Students with a 3.0 GPA or higher who do not meet the college preparatory coursework requirement or students who have a 2.99 GPA or lower may be required to participate in holistic review to be admitted to PSU.
Students can be notified by their admissions counselor during the application process and offered the opportunity to participate in holistic review or you can contact your Admission Counselor to request to participate in holistic review.
To be considered for admission to PSU, students are required to submit the items listed below within two week of notification by their counselor. While there is no guarantee of a positive admission outcome, this process allows you to submit additional documentation to be considered in the admission decision process.
Materials Required for Holistic Review
- Two essays - minimum of 250 words each: The purpose of the essay review is for Portland State University to better understand your educational goals and how you intend to achieve them. We will not be evaluating your ability to write.
- Essay 1: Tell us about any factors that may have negatively impacted your ability to meet Portland State's admission requirements. If possible, what actions will you take to ensure those factors do not impact your ability to succeed in college?
- Essay 2: What are your educational goals and how will you attain them?
- Updated Progress Report/Transcript: Provide any updated grades (official or unofficial transcripts or progress reports) that include more recent academic evaluation to demonstrate improvement. If you will not have updated grades within two weeks, provide them as soon as you have them.
Optional Materials
- Holistic Review Questionnaire: The information you provide in this questionnaire is used to inform research on student success at Portland State. It is not used to evaluate you for admission to PSU. Your personal information will not be retained as part of this research. Submit the Holistic Review Questionnaire >>
- Letters of Recommendation: Letters may be provided by academic or professional references (i.e. school counselors or administrators, teachers or professors, job supervisors, etc.) and can be uploaded through your applicant status portal or emailed directly to your Admissions Counselor. Letters sent through Naviance, or written by a parent or legal guardian, will not be accepted.
How to Submit Holistic Review Materials
You can either send your documents directly to your Admissions Counselor or you can log in to your application portal and scroll down and select “Upload Materials.” Select the material category, then “Choose File.” Once you’ve selected a file, select “Upload.”
Contact your Admission Counselor to make arrangements if you require an extension. If you choose not to participate in holistic review, PSU will move forward with a review based on the items you've already submitted.
If you have any questions or would like to connect, contact your Admission Counselor.