Does penn state put out acceptance stats by school or major? If, where can I find it?
Thx!
They do not publish that information. A lot of the data we have for specific schools are from people who attend info sessions and report it back here. For example, in previous years, Smeal accepted less than 10% of freshman applicants.
You can always reach out to the specific departments themselves and see if they have that data.
The average GPA of ~3.6 that Penn State publishes is the average across all majors. For some majors…Smeal and Engineering for example, the GPA will have to be MUCH higher than that.
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Thx. I recall when my older daughter applied to the Architecture program we were able to see data regarding # of applicants and total accepted. I didn’t know if they published that info somewhere.
Appreciate the info.
Thx!
You might want to change the title of this thread. UP is sometimes used as an abbreviation for the University of Pennsylvania. UP is not used as an abbreviation for Penn State. Better to change it to Penn State in the title of the thread - you’re likely to get more answers, and more correct ones.
Even though it’s under the Penn State forum?
Also, how do I change the title? I don’t see where I can edit it. Thx
I just changed the title. If it’s not what you want…just post here and I can change it again.
For future reference…there is a little pencil next to your subject. When you click on that, the subject opens up. Change it…and then click the check box below and it will be changed.
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Under the Penn State thread, UP is associated with the University Park campus. It’s used all of the time on this forum to distinguish between the main campus (university park) and the commonwealth campuses.
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Ah, I see. I was going by the title, not by the forum.
There’s nothing published by PSU but parents or experts like @jlhpsu have been compiling data and, roughly speaking:
Smeal is by far the hardest to get into. Most students would be better off applying DUS then, if they get the required stats (specific grades in some classes, overall GPA) can get into Smeal for their major. There’s NO difference between starting DUS or pre-major, all students have to “show their mettle” and get the grades&GPA. Only difference is for topnotch students (1450+SAT, lots of AP/IB classes…) they could be invited to Sapphire, a great program - but so selective that for 90% students applying DUS is the way to go with no downside.
Next is Engineering: you MUST have precalculus (honors) and preferably Calculus (honors or AP) and preferably 3 Honors or AP sciences including Physics.
The easiest to get into would be College of Agricultural Sciences (lots of interesting majors such as Agribusiness, Immunology, BioEngineering, or Food Science, which can be good alternates for Smeal, Eberly, or Engineering) and Education, with Liberal Arts (also lots of interesting majors that can be alternates to the more selective colleges!) and DUS easier but a bit less than the previous 2. College of Mineral Sciences can also be a good alternative to look into v. Eberly or COE, and College of IST can be a good alternate to CS in COE.
For your best chances overall, you would need to have 16+ Honors or AP classes, all 3 sciences (bio/chem/physics) at any level and 4 if applying to a science major, Foreign language through level 4, math through Precalculus or Calculus or AP Stats depending on college applied to, plus 4 years of English and social science/history.
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This is great info-thanks! I would not have thought Ed and Lib Arts would be easier that DUS. Thanks again!
As an FYI, I’m the parent of a current PSU student (in her 5th year of the Architecture program) and have a high school Junior who has PSU at the top of her list.
DUS and Lib Arts would be roughly the same, Education would be the easiest w/Ag - first, there needs to be a certain ratio applicants/places, and then you need to look at the applicants’ stats. It also varies by major within the colleges but “alternate” options would be easier than their counterpart in the more “obvious” college: Landscape Contracting v. College of Arch, or BioEngineering v.COE for instance, even if some majors are harder to get into than others within that college (I don’t have actual stats there, @jlhpsu may have more details??? ). College of Ag seems like a hidden gem bc they have a lot of support and resources while it doesn’t immediately come to mind - students may know of it but not dig into what it offers unless they already know they want Animal science (for instance).
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Let me offer a data point. We had an unhooked OOS 3.3/1530 CS admit (inside the engg school) last year. Didn’t take it.
Very helpful and much appreciated.
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Looking for chances of getting into digital arts and media design (in the school of arts and architecture). Test optional, 3.6, alumni, willing to start in the summer.
What courses have you taken?
What about a portfolio (it will help greatly if you already have a portfolio, bc 1° you know what it entails and 2° you’ll be able to use some pieces as a basis for the DART entrance portfolio)
Do you have an interesting resume you can explain in the space they provided for the personal statement?
Are you applying to Schreyer (ie. did you complete the essays and consider you had enough rigor to have a shot?)
Question re the average 3.6 gpa, is that weighted or unweighted? Do you know if rigor of courses can boost a lower gpa? HS uses qpa, student has 86.97 unweighted, all honors and 1 AP through Junior year. 4 APs Senior year. Thx
Add honors+AP courses taken over 4 years: do you get 15+? Then that’s helpful indeed! That + checking Summer (if you can afford it) should make acceptance likely (less rigor and Fall only is risky since the GPA is borderline for UP, ie., solid B to B+, and ofc depends on major and how the HS coursework matches expected major, but if 12+ or 15+ honors/AP and solid B/B+ and not too competitive major and summer session… well the more of these criteria you have, the better your odds.
Caveat: they’re changing everything so what was true or the past decade or more…might not be this year.
thanks! yes 15+ honors/AP and checked summer. Applied for Health Policy and Administration, coming from an academy for allied health sciences magnet school. Not sure how competitive that program is.
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Sounds like it should be a match. 
(Again, based on the previous decade of admission stats and system, whereas this year everything has changed. I would have been rather confident for your child before that.)
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Thanks. Fingers crossed!