What GPA do you need to get into Penn State?

Among 475 applicants who posted a Penn State admission on r/collegeresults, the median unweighted GPA was 3.89 and the middle half reported 3.70 to 3.97 (340 reported a GPA). Penn State sets no minimum GPA; these are what admitted posters reported.

What SAT score do you need for Penn State?

Among 475 applicants who posted a Penn State admission on r/collegeresults, the median SAT was 1,500 and the middle half scored 1,420 to 1,540 (346 reported an SAT). The median ACT was 33.

Does applying early help at Penn State?

In these posts, 95% of early applicants who reported a result were admitted (180 of 189), against 91% in regular decision (43 of 47). Early pools differ in who applies, so this is a description, not a promise.

What extracurriculars do Penn State admits have?

The most common activity types among admitted posters were nonprofit/service (65%), athletics (52%), tutoring/teaching (40%), stem club/competition (34%). 80% held at least one leadership role and 57% listed a national or international award.

What is the Penn State acceptance rate?

The official rate is published by Penn State in its Common Data Set. These pages do not compute one: people who post results are a self-selected group, so the share of admits among them is far higher than the real rate.

College admissions data

How to get into Penn State

What 475 admitted applicants actually had: their grades, test scores, activities, awards and intended majors, counted from 517 Penn State results that students posted for the 2016 to 2026 cycles. Every number below is counted, not estimated.

Applying to Penn State? Book a free call with a Specialist to see how your student’s file compares.

Penn State admits by the numbers

Median unweighted GPA

3.89

Middle half 3.70 to 3.97

Median SAT

1,500

Middle half 1,420 to 1,540

Median ACT

Middle half 31 to 35

Median weighted GPA

4.37

Middle half 4.12 to 4.59

Results posted: 475 admitted, 32 rejected, 10 waitlisted. People who post results are a self-selected group, so this is not the Penn State acceptance rate; the official rate is in Penn State’s Common Data Set.

Admitted vs. rejected: grades are not the difference

Median	Admitted	Rejected
Unweighted GPA	3.89	3.80
SAT	1,500	1,520

When the rejected applicants’ numbers sit this close to the admitted ones, the decision was made somewhere else in the file: the activities, the essays and the letters. That is where the rest of this page looks.

What Penn State admits did outside class

Share of admitted applicants listing at least one activity of each type.

Nonprofit/Service65%
Athletics52%
Tutoring/Teaching40%
STEM club/competition34%
Internship31%
Work/Job31%
Research30%
Music29%

Held a leadership role

80%

Founded something

41%

National or intl. award

57%

Did research

30%

Early vs. regular decision at Penn State

Early (189 results)95%
Regular (47 results)91%

Share of posters in each round who were admitted. Early applicants are a different group (often stronger and more certain), so read this as a description of these posts, not as odds.

Intended majors of Penn State admits

Computer Science22%
Engineering20%
Business12%
Economics5%
Pre-med/Health5%
Biology4%

Who got in

Of the admitted posters, 14% first-generation, 13% low income, 16% underrepresented minority, 10% legacy, 1% recruited athlete and 17% international. Of those who said where they enrolled, 3% chose Penn State.

Three recent Penn State admits

2026 cycle · EA · Public Policy
Health-policy-minded DECA leader and club-sports captain who worked through housing and utility instability.
GPA 3.87 UW · SAT 1510 · Original post
2026 cycle · EA · Economics
Forensics and mock-congress competitor with a state title, plus tutoring and economics-focused coursework.
GPA 3.96 UW · ACT 35 · Original post
2026 cycle · EA · Engineering
Robotics team captain and founder of a global coding nonprofit, with strong physics and calculus preparation.
GPA 3.98 UW · SAT 1590 · Original post

Where else Penn State admits got in

Penn State admissions questions

What GPA do you need to get into Penn State?: Among 475 applicants who posted a Penn State admission on r/collegeresults, the median unweighted GPA was 3.89 and the middle half reported 3.70 to 3.97 (340 reported a GPA). Penn State sets no minimum GPA; these are what admitted posters reported.
What SAT score do you need for Penn State?: Among 475 applicants who posted a Penn State admission on r/collegeresults, the median SAT was 1,500 and the middle half scored 1,420 to 1,540 (346 reported an SAT). The median ACT was 33.
Does applying early help at Penn State?: In these posts, 95% of early applicants who reported a result were admitted (180 of 189), against 91% in regular decision (43 of 47). Early pools differ in who applies, so this is a description, not a promise.
What extracurriculars do Penn State admits have?: The most common activity types among admitted posters were nonprofit/service (65%), athletics (52%), tutoring/teaching (40%), stem club/competition (34%). 80% held at least one leadership role and 57% listed a national or international award.
What is the Penn State acceptance rate?: The official rate is published by Penn State in its Common Data Set. These pages do not compute one: people who post results are a self-selected group, so the share of admits among them is far higher than the real rate.

Applying to Penn State?

A Specialist who got into a school like Penn State can read your student’s file against these numbers and say where it stands out and where it doesn’t.

Book a free call

Source: self-reported results posts on r/collegeresults, each linked from our Database, counted across the 2016 to 2026 cycles with transfer applicants excluded. Aristo Scholars is not affiliated with Penn State. All colleges