is the test optional button back as well?
I am a college advisor and a parent of an applicant. I asked admissions in both capacities and they said they only read the essay in a tiny fraction of applications. If they do read it, they look at the PS section, not the Common App essay.
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Yes
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With so many applicants and programs, why doesnât PSU review some applications earlier and send out any early/rolling acceptances? There are majors that are not in-demand, even at UP that could be reviewed early. Youâd think they would get these aps done with and sent out to students. My S24 already has his Pitt acceptance with a guaranteed Masters invite. Accepted students day at Pitt is Nov 27th. Would be nice to at least hear from PSU this month. Iâm sure Iâm not the only PA resident thinking this 
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My son was accepted at Pitt already too (engineering and OOS). I couldnât believe how quick the turn around was! My understanding is, Pitt is rolling admission. So the earlier you apply, the earlier you hear and once the spaces are filled your SOL.
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Penn state is not rolling until the end (after EA and RD). Pitt is rolling from the beginning. There are some students who have applied Aug. 15th (to PSU) and said âI will apply rolling - that is a 6 week turnaround.â Except they arenât reviewed for EA or RD. Usually, they find that out and change their application.
Right or wrong, Penn State wants to see the entire pool of candidates before they make any decisions. They have that right. They donât promise anything earlier. Be happy if you hear an answer before Dec. 24th.
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Pitt is definitely a first in first out kind of rolling. Which is fantastic. Nice to have one already in the pocket.
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Pitt will add more admitted student days throughout the year. My older son went to one last spring.
PSU is rolling with some smaller branch campuses. They come to our HS school and accept on the spot for our local branch. I have 1 Pitt grad and another Pitt sophomore. S24 is skewing PSU and has applied to a not-so in demand major so it would be nice to hear before Dec 24. Just seems like it would be less work reviewing apps more spread out. I teach at another rolling admissions U and we do grab a lot of students early and seem to retain a lot. PSU is testing our patience Also, never heard of that 6 week PSU turnaround. I think my S24 would have chosen that.
part of the reason is that individual colleges are also making rules about application processing. And now that there is a whole change to âDepartment of Enrollment Managementâ , I think it is best â as always â to just wait for an offer, and not read too much into any one thing.
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Iâm not worried at all about him getting accpeted at UP. I know he just canât make up his mind until he officially sees it. We Pitt parents are spoiled We will sit and wait patiently
@caz0743 I think the 6 week turnaround is if you apply in February for rolling admissions. Maybe theyâve changed, but they used to say that. Rolling is only used if you missed the EA and RD timelines, so Iâm going to guess your S24 would not have wanted that!
The other thing to remember is that it isnât the same people reviewing all the apps. College of Engineering AC are different than Smeal and different than Ag. So it isnât that it is âspread outâ per se ⊠each AC is given the big pile of applications Nov. 2nd. They work through each of them at their own pace - with their own criteria. For example, they may be looking for more math (i.e. calculus) for Engineering, so might be doing a deep dive on each candidate. Other colleges may have their own criteria -
good luck -
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Thinking the same here. I guess they donât care about yield?
DS was going to apply to honors college at PSU, but Pitt acceptance is back with some merit money (more than the $5k PSU honors college would give). So writing 3200 words of essays is probably not going to happen.
We are waiting for the PSU decision, but more for curiosity than thoughts of actually accepting it at this point.
I guess no one who had yesterdayâs portal changes received an admission decision this AM?
How do PA residents feel about PSU vs PITT? Rivals? Dependent on major? Type of campus student prefers? Just an OOS wonderingâŠ
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Son 2028 is OOS Florida and canât speak to emotional rivalries, my wife is PSU legacy and Pitt was never a big deal rival with her. However, looking at Mech Engineering School rankings (Which is what we look at) from 3 different sources, PSU is an average of over 40 spots ahead of Pitt.
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Pitt and PSU UP are as opposite as it gets. Pitt is an urban, smaller campus PSU is a what I call rural large sprawling campus. PSU is larger and offers many more majors and minors. You canât study meteorology at Pitt , PSU is one of the top places in the country to study weather. There are several examples of this with the PSU Agriculture college and Earth and Mineral Science College. That being said, Pitt tops in nursing and pre-med majors with an incredible amount of clinical and research opportunties within feet of your dorms. My S19 graduated with 2 degrees one in neuroscience, one in philosophy, a chem minor and a certificate in conceptual foundations of medicine. He scored in the top 1% on the MCAT. Pitt provided a solid foundation for going to med school. His clinical work was in major hospitals he walked to. I am certain your state schools offer what both Pitt and PSU offer at an incredibly discounted rate for you. Pennsylvania colleges are the most expensive public universities in the country. Personally, I would have a hard time justifying paying OOS tuition. PSU is the most expensive of all the Big 10 schools.
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Thank you for your reply. We are specifically interested in Nursing. We are OOS NJ. We know both schools have fabulous Nursing programs-visited PSU already, signed up for admitted students day at Pitt. Your child sounds like he had an incredible run at Pitt!
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My Son 2026 OOS Florida was accepted by PSU Freshman âDirect Admiitâ Nursing program, and if memory serves me correctly I think Pitt is a Freshman âDirect Admitâ as well. Definitely stick with Nursing Schools that are âDirect Admitâ Nursing Programs vice Pre-Nursing with the âcompetitionâ for BSN majors during sophomore year.
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Turns out my DDâs classmate did apply for a Branch Campus not UPâŠOMGâŠi need to teach her to ask the right questions. haha! He had us checking the portal all week! LOL
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Thank you for the update.