Steps to Apply for Adult, Military & Veteran Students
Not sure where to begin? These steps to apply will outline the process of submitting your Penn State application as an adult and military student.
Choose Your Application Method
Penn State’s application for summer and fall is available online through MyPennState or the Common App.
MyPennState
The MyPennState Application is available for first-year (freshman) and Transfer applicants. U.S. citizens and International students may also apply via the MyPennState application.
CommonApp
Applying to Penn State via CommonApp is available for first-year (freshman) U.S. citizens and international students. If applying through CommonApp, Penn State will create a Penn State account when the application is submitted, and you’ll receive instructions on how to access your profile.
Review Important Dates and Deadlines
The application for admissions becomes available on the following dates:
Fall/Summer Admission: August 1
Spring Admission: June 1
The application submission dates vary by applicant type and intended program of study. Some programs have specific deadlines or admissions requirements. Please refer to our dates and deadlines for more information about application deadlines, as well as Admission Requirements to review about any additional materials required for your intended program of study.
Submit Your Application
The application requires a nonrefundable application fee of $65 for domestic students and $75 for international students.
Military Application Fee Waiver
Active-duty military, veterans, and reservists will receive an applicant fee waiver when applying to any of Penn State’s undergraduate programs at any college or campus, including Penn State World Campus.
Be sure to complete the last step after Summary and Review, which finalizes payment of your fee, and to be certain it is successfully submitted. Once the application is submitted, you can verify its completion on the Application Checklist in the MyPennState Portal. This may take up to 24 hours to update.
For students applying through the CommonApp:
Your MyPennState account is being created for you and information will be provided to you via email regarding how to access your MyPennState account. Do not create a separate MyPennState account as this will delay the processing of your application.
Submit Required Application Materials
In addition to your application and fees, there are several items that are required for adult and military applications. Please review our detailed
Admission Requirements for a full breakdown of what is required for each student type.
Check Your Application Status in MyPennState
Roughly 24 hours after submitting your application, you can check the status of your application via the MyPennState Portal. We’ll communicate via MyPennState and through a series of emails regarding missing items from your application. When everything has arrived, you’ll see a status in MyPennState confirming completion of your application.
Please note: It is your responsibility to check on the status of your application and send us missing materials.
Receive Your Admission Decision
Once we’ve reached a decision regarding your application, we’ll update your status in MyPennState. Review our Dates & Deadlines to see when you should expect your decision.
If admitted, you can accept your offer of admission via the
MyPennState Portal to begin the process of becoming a Penn State student.