Information for School Counselors
School counselors play a critical role in a student's post-secondary path and we want to help you in the process of helping students seeking admission to Penn State.
Transcripts & Self-Reported Academic Record
Students applying to Penn State will not provide transcripts in most cases but will complete a to report completed and in-progress coursework. They will need to refer to their 9–11th grades transcripts and senior year courses to complete the SRAR. Students will be notified individually if their transcripts are needed in addition to the SRAR.
Admitted students who commit to Penn State are required to verify high school graduation. We recommend verifications be completed in the Penn State Web Counselor System, but we can also accept official final transcripts showing the graduation date, directly from the school, via mail, email, or fax, or Naviance/Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, Scribbles, SCOIR, or CommonApp.
If a student’s former school has closed, please contact the state’s Department of Education where the school was located for assistance requesting the official transcript.
Adult learners, as defined by the University, are exempt from this requirement.
Test-Optional Information
Penn State will be test-optional through Fall 2025, allowing first-year applicants to choose if they would like any of the SAT or ACT scores to be considered with their application for admission.
Application Fee Waivers
Penn State accepts fee waiver requests from school counselors, College Board, or ACT, documenting an applicant's extreme financial hardships.
Copies of College Board or ACT fee waivers can be faxed to 814-863-7590 or mailed to:
Penn State Undergraduate Admissions
201 Shields Building
664 Curtin Road
University Park, PA 16802
All other fee waiver requests should be sent to admissions@psu.edu. Please include the student's PSU ID number (if known), date of birth, and address to ensure that the waiver is applied to the correct application.
Please note that a student must start an application in order for a fee waiver to be applied. We are not able to refund an application fee once it has been paid. Students who receive fee waivers will be able to bypass the application payment screen.
Help Students Apply to Penn State
Web Counselor System
Penn State's Web Counselor System is a free electronic tool that allows school counselors to access their students' application status information and provide graduation verification.
In the Web Counselor System, counselors can:
view lists of Penn State applicants from their school
view application statuses for applicants from their school
upload high school transcripts
Each school must designate a primary contact person for your school with whom Penn State will communicate through the system. The primary contact person must verify the school's profile information before transcripts can be processed.