University in United States
Philadelphia, PA, United States
University profile
The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) is an Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded by Benjamin Franklin. Its campus sits in the middle of the city, with the undergraduate schools within walking distance of one another, and the campus is a certified arboretum.
Penn has four undergraduate schools. Applicants apply to one of them (or to a coordinated dual-degree programme), and that school grants the degree while students may take courses across all four. The College of Arts and Sciences awards the Bachelor of Arts through more than 60 major-granting departments. Penn Engineering (School of Engineering and Applied Science) awards the Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Bachelor of Applied Science across 12 majors. Penn Nursing awards the Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Science. The Wharton School awards the Bachelor of Science in Economics with 20 concentrations. Penn also runs a College of Liberal and Professional Studies and extensive graduate and professional schools, including law, medicine, dental medicine, veterinary medicine, design, education, social policy and practice, and communication.
Undergraduate enrolment is 10,610 students, with a student-faculty ratio of 8:1 and about 90 undergraduate majors pursued. Undergraduates can pursue interschool minors or second degrees. The Admissions Selection Committee aims to enrol a first-year class of 2,400.
Student life centres on residential life, extracurriculars and Ivy League athletics. Franklin Field hosts the Penn Relays, described as the largest and longest-running track and field meet in the United States, and the Palestra is known as the Cathedral of College Basketball. The University Band has performed for more than 125 years.
Over 100 countries are represented in the undergraduate population, and about one in four members of the Penn community across all schools and programmes are international students and scholars. International Student and Scholar Services supports immigration matters, settling in and post-graduation work.
All undergraduate financial aid at Penn is awarded on financial need; Penn does not offer merit-based scholarships. Aid meets 100% of demonstrated need with grants and work-study, with no loans, for four years (eight semesters). 46% of undergraduates received need-based aid in 2024-2025, with an average package of $72,155.
Penn is need-blind for citizens and permanent residents of the United States, Canada and Mexico, and need-aware for other international applicants. International students are eligible for need-based aid covering 100% of demonstrated need, but must apply for aid at the same time as admission; aid cannot be requested after admission or in later years. Applicants submit the CSS Profile and tax returns or income statements from their country; U.S. citizens and permanent residents also file the FAFSA.
Tuition $65,670; general fee $6,620; technology fee $918; clinical fee $770; total $73,978. (2025-2026 total: $71,236.)
Penn Need-Based Financial Aid for International Undergraduates →
Penn Quaker Commitment Undergraduate Financial Aid →
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View scholarships for University of Pennsylvania →Applicants apply to one of the four undergraduate schools or a coordinated dual-degree programme through the Common App, the Coalition Application or the QuestBridge Application. Early Decision (binding) deadline is November 1, 2026 with decisions in December; Regular Decision deadline is January 5, 2027 with decisions in April (fall 2027 entry). The application includes forms, personal statement, activities section, official high school transcript, letters of recommendation, Penn-specific short answers and test scores. The application fee is $75, with fee waivers available through Common App or Coalition Application. Review is comprehensive and Penn sets no minimum course or score requirements.
Applicants must submit SAT or ACT scores (all first-year, domestic, international, homeschooled, transfer and QuestBridge applicants); applicants facing hardship may submit a testing waiver. There is no minimum score and no preference between SAT and ACT. Penn superscores both tests. Codes: SAT 2926, ACT 3732, TOEFL 2926.
The process is the same as for domestic applicants. Certified translations are required for documents not in English; transcripts need not be evaluated by a third party and grades should not be recalculated. Predicted scores may be used if final exam results are unavailable. IB, Cambridge A-Level/AS and AICE results are accepted. English proficiency: TOEFL iBT, IELTS Academic or Duolingo English Test, from exams taken on or after April 1, 2025; competitive applicants tend to have a TOEFL composite of 5 or above (1-6 band scale) or 100 or above on the older 0-120 scale, IELTS overall 7 or above, Duolingo 130 or above. Applicants are exempt if English is their native language or the primary language of instruction for at least three years.
Transfer applicants apply directly to one of the four undergraduate schools (or the College of Liberal and Professional Studies) through the Common App or Coalition Application; admitted transfers cannot move between schools. Coordinated dual-degree programmes are not open to transfers, with an exception for Visual and Interactive Computing.
The University of Pennsylvania's campus is in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA 19104), across the Schuylkill River from Center City. Penn's historic campus is home to its four undergraduate schools and 12 graduate and professional schools, all on one campus.
Penn's Facilities and Real Estate Services maintains 218 buildings on a campus of 302 acres, along with New Bolton Center and Morris Arboretum. The West Philadelphia campus has been designated an arboretum.
Landmarks and open spaces include Locust Walk, Woodland Walk and Blanche Levy Park, and Penn Park along the Schuylkill River. Newer facilities include the Singh Center for Nanotechnology and the Lauder College House. The Penn Connects campus plan also added the former US Post Office Building at 30th and Market Streets and Pennovation Works, a 23-acre former industrial site at 3401 Grays Ferry Avenue, south of campus along the Schuylkill River.
The Admissions Visitor Center is in Claudia Cohen Hall, 249 S. 36th Street. Campus tours are held outdoors, and the University also has a presence in Washington, D.C. (Penn Biden Center) and Beijing (Penn Wharton China Center).
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