Penn State Lehigh Valley Requirements for Admission

What are Penn State Lehigh Valley's admission requirements? While there are a lot of pieces that go into a college application, you should focus on only a few critical things:

  • GPA requirements
  • Testing requirements, including SAT and ACT requirements
  • Application requirements

In this guide we'll cover what you need to get into Penn State Lehigh Valley and build a strong application.

School location: Center Valley, PA


Admissions Rate: 85.3%

If you want to get in, the first thing to look at is the acceptance rate. This tells you how competitive the school is and how serious their requirements are.

The acceptance rate at Penn State Lehigh Valley is 85.3%. For every 100 applicants, 85 are admitted.

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This means the school is lightly selective. The school will have their expected requirements for GPA and SAT/ACT scores. If you meet their requirements, you're almost certain to get an offer of admission. But if you don't meet Penn State Lehigh Valley's requirements, you'll be one of the unlucky few people who gets rejected.


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Penn State Lehigh Valley GPA Requirements

Many schools specify a minimum GPA requirement, but this is often just the bare minimum to submit an application without immediately getting rejected.

The GPA requirement that really matters is the GPA you need for a real chance of getting in. For this, we look at the school's average GPA for its current students.

Average GPA: 3.16

The average GPA at Penn State Lehigh Valley is 3.16.

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

With a GPA of 3.16, Penn State Lehigh Valley accepts below-average students. It's OK to be a B-average student, with some A's mixed in. It'd be best to avoid C's and D's, since application readers might doubt whether you can handle the stress of college academics.


SAT and ACT Requirements

Each school has different requirements for standardized testing. Most schools require the SAT or ACT, and many also require SAT subject tests.

You must take either the SAT or ACT to submit an application to Penn State Lehigh Valley. More importantly, you need to do well to have a strong application.

Penn State Lehigh Valley SAT Requirements

Many schools say they have no SAT score cutoff, but the truth is that there is a hidden SAT requirement. This is based on the school's average score.

Average SAT: 1110

The average SAT score composite at Penn State Lehigh Valley is a 1110 on the 1600 SAT scale.

This score makes Penn State Lehigh Valley Competitive for SAT test scores.

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Penn State Lehigh Valley SAT Score Analysis (New 1600 SAT)

The 25th percentile SAT score is 980, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1220. In other words, a 980 on the SAT places you below average, while a 1220 will move you up to above average.

Here's the breakdown of SAT scores by section:

SectionAverage25th Percentile75th Percentile
Math560490620
Reading + Writing550490600
Composite11109801220

SAT Score Choice Policy

The Score Choice policy at your school is an important part of your testing strategy.

Penn State Lehigh Valley has the Score Choice policy of "Highest Sitting."

This means that you can choose which SAT tests you want to send to the school. Of all the scores they receive, your application readers will consider the SAT score from your single highest test date (the sum of math, reading, and writing).

This is important for your testing strategy. Because you can choose which tests to send in, and Penn State Lehigh Valley only considers your highest score on a single test date, you can take the SAT as many times as you want, then submit your strongest score. Your application readers will only see that one score.

Therefore, if your SAT score is currently below a 980, we strongly recommend that you consider prepping for the SAT and retaking it. You don't have much to lose, and you can potentially raise your score and significantly boost your chances of getting in.


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Penn State Lehigh Valley ACT Requirements

Just like for the SAT, Penn State Lehigh Valley likely doesn't have a hard ACT cutoff, but if you score too low, your application will get tossed in the trash.

Average ACT: 24

The average ACT score at Penn State Lehigh Valley is 24. This score makes Penn State Lehigh Valley Moderately Competitive for ACT scores.

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The 25th percentile ACT score is 21, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 27.

ACT Score Sending Policy

If you're taking the ACT as opposed to the SAT, you have a huge advantage in how you send scores, and this dramatically affects your testing strategy.

Here it is: when you send ACT scores to colleges, you have absolute control over which tests you send. You could take 10 tests, and only send your highest one. This is unlike the SAT, where many schools require you to send all your tests ever taken.

