This is the email I received from Penn state:
Your education is one of the most important investments you will make in your life… and one of the largest investments. Because we recognize this, and because the demand for freshman spaces at University Park is at an all-time high this year, we are delighted to share a very special opportunity with you and your family.
The decision to accept or decline the offer is entirely up to you and your family, but we feel as though it’s a very good offer that could save you and your family up to $20,000. Of course, if we don’t hear from you, we will assume that you are not interested in this opportunity and you will begin at University Park as originally planned.
Our offer: We will reduce your first-year costs by $15,000 (this is a combination of tuition cost savings and a scholarship to a total of $15,000) if you agree to spend your first year at one of the campuses listed below and your last three years at University Park (1+3 Scholarship).
Should you choose one of the campuses with University housing and opt to live on campus, we will add a Housing Grant, which will further reduce your first-year costs by an additional $5,000 for a total savings of $20,000.
Following your first year of study at your campus, you will be able to transition to University Park beginning fall 2017. Because we have a limited number of 1+3 Scholarships available, we encourage you to act quickly. This is a first-come, first-served opportunity.
To accept this offer for the 2016-2017 academic year, please select from the campuses listed below and email us at discovery@psu.edu by June 1 with your choice of starting campus. Once we hear from you, details will be sent confirming your decision.
You can find out more about these Penn State campuses by visiting admissions.psu.edu/campuses.
Campuses with University housing:
Penn State Beaver
Penn State Greater Allegheny
Penn State Hazleton
Penn State Mont Alto
Additional campuses:
Penn State Abington
Penn State Altoona
Penn State Berks
Penn State Brandywine
Penn State DuBois
Penn State Erie
Penn State Fayette
Penn State Lehigh Valley
Penn State New Kensington
Penn State Schuylkill
Penn State Shenango
Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Penn State Worthington Scranton
Penn State York
I wasn’t sure if i should take this offer because I am out of state. Would it be better if I attend an instate school (UMBC) for the first year then transfer to university park?
No - don’t go to an instate and then transfer because you won’t be able to transfer after one year. PSU is usually ONLY either freshman admit OR a 2+2. They only are letting people in after 1 year because they have underestimated freshman admission - and this only applies to people who take this scholarship agreement and who were originally admitted to UP. If you go to an instate, you will not be able to transfer to PSU until junior year. Nor would you get the decreased costs and scholarship, and not all of the classes may transfer.
If you don’t care about going to UP campus your first year, this is an excellent (and rare) opportunity. PSU Altoona is the closest campus to UP and is very pretty and not that far from MD. Other campuses are close to MD as well, I just don’t know anything about them.
I agree that the Altoona campus would be a good choice, based on proximity to State College, but it is unlikely that any on-campus housing is still available. On-campus housing at Altoona isn’t guaranteed even for freshmen, and many freshmen have to find off-campus housing. Fortunately, there appear to be plentiful off-campus options. However, if the OP definitely wants on-campus housing, another branch campus may be a better choice.
I have to say that PennState usually doesnt give that kind of money unless they really want you. i would take it and run. PSU giving you 20,000 is amazing. They are notoriously stingy with money. Good Luck. My niece went to Altoona and loved it.
They over extended admission with too many acceptances. Like I said before I would take it and run if you want PSU. There is no catch. I would assume alot of PA students would accept this.
OP is not a PA student and I would be cautious about assuming that this will solve all of your financial problems. Have you officially “unaccepted” PSU yet?
If you are a rising senior, I wonder if it would be worth applying to Penn State main next year (even if you planned to attend a branch already), in the event this offer is repeated…?
Well I would think they would have to be careful that this over enrollment is not repeated next year, since they have to reserve enough spaces for the students that accepted the 1+3 offer this year.
And it would only save you up to $20,000 the first year. OOS students might still have to take a loan and might still have a balance depending how much OOS tuition, fees and housing and food will cost.
Tuition and fees alone is > $13k for instate students, more for OOS
And then the remaining years you would pay full OOS costs.
@Portercat, Yes I would apply to UP as a first choice and the branch as a second. If you get into UP you can always choose a campus. Although this surge for PSU might create tougher standards all around to get accepted to UP next year.
I’m kind of confused and curious, cab you go to any branch or just the four with housing? Doesn’t Behrend have housing? Is it just saying that you are guaranteed housing at those four? Or are they kind of pushing those four because I feel like those are more of the committee ones(I live near beaver and greater Allegheny).
I’m not sure, but I know of a student at our HS who is thinking of taking the offer and commuting from home the first year. They will still get free tuition for one year that way.
@pitt2021 I believe they are saying which campuses still have on campus housing available. Many of the other campuses have housing, but it’s not available any longer. Altoona and Erie housing goes fast because there isn’t enough housing on campus for all students. (I’m sure the other campuses are the same, I am just not as familiar with those so I won’t speak to them). I think this e mail was just letting people know which campuses have on campus housing available right now. At the other campuses, a student would have to live off campus.