I applied Criminology and summer session. I have a 2.6 GPA (I know not strong but my junior grades show much improvement) and a 1460 SAT (Reading and Writing- 750), (Math- 710). This is my dream school so if you think it’s a long shot, I have heard something about appealing it. If you think I could get in that way then please let me know what you guys think.
GPA is two-thirds of the decision at Penn State. Main campus is very unlikely for a 2.6.
what can I do for appeal?
You could ask to be reconsidered for DUS + summer, but 2.6 would be low for that too, and the acceptance rate for the College of Liberal Arts probably isn’t that much different from DUS.
Your best bet is probably a branch campus for the 2+2 program.
Honestly, and I don’t mean to sound mean, a 2.6 just isn’t going to cut it at UP. Clarion has one of the highest acceptance rates in the state of pa…and their average GPA is about a 3.2. Edinborough and Lockhaven aren’t far behind. Those are 3 of the easier colleges to gain entrance. Penn State UP just doesn’t feel like a realistic option. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you can at least get into a branch campus.
Try applying to a branch campus then transferring to UP after two years, some of them have really high acceptance rates.
@Jhp1599 I think your best bet is to hope to get into a branch and then move to UP after 2 years. However, I will take the long view here - you clearly are smart or can at least take tests well (SAT score), yet your GPA doesn’t reflect that. Penn State has moved to GPA being 2/3 of the decision because they believe that is the best predictor of academic success at Penn State. When you consider your gpa in that light, maybe Penn State isn’t the best school for you? I would be concerned that you will be over your head and not prepared for the academic rigor.
thoughts?
@lucyvanpelt I understand where you are coming from completely, in all honest though I really think I could succeed there. I understand my GPA is not where it needs to be but in my personal statement I talk about why my GPA was like that and how I changed my mindset throughout high school and proved that I can work hard and do it successfully.
@Jhp1599 It doesn’t matter if YOU think you can be successful at Penn State. It matters if Penn State sees your application as competitive for enrollment at Penn State UP. And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you will likely not get into UP with a 2.5GPA regardless of your test scores. SAT’s are ONE DAY. Your grades show your level of education over time. I can’t see you getting in unless you have a MAJOR extenuating circumstance. Just ‘changing your mindset’ is not enough. Lots of kids mature during high school and change their GPA’s, but Penn State doesn’t even look at trends in grades. They will look at your overall GPA. A 2.5 is a commonwealth campus admit. Luckily for you, criminology can be completed as a 2+2 so you can get to UP anyway after 2 years.
Extenuating circumstances would have to be major…like death of a parent, fighting cancer, major disability, homelessness, or something. A change of attitude doesn’t really count. Thousands of kids buckled down freshman year to make their PSU dream school happen. My high schooler often stays up doing homework until 11pm or later to meet the demands of honors and AP classes. My PSU daughter did the same. Why do you feel you deserve a spot over someone who worked their tail off consistently throughout high school? I just think you are a little late to the party. Had you taken responsibility for your future earlier, the outcome would likely be different.
@Sophley, so true, you said what I was telling my son for fours years, he has stayed up till 11pm or even later doing homework and studying for his exams, guess what he…so far he has got into every place he applied, he did score very high in in his SAT and took all AP and honors classes. So proud of him, now couple of his friends…not so well, I am really scared for those kids, it is too late to make the turn around now, hopefully by some miracle they might get into their 1st choice. I am so proud of my son and some of his other friends who kept up with their grades thru out high school.
Good luck to everyone.
OP, I’ve got my fingers crossed for a branch campus for you. You’ll be able to establish good habits, enjoy Penn State, get to know your classmates and professors. Don’t let anyone convince you that you can’t learn from your past mistakes and missteps (we all make them) or judge you for them. You have a long and happy future ahead of you – and quite a lot of 2+2 students just decide to stay where they are. UP is not perfection by any means. Good luck!!!
