Can someone tell if its easy to get into Penn state? I am seeing so many kids getting acceptance letter for OOS. I havent heard for my DS.
Anonymous
Post 11/22/2025 12:37     Subject: Penn State ?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why people are saying that high 1300s is “low” for Penn State. The middle 50% of admitted students is 1330 to 1480, and the middle 50% of enrolled students is 1250 to 1410. Obviously they admit high scoring kids with little to no regard to yield (yay! good policy!), but given that only about 40% of enrolled students submit scores, and assuming that the kids who don’t submit have even lower scores, a kid with a 1370 or 1390 would easily be in the top 25% of the enrolled class.

And none of this is meant as shade. My 1570 kid is in and has PSU high on her list.


I am the PP who was surprised my daughter was accepted, due to her low-ish 3.9 weighted GPA. I didn’t think her 1370 would end up carrying so much weight, being that the school is TO. It was a nice surprise, but still too expensive OOS. She actually is “in love” with another OOS flagship (lower ranked, but excellent for her major) that offered enough $$ to bring it to in-state tuituon price. She is sitting pretty now, so any acceptance is a cherry on the cake.

Weighing scores more heavily than GPA is probably how Penn State manages to be one of the very few schools in the T75 that enrolls more men than women.
Anonymous
Post 11/22/2025 12:31     Subject: Penn State ?
Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why people are saying that high 1300s is “low” for Penn State. The middle 50% of admitted students is 1330 to 1480, and the middle 50% of enrolled students is 1250 to 1410. Obviously they admit high scoring kids with little to no regard to yield (yay! good policy!), but given that only about 40% of enrolled students submit scores, and assuming that the kids who don’t submit have even lower scores, a kid with a 1370 or 1390 would easily be in the top 25% of the enrolled class.

And none of this is meant as shade. My 1570 kid is in and has PSU high on her list.


I am the PP who was surprised my daughter was accepted, due to her low-ish 3.9 weighted GPA. I didn’t think her 1370 would end up carrying so much weight, being that the school is TO. It was a nice surprise, but still too expensive OOS. She actually is “in love” with another OOS flagship (lower ranked, but excellent for her major) that offered enough $$ to bring it to in-state tuituon price. She is sitting pretty now, so any acceptance is a cherry on the cake.
Anonymous
Post 11/22/2025 12:21     Subject: Penn State ?
I don’t understand why people are saying that high 1300s is “low” for Penn State. The middle 50% of admitted students is 1330 to 1480, and the middle 50% of enrolled students is 1250 to 1410. Obviously they admit high scoring kids with little to no regard to yield (yay! good policy!), but given that only about 40% of enrolled students submit scores, and assuming that the kids who don’t submit have even lower scores, a kid with a 1370 or 1390 would easily be in the top 25% of the enrolled class.

And none of this is meant as shade. My 1570 kid is in and has PSU high on her list.
Anonymous
Post 11/22/2025 11:45     Subject: Penn State ?
Anonymous wrote:I was the one who posted that my DD was just accepted into engineering. Same with the “low” stats and OOS. 3.7 UW. 1390 SAT. Normal EC’s, non leadership stuff. 7 AP’s. Never expected to get in but got no merit, as of now.


In the grand scheme of things, these are not low stats. She’s a bright student who has done well in high school and worked hard. She deserves this and will do great!
Anonymous
Post 11/22/2025 10:15     Subject: Penn State ?
Anonymous wrote:I was the one who posted that my DD was just accepted into engineering. Same with the “low” stats and OOS. 3.7 UW. 1390 SAT. Normal EC’s, non leadership stuff. 7 AP’s. Never expected to get in but got no merit, as of now.


Congrats! I am a little relieved to read this. Can I ask what the weighted gpa is? My son is applying next year and will definitely have a lower UW gpa but will likely have higher sat and more APs.
He had a few classes where he just didn’t get good grades for different reasons and I am feeling so nervous there won’t be any good options for him.
Anonymous
Post 11/22/2025 08:55     Subject: Penn State ?
Anonymous wrote:My kid was accepted, with what I consider low stats. We never expected she would get in. She has a 3.9 weighted gpa and a 1370 SAT. Maybe it is what a poster said up-thread, about PSU accepting a lot of OOS students for the $$$. She will most likely have good in-state options with lower COA.

Well good morning Eeyore. You’re so down on everything it’s distorting your thinking: 1370 is a great score. And now your kid is in at a great school, so you don’t have to worry so much about whether your in-state school will turn up its nose at her wGPA, as you so obviously do. Congratulations!
Anonymous
Post 11/22/2025 08:52     Subject: Penn State ?
I was the one who posted that my DD was just accepted into engineering. Same with the “low” stats and OOS. 3.7 UW. 1390 SAT. Normal EC’s, non leadership stuff. 7 AP’s. Never expected to get in but got no merit, as of now.
Anonymous
Post 11/22/2025 08:34     Subject: Penn State ?
My kid was accepted, with what I consider low stats. We never expected she would get in. She has a 3.9 weighted gpa and a 1370 SAT. Maybe it is what a poster said up-thread, about PSU accepting a lot of OOS students for the $$$. She will most likely have good in-state options with lower COA.
Anonymous
Post 11/22/2025 05:35     Subject: Penn State ?
Accepted into engineering early this morning!
Anonymous
Post 11/21/2025 19:08     Subject: Penn State ?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Congrats! My youngest DS is at Penn State and is SO happy with his choice. He chose it over Cornell (he got off the waitlist).

1560 SAT, 14 APS (all 5s and they all transferred for over 60 credits), 4.0 unweighted.


Wow. That’s great!!

I’m new to the AP credit part of this. What does it mean to come in with 60 credits? Did he skip intro classes? Which ones/how many? Will he graduate early or add on a Masters after he finishes undergrad?

And did he do Honors College? Why or why not?


Hi! Sorry for the delay. He received credits for all of his APs (some 3 credits, some four) for a total of 60 credits. He will graduate in three years with two degrees. He briefly considered their integrated masters program, but I don't think he is doing that now.

Penn State details all of the credits here:

https://www.psu.edu/admission/undergraduate/credit/ap-credit

I hope that helps!
Anonymous
Post 11/17/2025 14:26     Subject: Re:Penn State ?
Accepted over the weekend. Kinesiology (college of health and human development maybe?). OOS, 1410 SAT, 4.3 WGPA. Plenty of rigor, APs, EC's etc.