I am a rising senior and plan on applying early action to University Park. I have a 3.99 UW gpa and 4.09 W gpa. I have taken two AP courses with a few honors. I plan on taking 4 more AP courses my senior year. I have not taken the SAT yet because it has been canceled in light of Covid. I don’t plan on submitting test scores. I am involved in NHS, 4 years of field hockey, Mini-THON, student council, mentoring club, and I have a lot of community service. I will have taken 4 years of language by the time I graduate. The highest level of math I’ve taken will be precalc. I am planning on applying to DUS. I am in state and my school sends a lot of students to PSU each year. What are my chances with these stats and no test score? Thank you!! I appreciate the insight. 
I am not insanely knowledgable on PSU but you have a pretty high UW gpa and have a pretty rigorous academic load with the AP’s so I think you have a pretty good chance. Since so many kids had tests cancelled and with the uncertainty of future tests I don’t think it will affect you to not include any. I don’t know too much about PSU so don’t 100% trust me here. But, are you applying early? If so, I think you are a pretty strong candidate that would show strong interest and commitment in attending PSU.
Your in! Usually it’s 3.5 that they look for and DUS I would think around 3.2
Thank you so much! Yes, I will be applying early.
THis doesn’t actually appear to be true. DUS has gotten harder and harder to get into over the years as Engineering and Smeal students recognize that it’s easier to get into PSU through DUS than their intended major. The middle 50% is just that. 3.2 is way below the middle 50%.
That said, I think the OP will be just fine. But I wouldn’t tell someone with a 3.2 that they were a shoe in. I wouldn’t tell someone with a 3.6 they are either.
I think you have a very good shot with your GPA. That said, just so you can set your expectations, applying early doesn’t mean anything at Penn State. As long as you apply before the deadline, you are in the exact same boat as those who applied on day one. Penn State is not a first in, first out decision process. It’s random. So you could apply on day one and hear later than someone who applies right before the deadline. Just make sure all of your materials are in before the Nov 1 deadline for early action and then just hang on and wait! It’s a brutal wait, but so worth it. Good luck!
@jlhpsu cousin kid got in with a 3.2… my son got into engineering with a 3.8 so 3.99 would not get him in? I think a 3.99 DUS would get him in. I didn’t feel Penn State was that difficult to get into.
@airway1 @jlhpsu Getting into DUS - UP as a freshman with a 3.2 is not the norm. Either he had spectacular test scores that pulled him up, or a hook, or came from an extremely competitive HS. What was his rigor? What was the grading scale of the school?
We see kids every year with much higher stats that don’t get into UP and get offered either summer or commonwealth campus. I wouldn’t set the expectation with a 3.2 that a kid is fine. Honestly, I would be telling them - “check that you will do summer (AND DO IT!), write an essay in case they read it - it could be the difference”.
I think the 2021 admissions cycle is going to be wonky. Lots of kids have deferred/taken LOA. Admissions may be waiting until the last minute for the bubble kids to see where the ‘line’ is drawn. I wouldn’t want to be hovering in that bubble.
jmho.
@cy2002 just realized I never responded. I think your UW GPA is strong and good you are taking AP classes. Just get A’s in those ◡̈
@lucyvanpelt As my son goes there I am sure that most are giving Penn State more then it really is. The applicant has a 3.9 and he would get into Penn State. I can tell you its very easy to call admissions and negotiate at Penn State. I was surprised to watch a kid go from branch campus to summer UP to fall UP (DUS) and no rigor at all. Was not impressed and then at orientation seemed you could change majors with ease.
@airway1 and how is he doing as a student?
@lucyvanpelt surviving Penn state that’s another story! He is doing well for now until he gets the admission to major for engineers which hopefully by end of fall.
THIS applicant is fine. However, you mentioned that Penn State “looks for a 3.5”, which is actually below their 25th percentile, so that’s not really true. And a 3.2 DUS major is not even on the bubble. It’s usually a commonwealth campus. 90% of the time at least.
I am a PSU grad, so is my husband and I’ve had two kids go there as well with a third kid in this upcoming application cycle. I’ve been, along with @lucyvanpelt and others, on this board offering advice for over 5 years. I was also a parent ambassador for PSU for a bit. Going from Summer UP to Fall UP is almost impossible unless the applicant applied only to summer session. When you apply to Fall with summer optional start, you are ALREADY denied for fall when they offer you summer. You wouldn’t be able to change to fall from a summer admission in that case. As far as your example, I am in deep suspicion that it did not happen this way unless he was a recruited athlete or some other major hook or abnormality. It is not the norm.
True that when you get to UP you can change into other majors at orientation - depending on the major. You can always be “Pre” anything with the idea that you need to pass your entry to major classes to get into the major. Enrollment controlled majors are not easy to switch into at orientation. Being “in” a major at Penn State is not the same as being accepted into a major. When you are accepted into a major at PSU you are really a pre-whatever student. You aren’t IN your major unless and until you satisfy all entry to major requirements.
As I said, I’ve been here for a very long time - with others here longer than me. We’ve seen kids with very high stats denied. It all depends on the rigor and grading scale of your high school. A few years ago, there was one stunned girl with a 4.0 Weighted GPA that was denied. When she appealed it turned out that her school weights very generously so that her 4.0 was basically meaningless. That’s why the chance me threads are ridiculous. A 4.0 at one school is not a 4.0 at another. At my kids school, an A is a 95%. So a 4.0 there is not equal to a 4.0 at the neighboring school where an A is a 90%.
@jlhpsu Hi! Thank you so much for the response. I know admissions are unpredictable and you never know what could happen. With that being said, the highest gpa across the class of 2021 at my school is 4.36. My school redid their grading scale so they don’t add as much weight as the used to. Do you think having a 4.09 is Penn State quality when compared to the highest in my grade being 4.36?
@lucyvanpelt thank you!
@airway1 thank you for the response- much appreciated!
Yes, I do think you will be just fine. Good luck!
Yes, youll be fine. Apply to Schreyer, start working on these essays.
Now talk with your parents about costs, run the npc, check that they can pay out of pocket.
Run the NPC on Gettysburg, Dickinson, Lafayette, UScranton, Muhlenberg, Haverford or Bryn Mawr ( the two are big reaches for everyone but if your family makes 75k or less its likely to be much cheaper than psu.)
Have you heard back yet? Honestly, college admissions in general is a crapshoot. Some kids with high stats and impressive ECs have been rejected, and the reason for that is usually yield protection. It sucks, but it definitely happens. If it’s any encouragement, I only had a 3.3 unweighted GPA, applied test optional, but I DID have a lot of strong ECs and I wrote their personal essay as well. I got in for main campus summer session. I feel like I got incredibly lucky because I know a girl who’s dream school was PSU and she had a much better GPA than me and overall, a much more impressive high school career but she got branched out. If I could give my spot to her, I would because she deserves it more than I do.