Review your offer of admission in MyPennState.
After all that waiting, an offer of admission has finally appeared in MyPennState - congratulations! Make sure you review that offer of admission closely. The letter outlines your intended area of study, your starting term, as well as your starting campus. This letter is important to review because students may be accepted to Penn State but for a term or campus other than their first choice, like the summer semester at University Park instead of the fall semester or their alternate choice campus instead of their first choice campus.
Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
You can access the FAFSA online at fafsa.gov after October 1. Students begin to receive their aid award notifications in early March. You can find more information at the Office of Student Aid website.
Please note: International students do not need to provide a FAFSA and are not eligible for federal student aid.
Attend an Accepted Student Program
Find out what Penn State Lehigh Valley can offer you by attending an accepted student program or schedule a one-on-one appointment with one of our admissions counselors.
Accept your offer of admission
To accept your offer of admission, log into your MyPennState account, click the “accept your offer” button and submit your $230 enrollment deposit online! (Deposit is nonrefundable).
Locate off-campus housing (if applicable)
While Penn State Lehigh Valley does not offer on-campus housing, there is plenty of off-campus housing available in Allentown, Bethlehem, and the surrounding areas. Penn State Lehigh Valley has partnered with Places4Students, a service that assists students with the search for off-campus housing accommodations, finding roommates, and posting student sublets.
Search off-campus housing listings through Places4Students
Create a student account on Places4Students
Create a landlord account on Places4Students
Plan for New Student Orientation
1. NSO Tasklist (Sent to your personal email)
To prepare for a successful transition to Penn State, we've developed an NSO Tasklist to help you navigate your next steps. There are some things that you must complete before your NSO, others that you will complete during your NSO, and even more that will be completed after your NSO. You will use this NSO Tasklist to make a reservation for your preferred NSO Program.
2. ALEKS Math Assessment (Part of NSO Tasklist)
As part of the NSO Tasklist, many of you will need to complete the ALEKS Math Assessment before your NSO date. We use the ALEKS Math Assessment to evaluate your readiness to take college-level math and science courses. Since these courses are demanding, it is important for you to begin in the course most likely to lead to success. You will not be permitted to take a course unless you have demonstrated readiness – either through the ALEKS Math Assessment or by completing high school calculus. Your NSO Tasklist (available in March) will provide you with a personalized message stating whether ALEKS is required for you.
If you took calculus as part of your high school course work, you are not required to complete ALEKS.
3. Attend your campus for orientation and advising
This step is designed to acquaint you with the sometimes complex academic world of Penn State. This program will explore the different academic opportunities available at the University, as well as the requirements of your chosen degree. Your first-year testing result will also be interpreted.
Learn more about New Student Orientation
All students have the opportunity to meet with an academic advisor in order to prepare a schedule of classes that meets both their needs, as well as the requirements of their chosen degree. All students schedule classes during the New Student Orientation Program (NSO).
Provide the required health and immunization information.
Important Immunization Requirements for All Incoming Students:
All incoming Penn State students must provide proof of immunization against measles, mumps and rubella. In accordance with Pennsylvania state law, students living in on-campus housing must also provide proof of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (Menveo, Menactra, MenQuadfi, MCV4), which protects against infections caused by serogroups A, C, W and Y. Visit the University Health Services website for details on required immunizations and the submission process.
To submit: log in to myUHS using your Penn State access credentials, enter your vaccines and upload image files of your official immunization records and, if applicable, any positive antibody titer blood test results.
Immunization requirements are applicable to all undergraduate and graduate students at University Park and Commonwealth Campuses excluding World Campus and Great Valley.
Verify your incoming credits
Did you take AP exams, IB Exams, A-Level exams, or participate in a dual-enrollment course? Well, make sure you get any college credit coming your way! If you took any of these exams, check our handy listing of all the tests and the corresponding credit that you can receive.
If you took any college courses, through dual-enrollment or otherwise, be sure to send us the official college transcript with your final grade(s). We will evaluate the transcript(s) and, if we are able, we will award credits for the coursework. You can always check the Transferring Credits Tool to see if Penn State will award you credit for a class.
Submit your Final High School Transcript
Penn State requires students who have accepted their offer of admission to provide documentation that indicates the student's high school completion status. Once you have completed your high school graduation, be sure to submit your final high school transcript documentation.
Review our Final High School Transcript Submission Guidelines
Attend New Student Welcome Week
New Student Welcome is designed to prepare students for their journey at Penn State. Take advantage of the opportunities New Student Welcome offers to meet current and future Penn State students, get answers to questions you may have, and learn about life at Penn State Lehigh Valley. This program is a requirement for all incoming students.