OP, @greenbutton is correct. There are those who will look down on you because of your GPA, or compare you to their child etc…But that is all irrelevant. We all mature at different times and ages and circumstances. Perhaps there are kids, like my son, who also studied until 11pm but was a terrible test taker until he matured and learned better test taking and anxiety strategies. So he went to Altoona with a 2.7 GPA but is doing GREAT in college. Some may have looked down on him or thought him lazy because of his grades but those people think everything is black and white. study = good grades, bad grades = not studying. It is rarely that simple. People’s lives are complicated.
Hang in there and consider a commonwealth campus admittance and opportunity to prove yourself and cement your study skills for your future. My son is thriving at Altoona - he actually has to go to UP campus a year early because of his major and he wishes he could stay at Altoona.
@MomNama It is NEVER too late to turn things around. Never. A kid who didn’t do as well as your son in school is not doomed. If they don’t get into their first choice, they can still be successful. Your son’s friends may not be any less intelligent than your son. Maybe they struggled with anxiety, depression, home life issues, learning disabilities, etc…A kid who didn’t do so well in high school may really find their footing in college. Or maybe even later. My dad failed out of college his first try. Went into the Navy, came out, got a Physics engineering degree and was the president of an engineering firm and traveled the world for 40 years until he retired in his 70’s. I can’t imagine if there had been someone in his life telling him it was too late to turn around. Don’t ever tell anyone that. It’s literally NEVER too late to turn around.
Dang a lot of people are being so mean on this thread. Maybe OP didn’t have anyone encouraging him/her to do well in school. Maybe OP fell in with some bad friends, maybe OP DID have cancer, loss of parents, etc and doesn’t want to tell a bunch of strangers about it. We can’t bluntly assume OP didn’t work hard or was lazy based on a number.
OP— Based on what I’ve seen on the PSU thread, I don’t think that your 2.6 GPA will get you into University Park. I do think that you could get into a branch campus with a 2+2 program. But who knows? Admissions are weird, and you may just get in. Since you’ve already applied, just keep the faith. Whatever happens, I’m sure you’ll get in to a college that suits your needs where you will thrive, and that’s all that really matters in the long run. Keep working hard 
I think it’s tough to “chance” a kid. They want our opinion, but ultimately maybe they really only want assurances or a “maybe.” When you don’t know the full story behind the kid and their circumstances, you really can’t make an honest assessment so you have to go with the info you have. The info we received indicated a change of mindset.
Me personally, I don’t think PSU reviews every app thoroughly. With the volume of apps they receive, they take the highest apps based on their formula (2/3 GPA + 1/3 Test score). Why spend extra time and resources reviewing the statement for kids with low GPAs when they can just as easily pick the next high GPA app in the stack.
To this young man/woman, I’m sorry if we sounded harsh. It’s a tough line to walk when young applicants ask us to be truthful. Also keep in mind I’ve read posts recently of a few self-entitled kids who think they should get something simply because they want it. One girl recently went on and on about how high her grades were and how she thoroughly expected to be accepted into PSU with scholarship (dished out a few !!! too) but hadn’t applied yet. Oh, and wanted opinions about whether she would have to work hard her freshman year…cause she really wanted fun. Gag!
I’m sure you are a good kid. And I do hope you get into a 2+2 program.
Does anyone know the average GPA for branch campus in general
See Section C (C11-C12) of the Common Data Sets linked in the left column: https://budget.psu.edu/cds/
@hopefulcadet Mid-50 percent = 3.05-3.55. http://admissions.psu.edu/apply/statistics/
[edited to add]: Just saw @bodangles post. His link is more comprehensive and provides data for each branch.
Somewhere around 3 give or take 0.1 is a good place to be. Depends on the branch campus though.
@jlhpsu, no your are so correct, what I mean’t was that it is too late for those few kids right now because the decisions have been made by schools looking at their GPA and SAT scores, but it you are right in life it is never too late for anything they could be more successful then someone who went to Stanford"…sorry did not mean that it was too late and that they should go and hide for rest of their lives.