,·Private Research University·Est. 1740
“Where Benjamin Franklin's vision of practical scholarship meets Ivy League excellence in the heart of Philadelphia.”
The University of Pennsylvania is one of America's oldest and most storied universities, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1740 and located in the vibrant University City neighborhood of West Philadelphia. As a member of the Ivy League, Penn has long been defined by Franklin's own belief that education should serve both intellectual and practical ends — a philosophy that manifests today in its signature 'one university' approach, where students across all four undergraduate schools freely cross-register across programs and disciplines. The result is a campus culture that is unusually interdisciplinary: a Wharton student co-founding a biotech startup with engineering and nursing peers is not an outlier at Penn but practically an archetype. The academic centerpiece is the Wharton School, the nation's first collegiate business school and consistently ranked the top undergraduate business program in the United States. But Penn's strength runs far deeper — the College of Arts and Sciences spans 50+ majors from philosophy to computational neuroscience; the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) is a powerhouse in computer science, artificial intelligence, and bioengineering; and the School of Nursing is consistently ranked among the best in the country. Undergraduates also benefit from Penn's tight integration with the Perelman School of Medicine, Penn Carey Law, and the Wharton MBA program through dual-degree and coordinated joint programs that are uniquely accessible at the undergraduate level. Life at Penn is inseparable from the energy of Philadelphia itself. The campus sits in University City, minutes from Center City by subway, yet feels like a self-contained community with its 299-acre arboretum-certified grounds, exceptional dining, and over 600 student organizations. From the historic Mask and Wig Club — America's oldest all-male musical comedy troupe — to competitive research labs and an entrepreneurship ecosystem anchored by Penn's Pennovation Works hub, students remain relentlessly engaged. The alumni network is particularly formidable in finance, consulting, medicine, and policy, with Wharton graduates regularly among the highest-earning undergraduates nationwide.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
National Universities
US News 2026
QS World University Rankings
QS 2026
Times Higher Education World Rankings
THE 2025
Academic Ranking of World Universities
ARWU (Shanghai) 2025
Forbes America's Top Colleges
Forbes 2025
Undergraduate Business (Wharton)
US News 2026
Penn Carey Law
US News 2026
Test Required — All applicants must submit SAT or ACT scores.
Official SourceEarly Decision
Binding. Decisions released mid-December.
Regular Decision
Decisions released in April.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$63,204
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
The world's first collegiate business school and consistently ranked #1 for undergraduate business. Wharton offers concentrations in finance, marketing, management, operations, real estate, and entrepreneurship, with unmatched access to Wall Street, venture capital, and global consulting firms.
Penn's largest undergraduate school, offering over 50 majors across humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics. Students enjoy a flexible curriculum with distribution requirements that encourage broad exploration alongside deep specialization.
A leading engineering school with particular strength in computer science, artificial intelligence, and bioengineering. SEAS students benefit from Penn's cross-school culture, routinely collaborating with Wharton, Medicine, and Arts & Sciences.
Consistently ranked among the top nursing programs in the US, Penn Nursing prepares students for clinical practice, research, and policy roles. Direct access to Penn Medicine — one of the nation's leading health systems — gives students unparalleled clinical training opportunities.
4 years
Wharton's flagship program blends rigorous quantitative training with broad business exposure. The STEM-designated economics concentration and dual-degree options make it one of the most sought-after undergraduate degrees in the world for careers in finance and consulting.
4 years
Penn's CS program sits within an engineering school but draws on the full university — students routinely combine it with Wharton, CAS, or Nursing through dual degrees. Strong placement in top tech firms and a thriving startup culture at Pennovation Works.
4 years
One of the few Ivy League nursing programs, Penn Nursing is embedded within a world-class academic medical center. Graduates are highly sought for clinical and leadership roles; the program has strong pathways into Penn's graduate nursing and medicine programs.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $95,612
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
