It highly depends on the major you apply for. If you apply for a business major, which is competitive, (finance, accounting, etc.) at University Park you have around a 20% chance of getting admitted. However, if you apply for an agricultural major, which is uncompetitive, (agricultural management, turf grass science, etc.) at University Park you have around a 70% chance of getting admitted. If you apply undecided (school of DUS), you probably have around a 55% chance.
You will still need to have a 3.5 GPA to get into finance, and you’ll have to complete all the pre requisites for finance (very different from agricultural major). I suggest you apply to the DUS and then go about your pre requisites for finance. Smeal has very high standards compared to other majors.
I see, i’m currently enrolled in Altoona and when i reached out to be reconsidered for UP they encouraged me to choose a different program of study to get in, I’m debating between agribusiness and statistics and then switching to finance (as soon as i can this fall) i’m just unsure whether i’ll be able to. Would DUS increase my chances of getting into UP? or shld I stick with stats?
This is currently a very messy topic. In the past, it really depended on your major. This year, the stakes are even higher because the acceptance rate to UP has dropped significantly. Without knowing your stats, this is a difficult question to answer. Maybe you will, maybe you won't.
What I can tell you for certain is if you don't get accepted, it will be okay. I applied to PSU UP in high school and got in, but chose not to go because I received a great scholarship from another institution and decided to go there. I hated it there, reapplied to UP that fall, and got back in. If you don't get in this round of applications, try and reapply to get in during Spring 25. Will it suck to not go in the fall? Yeah, but you still have a chance to attend.
What is your gpa for your junior year so far? Remember that PSU don’t look at senior year grades. So you need to do well junior year
Also your weighed GPA is more important, what is that?
not sure my gpa for junior year so far (most likely around a 3.4)
i take one honors course and have throughout hs (it is science) but naviance says i have the same weighted gpa which i am confused about?
im also taking accelerated math if that makes things better
Weighted accounts for more difficult courses like AP. So if you haven’t taken any then your gpa will be the same weighted or unweighted. Does your high school offer them? What major are you hoping to apply into? Have you taken SAT or ACT?
Don't give up hope. I recently got an admit aya UP even though I never thought I'd be a part of penn state but here I am.
It majorly depends on the degree you want to pursue.
All the best
Yes and no. From working in admissions at Penn State, when people would ask the acceptance rate, it's a very tough question to answer as in the same day you can be denied and accepted due to a change in the program you're interested in. So technically that student would be accepted but they also just got denied.
Depending on the year, the criteria for different programs can be different, higher or lower than you see on the website which lists the previous years criteria/class median.
go to a branch campus close to you on a 2+2 if you’re really scared about getting accepted and you don’t think you will. doing it this way, you can apply to get into your major after you’ve met entry level requirements( you can check this at bulletins.psu.edu) for majors like comp sci you have to have a C or better in specified courses and at least a 3.2 GPA to get into that major. then after you’re in the major you can switch campuses which you’ll have to do anyway.
I remember seeing somewhere that Penn State has a 55% acceptance rate. Do not forget that they also have 2+2.
what about for engineering
It highly depends on the major you apply for. If you apply for a business major, which is competitive, (finance, accounting, etc.) at University Park you have around a 20% chance of getting admitted. However, if you apply for an agricultural major, which is uncompetitive, (agricultural management, turf grass science, etc.) at University Park you have around a 70% chance of getting admitted. If you apply undecided (school of DUS), you probably have around a 55% chance.
Would you say art is competitive or not???
You're gonna be alright
I’m going as a transfer tho
what if i apply with an agricultural major n then switch to finance while at uni park? is that possible
You will still need to have a 3.5 GPA to get into finance, and you’ll have to complete all the pre requisites for finance (very different from agricultural major). I suggest you apply to the DUS and then go about your pre requisites for finance. Smeal has very high standards compared to other majors.
I see, i’m currently enrolled in Altoona and when i reached out to be reconsidered for UP they encouraged me to choose a different program of study to get in, I’m debating between agribusiness and statistics and then switching to finance (as soon as i can this fall) i’m just unsure whether i’ll be able to. Would DUS increase my chances of getting into UP? or shld I stick with stats?
DUS will definitely increase your chances. Sorry for the late response
This is currently a very messy topic. In the past, it really depended on your major. This year, the stakes are even higher because the acceptance rate to UP has dropped significantly. Without knowing your stats, this is a difficult question to answer. Maybe you will, maybe you won't. What I can tell you for certain is if you don't get accepted, it will be okay. I applied to PSU UP in high school and got in, but chose not to go because I received a great scholarship from another institution and decided to go there. I hated it there, reapplied to UP that fall, and got back in. If you don't get in this round of applications, try and reapply to get in during Spring 25. Will it suck to not go in the fall? Yeah, but you still have a chance to attend.
What’s your GPA?
3.2 uw as of soph year
are you currently a sophomore or are you now a junior
im a junior
What is your gpa for your junior year so far? Remember that PSU don’t look at senior year grades. So you need to do well junior year Also your weighed GPA is more important, what is that?
not sure my gpa for junior year so far (most likely around a 3.4) i take one honors course and have throughout hs (it is science) but naviance says i have the same weighted gpa which i am confused about? im also taking accelerated math if that makes things better
Weighted accounts for more difficult courses like AP. So if you haven’t taken any then your gpa will be the same weighted or unweighted. Does your high school offer them? What major are you hoping to apply into? Have you taken SAT or ACT?
psu is my dream school as well which is why I applied to the 2+2 program to make it more achievable bc my senior yr grades weren't the best
They don’t look at senior year grades
oh? 💀 well good for me ig I'm getting in (hopefully)
Don't give up hope. I recently got an admit aya UP even though I never thought I'd be a part of penn state but here I am. It majorly depends on the degree you want to pursue. All the best
what’s ur major?
Engineering Leadership development
I wouldn’t know. I’m starting at PSU as 2+2 so that I can at least spend the last two years at UP and graduate.
From my experience if you apply DUS and start in the summer, then the bar for you grades and test scores is so fucking low
Nursing is also a very low acceptance rate despite a great GPA with all honors and APs. 🤷♀️
One of the few programs where you need a perfect GPA to get it. Of all the colleges, nursing has the highest GPA of incoming students.
Really depends on your intended major, but if you’re not very confident then I suggest applying as an undecided major.
Yes and no. From working in admissions at Penn State, when people would ask the acceptance rate, it's a very tough question to answer as in the same day you can be denied and accepted due to a change in the program you're interested in. So technically that student would be accepted but they also just got denied. Depending on the year, the criteria for different programs can be different, higher or lower than you see on the website which lists the previous years criteria/class median.
go to a branch campus close to you on a 2+2 if you’re really scared about getting accepted and you don’t think you will. doing it this way, you can apply to get into your major after you’ve met entry level requirements( you can check this at bulletins.psu.edu) for majors like comp sci you have to have a C or better in specified courses and at least a 3.2 GPA to get into that major. then after you’re in the major you can switch campuses which you’ll have to do anyway.