Penn State University is an American public research university with campuses in Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State University is a land-grant and state-related research university with medical schools and colleges of law, business, engineering, agriculture, sciences, medicine, nursing, and dentistry. It is one of the Commonwealth Campuses of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The university has been designated a “Public Ivy” school by various publications. The university also administers two satellite campuses: one in Hershey and one in Harrisburg.
The main campus at University Park enrolls about 46,000 undergraduate and 8500 graduate students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. In total there are about 93 thousand students enrolled at Penn State’s 24 campuses across the state including over 19 thousand students at its online World Campus which offers nearly 200 degree programs. About 70 percent of incoming freshmen remain in state to attend any one ofPenn State’s campuses while 16 percent come from out-of-state. Of all undergraduate alumni that have graduated since 1967 91 percent live within Pennsylvania while only 5 percent reside outside the United States.
The university employs over 30 thousand faculty members making it the largest employer in Central Pennsylvania. The school year consists of two semesters running from August to May with a summer session offered between the two semesters. Most undergraduates take four years to complete their degree although some programs such as Architecture or Nursing allow for five year curriculums while other programs like Liberal Arts grant degrees after three years if certain requirements are met. Graduate students generally take longer depending on their field with most completing their degrees within five years but some taking up to seven years or more.
Undergraduate admission to Penn State is rated as “more selective” by U.S News & World Reportwith an acceptance rate for fall 2018 being 53 percent for all campuses combined. For first-year applicants who applied to all locations (excluding World Campus) 67 percent were admitted meaning around 2 out 3 applicants were not accepted into any campus location they applied for during that cycle. SAT composite scores range from 1180–1370 for critical reading and math with 75th percentile being 1260–1350 depending on campus location while ACT composite scores can range from 25–30 with a 75th percentile score being 27–29 again depending on campus location selected by applicant.
In order to be eligible for admission consideration first-time freshmen must complete high school or obtain a GED prior to enrollment along meeting certain coursework requirements which vary based on curriculum type (i.e., college prep or technical). In addition they must submit either SAT or ACT Scores as well as high school transcripts though homeschooled applicants may have different testing requirements set forth by the Admissions Office on a case by case basis.”