To be considered for admission to the Plant Biology graduate program at Penn State, prospective students must have:

An appropriate academic background, including a minimum Grade Point Average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) during the last two years (junior/senior) of a bachelor's degree at an accredited college or university. Research experience is desirable.
GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) scores are not required for admission. However, if you have taken the General GRE Aptitude Test and/or the GRE Subject Test and received good scores that you think could boost the strength of your overall application, you may submit those test scores.
Three letters of recommendation
Personal statement of motivations and goals
Curriculum vitae/resume
Transcript(s)
International applicants must take and submit scores for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System), with the exceptions noted below. The minimum acceptable score for the TOEFL is 550 for the paper-based test, 213 for the computer-based test, or a total score of 80 with a 19 on the speaking section for the Internet-based test (iBT). Applicants with iBT speaking scores between 15 and 18 may be considered for provisaaional admission, enrollment, and, if necessary, remedial course work. The minimum composite score for the IELTS is 6.5. Revised TOEFL PBT July 2017 and later 60