University of Pennsylvania

Private University · Located in Philadelphia, PA · VetLink Partner since 2026

Admissions Numbers

• Penn applicants are required to submit the SAT or ACT for the 2025-26 application cycle. Applicants who face hardship in meeting this requirement can submit a waiver directly through the application instead.

How to Apply

Students can apply to Penn through the Common App and/or the Coalition App.

• Required materials:

  • Official Transcripts

    • An official transcript must be sent by a school counselor or another school official for all high schools the student has attended.

  • Letters of Recommendations x2

    • One from the school counselor or school official, and one from a teacher in a core subject area (such as math, science, history, English, or foreign language). An additional letter from a teacher or supporter in the student’s community who could add a perspective otherwise missing from the application can be submitted as an optional third recommendation.

  • Standardized test scores -

    • Penn applicants are required to submit the SAT or ACT. Applicants who face hardship in meeting this requirement can submit a waiver directly through the application instead.

  • $75 Application fee (waiver available)

    • If paying the application fee is a significant financial burden, students can request an application fee waiver through either the Common App or the Coalition Application in the “fee waiver” section.

  • Secondary/School report

    • The high school counselor or another school official will need to submit a School Report form (available on the Common App or Coalition Application website).

  • Writing Supplements

    • Students will be asked to respond to three Penn-specific short answer prompts as part of the application.

  • Financial aid application

    • To apply for financial aid, students need to submit a separate application for financial aid in addition to their application for admission. All financial aid applicants need to submit: FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), CSS Profile, and Federal Tax Returns.

Admissions Deadlines

• Early Decision (binding application) deadline: November 1

• Fall semester first year deadline: January 5

• Fall semester transfer deadline: March 15

Demographics

10,497 full-time undergraduates

46% Male / 54% Female

19% first-generation college students of Class of 2028

Academics

100+ majors to choose from across humanities, social sciences and natural sciences

8:1 student-faculty ratio

Four undergraduate schools: the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, School of Nursing, and The Wharton School

Most Popular Academic Programs

Natural and Life Sciences

Social Sciences and Humanities

Business

Engineering

Nursing

---

Financial Aid & Scholarships

• $95,612 Cost of attendance for full-time undergraduate programs living on campus

• Penn meets 100% demonstrated need for all admitted students

• 46% of undergraduate students received no-loan financial aid in 2023-2024

• $68,578 average grant for first-time, full-time student

• Fully participates in Yellow Ribbon program - Yellow Ribbon pays remaining tuition that the Post-9/11 GI Bill does not cover for undergraduates of the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, School of Nursing, and the Wharton School

• Penn is need blind for citizens and permanent residents from the US, Canada, and Mexico

---

Veterans Campus Life

• 800+ student organizations across undergraduate, graduate, and professional student communities

• Student veterans can find community and support on-campus with organizations such as Student Veteran Association, Career Services, Wharton Veteran’s Club, Penn Carey Law Veteran’s Club

• All undergraduate students live on campus with a meal plan for their first two years at Penn

• Learn more about life at Penn here

Knowledge in Action

95% of students reported having one or more internship

1,000+ students participate in study abroad programs each year with 98 programs in 36 countries

Comprehensive career services office, including personalized advising, career fairs, resume reviews, and on-campus recruiting.

Career Services hosts countless job and internship listings and many offices across campus connect students to internships in specific areas like entrepreneurship, the arts, research, or international non-profits (just to name a few)

Alumni & Outcomes

290,000+ active alumni worldwide

97% of students graduate in 6 years

94.2% of graduates were either employed, enrolled in continuing education programs, serving the military, not seeking employment, or volunteering within 6 months of graduating

• 74.9% full-time employment

• 16.7% continuing education

55% of students continuing on the graduate school are going into business, law, or medicine

$103,418 Median starting salary for graduates

Top employers:

• Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

• Goldman Sachs

• Penn Medicine

• McKinsey & Company

• Morgan Stanley

• JPMorgan Chase & Co.

• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

• University of Pennsylvania

• Bain & Company

• Amazon

---

More Resources