Penn State ACT Scores and GPA

What are Penn State's average ACT scores and GPA? In this guide, we'll discuss what scores are needed for you to get admitted into Penn State. You'll also get to calculate your own chances with our admissions calculator.

Location: University Park, PA

This school is also known as: Penn State University Park, PSU, Penn State

Penn State Admissions Statistics

There are three critical numbers when considering your admissions chances: ACT scores, GPA, and acceptance rate. All these combine to tell you what you scores are required to get into Penn State University Park.


Average ACT: 29

The average ACT score composite at Penn State is a 29.

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The 25th percentile ACT score is 27, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 32.

In other words, a 27 places you below average, while a 32 will move you up to above average. There's no absolute ACT requirement at Penn State, but they really want to see at least a 27 to have a chance at being considered.


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Average GPA: 3.67

The average GPA at Penn State is 3.67. This makes Penn State Strongly Competitive for GPAs.

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(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.

With a GPA of 3.67, Penn State requires you to be above average in your high school class. You'll need a mix of A's and B's, with a leaning toward A's. If you took some AP or IB classes, this will help boost your weighted GPA and show your ability to take college classes.

If you're a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change from this point on. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 3.67, you'll need a higher ACT score to compensate and show that you're prepared to take on college academics. This will help you compete effectively with other applicants.



Admissions Rate: 54.2%

The acceptance rate at Penn State is 54.2%. In other words, of 100 students who apply, 54 are admitted.

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This means the school is somewhat selective. You should prepare your academic scores well, but you have an excellent chance if you impress them.



Final Admissions Verdict

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Because this school is moderately selective, strong academic performance will almost guarantee you admission. Scoring at a 29 ACT or above will already give you a great shot at getting in. Scoring a 32 will nearly guarantee you admission, given that your GPA is roughly the average of 3.67.


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Admissions Calculator

What are your chances of admission at Penn State University Park?
Chances of admission with these scores:

Here's our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are.

Pick your test: ACT

ACT Score
Your GPA

Note: Your admission decision relies not only on your GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but also on your coursework difficulty, extracurriculars, letters of recommendation, and personal statements. This tool provides only a simplistic estimate of your chances of admission. Instead of treating this tool as a crystal ball, we recommend you consider the big picture of what your chance means:
  • 80-100%: Safety school: Strong chance of getting in
  • 50-80%: More likely than not getting in
  • 20-50%: Lower but still good chance of getting in
  • 5-20%: Reach school: Unlikely to get in, but still have a shot
  • 0-5%: Hard reach school: Very difficult to get in
We recommend you apply to schools across a range of chances. Applying to some safety schools will guarantee you have a college to go to, while applying to some reach schools will give you a shot at getting into the school at the top of your range.
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Try to take your current ACT score and add 4 points to the calculator above. See how much your chances improve?

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Other Schools For You

If you're interested in Penn State, you'll probably be interested in these schools as well. We've divided them into 3 categories depending on how hard they are to get into, relative to Penn State.


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Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into

These schools are have higher average ACT scores than Penn State. If you improve your ACT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
University of Washington Seattle, WA 1410 32
Binghamton University Binghamton, NY 1430 31
Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY 1396 31
Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY 1352 31
University of Miami Coral Gables, FL 1387 31
University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA 1415 31
University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 1405 31

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Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into

If you're competitive for Penn State, these schools will offer you a similar chance of admission.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ 1310 30
United States Military Academy West Point, NY 1331 30
University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA 1358 30
Syracuse University Syracuse, NY 1310 29
University of Connecticut Storrs, CT 1315 29
Temple University Philadelphia, PA 1241 28
University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX 1291 28

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Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into

If you're currently competitive for Penn State, you should have no problem getting into these schools. If Penn State is currently out of your reach, you might already be competitive for these schools.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Hofstra University Hempstead, NY 1246 27
Auburn University Auburn, AL 1304 27
Pace University New York, NY 1173 26
University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH 1223 26
University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL 1225 26
Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT 1210 25
Ohio University Athens, OH 1174 25

Data on this page is sourced from Peterson's Databases © 2024 (Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.) as well as additional publicly available sources.


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