For more information about admission, visit Penn State's Undergraduate Admission web site. You'll find out more about the following:

  • application process
  • admission requirements
  • application deadline dates
  • academics
  • campus locations
  • student life

First-year Students

First-year students are students who meet the following criteria:

  • have earned a high school diploma or equivalent
  • have completed college courses while in high school
  • have attempted fewer than 17 credits prior to enrolling at Penn State
  • have a non-degree status while in high school

Learn more about First-year Admissions requirements at the Undergraduate Admission site.

Adult Learners

Penn State defines an adult learner applicant as those who meet one or more of the following criteria:

  • 24 years of age or older
  • a veteran of the armed services
  • returning to school after four or more years of employment, homemaking, or other activity
  • a person who assumes multiple adult roles such as a parent, spouse/partner, employee, and student

Learn more at Information for Adult Students at the Undergraduate Admission site.

Transfer Students

Transfer students are students who meet the following criteria:

  • have earned a high school diploma or GED
  • have attempted 18 or more credits at another regionally accredited college or university following high school graduation before enrolling at Penn State

Took classes at another college? Planning to take a class over the summer? Visit the Undergraduate Admission site for information about transferring credits.

Learn more at Information for Transfer Students at the Undergraduate Admission site.

Veterans

Applicants who meet the definition of a veteran are considered adult learners in the application process.

Since the DD Form 214 is issued to those leaving the active military as well as to members of the National Guard and Reserves completing their initial active duty for training, possession of this document does not necessarily mean the student is a veteran.

A veteran is defined as a former member of the Armed Forces of the United States (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard) who served on active duty and was discharged under conditions, which were other than dishonorable. There is no minimum number of days a student must have served on active duty to be considered a veteran.

However, periods of active duty for training, pursuant to an enlistment in the National Guard or Reserves, do not qualify a student as a veteran. Thus former or current members of the National Guard or Reserves are not considered to be veterans unless they had prior or subsequent service with an active component of the Armed Forces. Reservists called to active duty by Executive Order qualify as veterans.

Persons who attended military academies are now considered veterans for financial aid purposes.

Applicants who meet the criteria of the definition should check "yes" to the vet question on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) available on the Future Students page.

Learn more at Military and Veteran Students at the Undergraduate Admission site or from Penn State Altoona's Veterans Education Benefits page.

Returning to the University

Former Penn State students who wish to return to Penn State as an undergraduate student after missing at least one fall or spring semester - including associate and baccalaureate graduates - may submit a request to do so. The process for returning is based on a student's status when they were last enrolled.

Former Provisional or Nondegree students who have an interest in returning to Penn State should contact the Office of Admission at 814-949-5466 to talk with an admission counselor about applying for degree status.

Learn more at Returning Penn State Students at the Undergraduate Admission site.