Admitted First-Year Student Checklist

After all that waiting, an offer of admission has finally appeared in the MyPennState Portal - congratulations! Make sure you review that offer of admission closely. The letter outlines your intended area of study, your starting term, as well as your starting campus. This letter is important to review because students may be accepted to Penn State but for a term or campus other than their first choice, like the summer semester at University Park instead of the fall semester or their alternate choice campus instead of their first choice campus.

You can access the FAFSA online at studentaid.gov. The 2025-26 FAFSA will be available in October 2024, and we encourage all students new to Penn State to submit the FAFSA by the priority filing date to ensure maximum consideration for all types of aid.

We anticipate financial aid awarding for all new Penn State students to begin in spring 2025. Aid awarding will include all types of aid for which a student qualifies – including student loans, grants, scholarships and work study opportunities.

Submit your FAFSA with Penn State's school code 003329.

You can find more information at the Office of Student Aid website.

Please note: International students do not need to provide a FAFSA and are not eligible for federal student aid.

Whether you are still thinking about Penn State or you have already accepted your offer of admission, we encourage you to attend an Admitted Student Event to connect with campus resources, learn more about your academic college, and discover the next steps in the enrollment process. See the Accepted Student Programs section to register today.

If you choose to attend Penn State, login to the MyPennState Portal and select the “Follow this link to accept your offer of admission” button to take the next step. Please Note: We request students accept their offer by May 1 for summer/fall admission at any campus. If you do not want to attend Penn State, please decline your offer of admission in the MyPennState Portal (this is not required, but will indicate to us that you no longer have interest in Penn State).

When you accept your offer of admission, you will be asked to submit a $230 enrollment deposit, as well as a $100 housing deposit (if applicable). When accepting your offer of admission, you can pay this deposit online.

When you accept your offer for a campus with on-campus housing, you will be able to indicate your intention to LiveOn. Note that some campuses have a residency requirement. If you select on-campus living, a Housing and Food Service (HFS) contract will be added to your account, and you must accept the HFS Contract to complete the process. Your accepted HFS Contract can be reviewed in eLiving, where you can update your housing preferences, including location, roommate, and Campus Meal Plan level before the modification deadline. If you are offered admission for a summer start at University Park, you will have two HFS Contracts – one for summer and one for the academic year.

No matter which campus you are beginning your journey, our orientation programs aim to provide you and those who support you with programs and services that assist your successful academic, social, and personal transition to, and through, the University. You will also have the opportunity to work with an academic adviser to schedule your classes.

Please view the Penn State New Student Orientation website for more details.

Once you accept your offer of admission and pay your enrollment fees, request your visa document (I-20 or DS-2019) from International Student and Scholar Advising (ISSA). Watch for email communications from Penn State Global and visit the Penn State Global website for information before you arrive.

Please note: In addition to the immunizations required below, international students are required to demonstrate that they have adequate health insurance coverage.

All incoming Penn State students must provide proof of immunization against measles, mumps and rubella. In accordance with Pennsylvania state law, students living in on-campus housing must also provide proof of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (Menveo, Menactra, MCV4), which protects against infections caused by serogroups A, C, W and Y.

Immunization requirements are applicable to all undergraduate and graduate students at University Park and Commonwealth Campuses excluding World Campus and Great Valley. Immunization records only need to be submitted once. For questions or more information, visit the University Health Services website.

Submit Proof of Immunization

To Submit: Log in to myUHS using your Penn State access credentials, and upload image files of your official immunization records and, if applicable, any positive antibody titer blood test results.

Did you take AP exams, IB Exams, A-Level exams, or participate in a dual-enrollment course? Well, make sure you get any college credit coming your way! If you took any of these exams, check our handy listing of all the tests and the corresponding credit that you can receive.

If you took any college courses, through dual-enrollment or otherwise, be sure to send us the official college transcript with your final grade(s). We will evaluate the transcript(s) and, if we are able, we will award credits for the coursework. You can always check the Transferring Credits Tool to see if Penn State will award you credit for a class.

Penn State requires students who have accepted their offer of admission to provide documentation that indicates the student's high school completion status. Once you have completed your high school graduation, be sure to submit your final high school transcript documentation as soon as possible.

Adult learners, as defined by the University, are exempt from this requirement.

More details can be found here: .

Final high school transcripts are used to validate the academic details provided in the application process for students who submitted the Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR).

If for some reason you have difficulty getting an official transcript sent to Penn State, please email the Undergraduate Admissions Office at admissions@psu.edu.