Thank you, and again congrats 
@philly1600 Did you apply before or after the Nov.30 priority deadline? If you applied after that may have been the reason.
@zipbags my app was complete by mid October
So I was just denied from main campus. I already applied undecided for summer session so is there anything else I can do to be reconsidered? I wrote them an email but I’m not sure if I should follow up and call.
@philly1600 sorry to hear that your stats are very good… We are in the same boat… denied from PSU but ACCEPTED to U of Maryland Aerospace.
@myacceptmy3 other than doing a full appeal, no, there is nothing else you can do.
@blueandwhite98 reevaluation from psychology to DUS is unlikely to change your decision. The reevaluate works occasionally when you are changing from a highly competitive major (Smeal, Engineering) to DUS. Psychology is not a competitive major and likely has the same gpa criteria as DUS. You can try, but I don’t think you will succeed. Especially with all of the Smeal and engineering denials asking for reconsideration to DUS with high stats…but, in general, you do not forfeit your spot at Altoona with a reconsideration request. Good luck!
@philly1600 Penn State does consider rigor of classwork. Sometimes mistakes happen . If I were you I’d call for clarification on why you were denied.
It never hurts to follow up with a phone call, let them hear your voice and they will also know you are being proactive about your future .
@jlhpsu what does a full appeal mean??
@myacceptmy3 i also applied undecided to summer and still waiting to hear. would you mind sharing some stats, i also have low stats and would appreciate someones whose already heard.
Congrats on all the acceptances and good luck with the reevals. On an off subject, I am asking because there are a lot of families on here that have s or d in PSU already…What is common as far as financial aid? I know PSU doesn’t grant too much merit aid unless you get provost/shreyers etc… I know the amounts of students loans you can get each year and if you qualify for federal and state grants I know those amounts with the EFC, But I read somewhere that if you saved 25% of the total cost of attendance for your child then you are in good shape. My question is- the other 75% of the cost comes from grants/loans/work-study and do most of you take out parent loans to make up the rest? In other words the PSU meet ANY amount of ‘need’? or did you get a bunch of outside scholarships?
@myacceptmy3 A full appeal is more involved than just asking for a reconsideration. Formal letters are required explaining why your record is the way it is (ie, lower grades, test scores etc) or some other proof that there is reasonable belief to support your admissions decision being a mistake.
Last year, a poor girl was denied with almost a 4.0 from DUS and same ACT as my daughter. The mom was so upset and they were going to do a full appeal after being denied reconsideration. She contacted me and a few others and asked if we would write a letter saying that our kids got in with lower stats. We all denied her request as we didn’t want to jeopardize our kids acceptances. But I understood her frustration. She was extremely gracious in my denying her request. It was heartbreaking.
But, that was an anomaly I think. What are your stats that you think an appeal would work? If you are borderline and were rejected for summer DUS then that happens all of the time. The only way I can see an appeal working is if there is substantial error or information that admissions did not have when making their original decision.
@crazycat, you have answered your own question: PSU doesn’t grant too much merit aid unless you get provost/schreyer attention. There are other scholarship programs specific to the colleges, but those also are not comprehensive in the sense that lots of people get them, or they are free rides. Nobody should expect some sort of financial aid that will make their cash cost something substantially less than 50%, at a minimum. Yes, there are exceptions.
Certainly, having saved 25% of the cost is not nearly enough. Consider that tuition will rise every year, as will fees and housing. And if you take out loans for the other %75, then how on earth will you or the student bear the payments after graduation?
I called the admissions office earlier to ask a few questions, and she told me if I didn’t have a decision by Friday, I should call back. Her name is Peg, and she’s really helpful, so if anyone calls then they should ask for her! She also told me that I should check the portal every day between 8 and 10, which is when they apparently update it.
@crazycat220 We are paying for the first 2 years of our kids college. After that, they will get loans (well - we will all get loans that they will pay off after graduating and getting a job). We are making our kids share the load with us so that they have some skin in the game. But the first 2 years we are paying out of savings, 529 etc…) PSU gave us nothing. My niece just was admitted and offered the provost award of $16,000 over 4 years and a one time $3,000 merit aid used during freshman year - but that’s unusual I think. Sadly, Penn State is the 2nd highest cost public university in the country, with the first being Pitt. It’s not cheap, that’s for sure. Outside sources such as federal grants, loans, and private scholarships, as well as private savings, is often what’s used to pay for the school.
My son is looking at state schools and that will significantly lower our out of pocket.
8am and 10pm ?
@jlhpsu is it worth a try to call? I applied for Summer session with psych. I thought I’d have a decent shot at getting in even with some Low scores, which I explained in my personal statement. I had my heart set on starting there this summer.
I am so surprised to hear about folks being denied to PSU but accepted at UMD. I would never have guessed that scenario. My son liked UMD but didn’t even apply because he figured his stats were just not going to be high enough. Man this is a tough year at PSU!
Well even with the loans PSU has a high return on investment, so it is worth it and hopefully they can pay them off faster with a good paying job out of school! Thanks for the tips
Interesting subject, I’m wondering now if my son made a mistake because he stated no financial aid was needed. He has had a college fund since he was born so we are set for him and in no need of financial aid. I hope they don’t think he will struggle to pay since he stated no financial aid. Any thoughts ?
No I don’t think they look at that in admissions…I could be wrong but I think FA is looked at when the FASFA results come in and then you would get a Student Aid Summary sometime in March/April.