Hello everyone, I'm currently a junior and considering applying to Penn State. What's the overall acceptance rate, and would you say it's a reach for most students or more of a match/safety school?
Hello! Penn State has an overall acceptance rate of around 55%, which makes it a moderately selective school. Whether it's a reach, match, or safety for you will depend on your individual academic profile and extracurricular achievements.
To gauge if Penn State is a reach, match, or safety for you, look at the average GPA, SAT, and ACT scores of admitted students. The middle 50% of admitted students scored between 1220 and 1380 on the SAT and between 26 and 31 on the ACT. The average GPA of incoming freshmen is around a 3.68 on a 4.0 scale.
If your academic and extracurricular accomplishments align with or exceed these average stats, Penn State can be considered a match or even a safety for you. If your stats are lower, it might be more of a reach. However, remember that a holistic approach is employed in the admissions process, so other factors like leadership qualities, personal essays, and extracurricular involvement will also play a role.
Ultimately, I would recommend listing Penn State as a potential reach, match, or safety school depending on your personal situation and also applying to a range of other colleges to have a balanced list. Good luck!
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