Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg Admission Requirements and Statistics

9,316

Applicants

97.60%

Acceptance Rate

1220

SAT Median

27

ACT Median
[updated for 2024-2025 admission data]

How hard is Penn State Harrisburg to get into?

This page provides the latest information on Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg (Penn State Harrisburg)'s admission process, acceptance rate, and student profile. Penn State Harrisburg's acceptance rate is 97.60% for 2024-2025 admission. A total of 9,316 students applied and 9,092 were admitted to the school. Its acceptance rate is relatively high, making it somewhat easy to get into Penn State Harrisburg.

To apply to Penn State Harrisburg, it is required to submit high school GPA and record. The SAT and ACT score is not required, but considered for admission. In addition, english proficiency test score is also considered (required).

  • The median SAT score is 1220 and the ACT score is 27 at Penn State Harrisburg.
  • Penn State Harrisburg's yield rate is 11.24%, which is significantly lower by 18.19 percentage points (approximately 61.8% lower) compared to similar colleges with acceptance rates between 90% and 100% (average yield: 29.43%). You can compare colleges with similar acceptance rates to Penn State Harrisburg at Pennsylvania colleges with acceptance rates higher than 70%.

Admission Statistics

For the academic year 2024-25, Penn State Harrisburg's acceptance rate is 97.60% and the yield (also known as enrollment rate) is 11.24%. 4,890 men and 4,357 women applied to Penn State Harrisburg and 4,772 men and 4,252 women students were accepted.

60 applicants who has another gender applied and 59 were accepted.9 accepted students' gender is unknown.

Among them, 603 men and 406 women were enrolled in Penn State Harrisburg. You can explore the Penn State Harrisburg's admission rates and SAT score trends over the past decade, including year-by-year data and analysis, by visiting Admission Trends page.

Acceptance Rate and Admission Statistics at Penn State Harrisburg
TotalMenWomenAnother GenderGender Unknown
Applicants9,3164,8904,357609
Admitted9,0924,7724,252599
Enrolled1,022603406130
Acceptance Rate 97.60%97.59%97.59%98.33%100.00%
Yield 11.24%12.64%9.55%22.03%0.00%

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg 2025 Acceptance Rate By Gender chart

Median SAT and ACT Score

For the academic year 2025, 238 students (23% of enrolled students) submitted SAT scores and 27 students (3% of enrolled students) submitted ACT scores as part of the admission process at Penn State Harrisburg.

The median SAT score for admitted students is 1,220, including 610 in SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and 610 in SAT Math. The 75th percentile SAT EBRW score is 650 and the 25th percentile is 550. For SAT Math, the 75th percentile score is 660 and the 25th percentile is 570.

The median ACT composite score is 27, with a 75th percentile score of 31 and a 25th percentile score of 22 at Penn State Harrisburg. The median ACT Math score is 26 and the median ACT English score is 24.

How competitive is Penn State Harrisburg's score?

The SAT and ACT scores at Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg are similar to the average score compared to similar colleges (SAT: 1,163, ACT: 26 - public ).

2025 SAT and ACT Scores at Penn State Harrisburg
25th Percentile50th Percentile (Median)75th Percentile
SAT Total1,1201,2201,310
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing550610650
SAT Math570610660
ACT Composite222731
ACT Math232631
ACT English202431

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg 2025 SAT and ACT Score Chart

First-year Enrollment by Gender and Enrolled Type

For the academic year 2024-25, total 1,022 first-year students enrolled in Penn State Harrisburg. The proportion of full-time students is 99.22% and part-time students is 0.78%.

By gender, the proportion of men students is 59.00% and women students is 39.73%. 1.27% of students has another gender.

The following table shows the first-year students by gender and enrolled type at Penn State Harrisburg.

First-Year Students by Gender and Enrolled Type at Penn State Harrisburg
TotalMenWomenAnother GenderGender Unknown
Total1,022603406130
Full-time1,014600401130
Part-time83500

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)

Application Requirements

It requires to submit High School GPA, High School Record (or Transcript), and English Proficiency Test to its applicants.

The SAT and ACT test score is not required, but considered in admission process at Penn State Harrisburg. The english proficiency test is required .

The next table summarizes the application requirements to apply Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg.

Penn State Harrisburg Admission Requirements
High School GPARequired
High School RankNot Considered
High School Record (or Transcript)Required
Completion of College Preparatory ProgramConsidered, if submitted
RecommendationsNot Considered
Formal Demonstration of CompetenciesNot Considered
SAT / ACTConsidered, if submitted
English Proficiency TestRequired
Other Test (Wonderlic,WISC-III,etc)Not Considered
Work experienceNot Considered
Personal statement or essayConsidered, if submitted
Legacy statusNot Considered

General Admissions Information

The following provides general admission information for applying to Penn State Harrisburg:

  • Open Admission Policy: No
  • Undergraduate Application Fees: -
  • Graduate Application Fees: -
  • Admission Information: https://harrisburg.psu.edu/admissions
  • Calendar System: Semester
  • Course for High School Students: Not Offered
  • Credits Accepted: Credits for Life Experiences, Advanced placement (AP) Credits
  • Degree Offered: 1-Year Certificate, 2-Years Certificate, Associate, Bachelor, Post-Bachelor Certificate, Master, Doctoral (Research)

Penn State Harrisburg Admission Frequently Asked Questions

Penn State Harrisburg is relatively easy to get into, with an acceptance rate of 97.60%.
Penn State Harrisburg recommends submitting SAT or ACT scores, but they are not strictly required for admission. The average SAT score required for admission to Penn State Harrisburg is 1,220, and the average ACT score is 27. Meeting or exceeding these scores will improve your chances of admission.
Penn State Harrisburg recommends submitting a personal essay or statement, but it is not strictly required.
Penn State Harrisburg does not require or recommend a recommendation letter for admission. However, it may be required for certain programs or scholarships.
Penn State Harrisburg does not require an application fee for undergraduate or graduate admission.
Yes, Penn State Harrisburg requires applicants to submit high school GPA, high school record or transcript as part of the admission process.
Yes, Penn State Harrisburg requires international applicants to submit an English proficiency test (like TOEFL or IELTS) as part of the application.
The institutional SAT and ACT codes for Penn State Harrisburg are not available. Please check the official admissions website for the most up-to-date information.

Ratings & Review

Share your experiences and thoughts about Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg. It will be a great help to applicants and prospective students!