Key differences on Getting in

1
Pennsylvania State's yield is 4 pts higher than U. Pittsburgh's
Yield rate
2
U. Pittsburgh's SAT midpoint is 35 points higher than Pennsylvania State's
SAT midpoint
3
U. Pittsburgh admits 58% vs. 61% at Pennsylvania State
Acceptance rate

Admissions

Getting in, fall 2024

Acceptance and yield, test score ranges, test policy, and what each college weighs.

The funnel

Acceptance rate

Pennsylvania State61%

U. Pittsburgh58%Most selective

Applicants

Pennsylvania State88.5KMost

U. Pittsburgh60.9K

Admitted

Pennsylvania State53.6KMost

U. Pittsburgh35.4K

Yield rate

Pennsylvania State17%Highest

U. Pittsburgh13%

Quad's selectivity

Pennsylvania StateVery selective
U. PittsburghVery selective

Men and women

Acceptance rate for men and women who applied, where a college reports admissions by sex.

Women admitted

Pennsylvania State63%

U. Pittsburgh60%

Men admitted

Pennsylvania State58%

U. Pittsburgh56%

Test scores

SAT total,

Pennsylvania State

1240–1420

U. Pittsburgh

1280–1450

Axis runs 1100–1600. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

ACT composite,

Pennsylvania State

27–32

U. Pittsburgh

29–33

Axis runs 23–36. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

Submitted SAT

Pennsylvania State31%

U. Pittsburgh40%

Submitted ACT

Pennsylvania State5%

U. Pittsburgh8%

Test policy

Pennsylvania StateTest-optional
U. PittsburghTest-optional

How they read a record

Pennsylvania State
GPA and the high school record are required; a college-prep program is considered. 48% of first-years who sent test scores had a 3.75 or higher.
U. Pittsburgh
and GPA are both very important; class rank and tests are both considered. This college reports (average 4.06), so its GPA figures can't show how crowded unweighted GPAs are.

What they look at

Factor	Pennsylvania State	U. Pittsburgh
High school GPA	Required	Very important
High school record	Required	Required
Class rank	Not considered	Considered
College-prep program	Considered	Required
Recommendations	Not considered	Considered
Essay	Considered	Very important
Legacy status	Not considered	Not considered
Work experience	Not considered	Important
Demonstration of competencies	Not considered	Not considered
English proficiency test	Required	Required
Other tests	Not considered	Considered

All admissions numbers in the table

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;College Scorecard, most recent release;University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why