Jumpstart your academic journey at Penn State!
Whether you’ve applied or already been accepted, now’s the time to make sure you’re thinking about next steps.
Funding
The 2023–24 academic year scholarship support for incoming first-year undergraduate students new to Penn State University Park is fully committed. Incoming first-year students may still request an application for future consideration by sending your nine-digit Penn State identification number to lascholarships@psu.edu to verify eligibility for a need-based scholarship application. Unfunded applications remain on file for the academic year and may be considered if additional funds become available. Only recipients are notified.
So you’ve accepted your offer.
Now what?
The Liberal Arts Academic Advising team is very excited to welcome you and assist you in planning courses for your first semester. When you come to the college advising meeting on day two of New Student Orientation, you will be matched with an academic adviser who will assist you in building your first Penn State schedule. In advance, we ask that you complete the four steps below to make your time with us more productive and to help our academic advisers give you the best possible assistance. We look forward to welcoming you to Penn State and the College of the Liberal Arts!
All new first-year students at Penn State must participate in New Student Orientation (NSO), where you will meet the Liberal Arts Academic Advising team. We are very excited to welcome you and assist you in planning courses for your first semester. We encourage you to schedule your New Student Orientation as soon as you are able after accepting your offer. This will allow you to connect with Liberal Arts Academic Advising as soon as possible. In advance, we ask that you complete the four steps below to make your time with us more productive and to help our academic advisers give you the best possible assistance. We look forward to welcoming you to Penn State and the College of the Liberal Arts!
Complete all the steps on your NSO Tasklist, which will be emailed to the email address provided on your application.
If required, take your ALEKS math placement exam (strongly encouraged for most Liberal Arts students).
Research whether you’d like to become a Paterno Fellow. You will be asked this when you meet with your academic adviser.
Satisfy all “to do” items listed in LionPATH. This will ensure you are eligible to register for courses with an academic adviser at NSO.
Start big. Stay engaged.
- Adviser not listed in LionPATH? Email your questions to laadvising@psu.edu.
- Read the advising syllabus
- Get paired with a peer mentor
- Apply for funding
- Check your email for important reminders and updates
- Learn about Liberal Arts Student Services
- Explore Liberal Arts resources
FAQs
If you have not yet accepted your offer, you should log into MyPennState and select the “Follow this link to accept your offer of admission” button to take the next step. We request that you accept your offer by May 1 for summer/fall admission at any campus. After accepting your offer, you will receive a notification in your MyPennState account asking you to sign up for New Student Orientation.
First-year students attending Penn State University Park are required to live on campus, and there are several housing areas from which to choose. The most popular is East Halls because it is primarily first-year students who live there, aside from the resident assistants. East Halls provides a wonderful opportunity for first-year students to bond with one another.
