Resources For Students & Parents Penn State University (Main Campus) Admissions SAT Scores, Acceptance Rate, Financial Aid & More Share Flipboard Email Print Penn State Old Main. Cole Camplese / Flickr For Students & Parents College Admissions College Profiles College Admissions Process College Rankings Choosing a College Application Tips Essay Samples & Tips College Testing Testing Graphs Financial Aid Extracurricular Activities Advanced Placement Homework Help Private Schools Test Prep College Life Graduate School Business School Law School Distance Learning View More by Allen Grove Dr. Allen Grove is an Alfred University English professor and a college admissions expert with 20 years of experience helping students transition to college. Updated January 15, 2019 Penn State has selective admissions—in 2017, the university had an acceptance rate of 50 percent. The great majority of admitted students have grades in the "A" range and above average standardized test scores. To apply, interested students will need to submit an application that includes high school transcripts and scores from the SAT or ACT. Will You Get In? Calculate Your Chances of Getting In with this free tool from Cappex Admissions Data (2017) Penn State University Acceptance Rate: 50 percentGPA, SAT and ACT Graph for Penn StateTest Scores -- 25th / 75th PercentileSAT Critical Reading: 580 / 660SAT Math: 580 / 680What these SAT numbers meanTop PA colleges SAT score comparisonBig Ten SAT comparison chartTop public university SAT chartACT Composite: 25 / 30ACT English: 25 / 31ACT Math: 25 / 30What these ACT numbers meanTop PA colleges ACT score comparisonBig Ten ACT comparison chartTop public university ACT chart Penn State Description Penn State in University Park is the flagship campus of the 24 campuses that make up the state university system in Pennsylvania. With around 47,000 students, it is also by far the largest. Penn State's 13 specialized colleges and roughly 160 majors provide a wealth of academic opportunities for students with diverse interests. The undergraduate programs in engineering and business are noteworthy, and general strengths in the liberal arts and sciences won the school a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. The Penn State Nittany Lions compete in the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference. Penn State made my lists of top Pennsylvania colleges, top engineering programs, top public universities, and top equestrian colleges. Enrollment (2017) Total Enrollment: 47,119 (40,835 undergraduates)Gender Breakdown: 53 percent male / 47 percent female97 percent full-time Costs (2017 - 18) Tuition and Fees: $18,436 (in-state); $33,664 (out-of-state)Books: $1,840Room and Board: $11,280Other Expenses: $4,788Total Cost: $36,344 (in-state); $51,572 (out-of-state) Penn State University Financial Aid (2016 - 17) Percentage of Students Receiving Aid: 64 percentPercentage of Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 34 percentLoans: 47 percentAverage Amount of AidGrants: $10,060Loans: $10,503 Academic Programs Most Popular Majors: Accounting, Advertising, Criminal Justice, Elementary Education, Finance, Hospitality Administration and Management, Information Sciences, Journalism, Kinesiology and Exercise Science, Marketing, Mechanical Engineering, Nursing, PsychologyWhat major is right for you? Sign up to take the free "My Careers and Majors Quiz" at Cappex. Graduation and Retention Rates First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 93 percent4-Year Graduation Rate: 67 percent6-Year Graduation Rate: 85 percent Intercollegiate Athletic Programs Men's Sports: Football, Gymnastics, Ice Hockey, Swimming, Soccer, Basketball, Tennis, BaseballWomen's Sports: Fencing, Volleyball, Field Hockey, Tennis, Soccer, Swimming, Cross Country, Softball If You Like Penn State, You May Also Like These Schools: Syracuse University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphTemple University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphVillanova University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Connecticut: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphNew York University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphDrexel University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Michigan: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphNortheastern University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphPurdue University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Miami: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Virginia: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphOhio State University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT Graph Data Source: National Center for Education Statistics Continue Reading