UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Undergraduate Admissions Office at Penn State University Park will transition to a paid tour guide model beginning in fall 2023.  

Undergraduate Admissions has offered campus tours to hundreds of thousands of prospective students and guests through the work of three volunteer tour organizations: Lion Scouts, the Student Minority Advisory and Recruitment Team (S.M.A.R.T.), and Lion Ambassadors.  

Studies have repeatedly highlighted the importance of a campus visit generally and a campus tour specifically in a prospective student’s college decision-making process, and in recent years, the University Park campus has seen an increased demand for campus visits. While tour guides have always been critical to the visit experience and have provided prospective students with the highest quality tour, Undergraduate Admissions has been faced with challenges to meet this growing demand.  

As a result, Undergraduate Admissions is transitioning to a paid tour guide model beginning in fall 2023. This transition will allow for: 

• Improved visit opportunities for prospective students, including smaller tour group sizes and a wider variety of tour days and times. 
• More consistency in recruitment, hiring, training and scheduling of tour guides. 
• Recognition and compensation of tour guides for the high level of knowledge and service they provide. 

Paying tour guides is standard in higher education. Undergraduate Admissions plans to honor the commitment and service by S.M.A.R.T., Lion Scouts and Lion Ambassadors through opportunities for continued partnership. 

Tour guide positions will start at $15 per hour, and Undergraduate Admissions will offer opportunities for advancement within this new tour guide model. Responsibilities for the paid tour guide position include providing multiple tours per week to prospective students and families, as well as visiting groups; assisting with event check-in, panels and other visit-related preparation and requirements; and attending ongoing meetings and training sessions.  

The ideal tour guide should demonstrate a positive, enthusiastic attitude and strong customer service and interpersonal skills. Interested students can apply to the summer paid tour guide position and/or the fall paid tour guide position now.  

To learn more about Undergraduate Admissions at Penn State, visit admissions.psu.edu.