This means that you have more chances than you think to improve your ACT score. To try to aim for the school's ACT requirement of 21 and above, you should try to take the ACT as many times as you can. When you have the final score that you're happy with, you can then send only that score to all your schools.

ACT Superscore Policy

By and large, most colleges do not superscore the ACT. (Superscore means that the school takes your best section scores from all the test dates you submit, and then combines them into the best possible composite score). Thus, most schools will just take your highest ACT score from a single sitting.

We weren't able to find the school's exact ACT policy, which most likely means that it does not Superscore. Regardless, you can choose your single best ACT score to send in to Penn State Lehigh Valley, so you should prep until you reach our recommended target ACT score of 21.


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SAT/ACT Writing Section Requirements

Both the SAT and ACT have an optional essay section.

Penn State Lehigh Valley requires you to take the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section. They'll use this as another factor in their admissions consideration.


SAT Subject Test Requirements

Schools vary in their SAT subject test requirements. Typically, selective schools tend to require them, while most schools in the country do not.

We did not find information that Penn State Lehigh Valley requires SAT subject tests, and so most likely it does not. At least 6 months before applying, you should still doublecheck just to make sure, so you have enough time to take the test.



Final Admissions Verdict

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Because this school is lightly selective, you have a great shot at getting in, as long as you don't fall well below average. Aim for a 980 SAT or a 21 ACT or higher, and you'll almost certainly get an offer of admission. As long as you meet the rest of the application requirements below, you'll be a shoo-in.

But if you score below our recommended target score, you may be one of the very few unlucky people to get rejected.


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Want to build the best possible college application?

We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League.

We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.

Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.

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Admissions Calculator

What are your chances of admission at Penn State Lehigh Valley?
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: SAT ACT

SAT 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.

How would your chances improve with a better score?

Take your current SAT score and add 160 points (or take your ACT score and add 4 points) to the calculator above. See how much your chances improve?

At PrepScholar, we've created the leading online SAT/ACT prep program. We guarantee an improvement of 160 SAT points or 4 ACT points on your score, or your money back.

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Application Requirements

Every school requires an application with the bare essentials - high school transcript and GPA, application form, and other core information. Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews. We'll cover the exact requirements of Penn State Lehigh Valley here.

Application Requirements Overview

  • Common Application Not accepted
  • Universal Application Not accepted
  • Electronic Application Available
  • Essay or Personal Statement
  • Letters of Recommendation
  • Interview Not required
  • Application Fee $50
  • Fee Waiver Available? Available
  • Other Notes

Testing Requirements

  • SAT or ACT Required
  • SAT Essay or ACT Writing Required
  • SAT Subject Tests
  • Scores Due in Office None

Coursework Requirements

  • Subject Required Years
  • English 4
  • Math 3
  • Science 3
  • Foreign Language 2
  • Social Studies 3
  • History
  • Electives

Deadlines and Early Admissions

  •  
    • Offered? Deadline Notification
  • Regular Admission
    • Yes Rolling None
  • Early Action
    • No
  • Early Decision
    • No

Admissions Office Information


Other Schools For You

If you're interested in Penn State Lehigh Valley, 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 Lehigh Valley.


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Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into

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

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 1235 25
University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL 1184 27
Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 1180 26
Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT 1175 26
Ohio University Athens, OH 1170 24
University of North Texas Denton, TX 1160 23
University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX 1160 23

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Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into

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

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Hampton University Hampton, VA 1130 22
Washington State University Pullman, WA 1125 23
University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX 1125 22
East Carolina University Greenville, NC 1105 22
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL 1105 21
Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN 1100 22
Texas State University San Marcos, TX 1095 23

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Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into

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

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Liberty University Lynchburg, VA 1069 24
University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX 1040 20
Texas A&M University - Kingsville Kingsville, TX 1040 20
California State University Sacramento Sacramento, CA 1035 19
California State University Northridge Northridge, CA 1030 19
Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana, PA 1017 19
California State University East Bay Hayward, CA 992 19

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Want to build the best possible college application?

We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League.

We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.

Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.

Get Into Your Top Choice School

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