
Pennsylvania State University is institutionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Greater Allegheny operates as a Penn State campus, rather than as a separately accredited university.
Institutional accreditation evaluates the university as a whole and is relevant to eligibility for federal student aid. It does not guarantee that another college will accept every Penn State course for transfer, or that a particular degree satisfies a profession's licensing rules. Some fields have separate programmatic accreditation requirements; students considering a licensed profession should check the accreditation and state licensing requirements of their specific program, not rely on institutional accreditation alone.
First-year applicants generally apply to Penn State, select Greater Allegheny as a campus choice, and submit a secondary-school record showing graduation or an accepted equivalent. Penn State reviews academic preparation; high school GPA and the school record are part of the reported requirements.
SAT and ACT scores have been considered but not required in the reported admissions information. Applicants should check the testing policy for their entry term and program before deciding whether to submit scores. Recommendations, class rank, and a formal demonstration of competencies are not listed as general requirements. Applicants educated outside the United States may also need to document English-language proficiency under Penn State's international admissions rules.
In the reported first-year admissions cycle, Greater Allegheny admitted 519 of 538 applicants, an acceptance rate of about 96%. That figure describes a past applicant pool, not a guarantee of admission or eligibility for a particular major. Penn State's application calendar and review process can differ by term and applicant category, so applicants should check the deadline applicable to their intended start date.
The reported standard application fee for Penn State is $65. This is an admissions charge, not tuition or a payment that reserves a place in a class.
Penn State provides application-fee waiver routes for eligible applicants, including students with documented financial need. Because the method for requesting a waiver can depend on the application and applicant category, a student who may qualify should follow the waiver instructions in the application or ask undergraduate admissions before paying and submitting. Applicants should also confirm the charge shown for their own application; a fee reported for first-year admission should not be assumed to cover every graduate or special application.
Army and Air Force ROTC opportunities have been reported for Greater Allegheny students through cooperating institutions, rather than units based on the McKeesport campus. Participation therefore requires more planning than simply registering for an on-campus class.
Students should confirm the current host institution, cross-enrollment permission, travel schedule, and which ROTC courses can count toward their Penn State degree before applying. ROTC scholarships have separate selection rules; taking an ROTC course does not itself guarantee a scholarship. Some ROTC participation paths also lead to a military service obligation, so applicants should review the terms with the relevant ROTC unit.
Penn State Greater Allegheny considers transfer applicants, and reported entry options include fall, spring, and summer. Applicants ordinarily submit records from every college they have attended; Penn State determines both admission and how completed coursework applies to a degree.
Acceptance of a course for transfer is different from acceptance of that course toward a particular major. Penn State generally considers credit from accredited institutions and reports that it accepts certain examination-based and evaluated learning credits, including CLEP, DSST, and ACE recommendations. Subject-specific rules, grades, credit limits, and degree requirements still govern whether an individual award counts.
Transfer applicants should check Penn State's current credit and GPA eligibility rules for their applicant category and request an official credit evaluation. Before enrolling, compare that evaluation with a degree audit for the intended major - especially if the plan involves completing the degree at another Penn State campus.
Greater Allegheny students can explore international study through Penn State's university-wide education-abroad system. Options across the university include programs of different lengths, but eligibility, available courses, and application procedures vary by program.
A student should meet with academic and education-abroad advisers before applying to establish how overseas coursework would satisfy the degree plan. That step is particularly important for a tightly sequenced major or a student planning a campus change. Program charges, travel expenses, scholarships, and the treatment of existing financial aid also need to be checked for the specific program; a Penn State affiliation does not make every overseas option financially or academically interchangeable.
19% of admitted students enrolled (101 of 519)
Application fee
$65Early Decision
NoEarly Action
Yes, deadline November 1Percent of students submitting ACT scores
2.94%Percent of students submitting SAT scores
14.71%High school completions
General Educational Development (GED) requiredComputer purchase/lease plan is available in the institution
YesSecondary school GPA
RequiredSecondary school rank
Neither required nor recommendedSecondary school record
RequiredCompletion of college-preparatory program
Considered but not requiredRecommendations
Neither required nor recommendedFormal demonstration of competencies
Neither required nor recommendedAdmission test scores
Considered but not requiredTOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language
RequiredOther Test (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)
Neither required nor recommendedOpen admission policy
NoDual credit
NoCredit for life experiences
YesAdvanced placement (AP) credits
YesOrientation program
YesROTC-Army
ROTC branch unit at a cooperating host institutionROTC-Air Force
ROTC branch unit at a cooperating host institutionStudy abroad
YesStudent can complete their preparation in certain areas of specialization
NoPreparation at another institution required
NoApproved by the state for initial certification or licensure of teacher
NoGenerally accepts credits
YesAccept ACE recommendation for credit
YesPossible transfer
Fall, Spring, SummerData last updated on November 2, 2026
Data sources: IPEDS 2024-25, Peterson 2026, College Scorecard 10/2026, Clery 2024 (2023-24), OpenAlex 2026
Figures on this profile come from federal and third-party datasets in the editions listed above and are refreshed periodically, so they may differ from what the institution currently reports. Confirm costs, deadlines and requirements with the school before making decisions.