Penn State University Admissions: SAT Scores & More

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.

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Admissions Data (2017)

Penn State University Acceptance Rate: 50 percent
GPA, SAT and ACT Graph for Penn State
Test Scores -- 25th / 75th Percentile
- SAT Critical Reading: 580 / 660
- SAT Math: 580 / 680
- ACT Composite: 25 / 30
- ACT English: 25 / 31
- ACT Math: 25 / 30

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 female
97 percent full-time

Costs (2017 - 18)

Tuition and Fees: $18,436 (in-state); $33,664 (out-of-state)
Books: $1,840
Room and Board: $11,280
Other Expenses: $4,788
Total Cost: $36,344 (in-state); $51,572 (out-of-state)

Penn State University Financial Aid (2016 - 17)

Percentage of Students Receiving Aid: 64 percent
Percentage of Students Receiving Types of Aid
- Grants: 34 percent
- Loans: 47 percent
Average Amount of Aid
- Grants: $10,060
- Loans: $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, Psychology
What 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 percent
4-Year Graduation Rate: 67 percent
6-Year Graduation Rate: 85 percent

Intercollegiate Athletic Programs

Men's Sports: Football, Gymnastics, Ice Hockey, Swimming, Soccer, Basketball, Tennis, Baseball
Women's Sports: Fencing, Volleyball, Field Hockey, Tennis, Soccer, Swimming, Cross Country, Softball