How to Get into UPenn – A Guide To Ivy League Admissions [UPDATED]

Is getting into the University of Pennsylvania a dream of yours? 

Do you stay up nights dreaming of what it will be like to stroll down Locust Walk as the cherry blossoms are coming into color around May?

Do you have a Benjamin Franklin tattoo?

We hope not.

But, if you’re interested in getting into UPenn, you’ve come to the right place.

Like all Ivy League schools, getting into UPenn is difficult, but it’s even more difficult if you don’t know the difference between UPenn and, say, Penn State.  This article will go into what sets UPenn apart from the rest of The Ivies and will offer advice on how to gain an edge in your application.

If you’re not quite at this stage of the conversation or you just want to know how to get into the Ivy League in general, start with our article How To Get Into The Ivy League for an overview of what it takes.

History and Identity of the University of Pennsylvania

UPenn ties its history closely to its identity. Originally founded in 1740 as a charity school, it later became an academy in 1751, largely through the efforts of Benjamin Franklin, who also became the president of the first board of trustees. 

The University of Pennsylvania is one of the oldest universities in America and in 1765, with the establishment of the School of Medicine, UPenn became the first medical school in colonial America.

Even in the 1700s, Benjamin Franklin’s vision for UPenn was multidisciplinary education that focused on combining traditional teaching and theory with practical experience and community involvement.  As such, UPenn now calls itself “the Ivy League without the ivory tower.”

Currently, UPenn has four undergraduate schools:

• The School of Arts and Sciences (The College)
• School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS)
• School of Nursing
• and The Wharton School (of business education)

These schools also offer graduate and professional programs, and the university similarly has graduate schools of law, medicine, veterinary medicine, dental medicine, education, communication, fine arts, and social work. 

Two noteworthy institutes of the University include:

• the Mahoney Institute of Neurological Sciences (est. 1953)
• and the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies (est. 1983) which is part of the Wharton School 

The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (est. 1887) is also a noted teaching and research organization.

University of Pennsylvania Notable Alumni

 

 

 

UPenn has many noteworthy graduates. Some University of Pennsylvania notable alumni you may be familiar with include:

Seven Fun Facts About UPenn

1. You Won’t Fail If You Cross The Compass At Locust Walk

It is a myth that crossing the compass that is embedded into the center of Locust Walk will cause freshmen to fail their midterms. The story goes that a fraternity came up with the myth as a conversation starter with freshmen girls.

2. Thankfully, UPenn’s Moto Was Changed in 1989

From 1756 to 1898, UPenn’s motto was “Sine Moribus Vanae,” until someone pointed out that it could be translated as “loose women without morals.” Now, the motto is “Leges sine moribus vanae,” or “laws without morals are in vain.”

3. Yes, UPenn Students Throw Bread Onto The Football Field During Home Games

During home football games, when the line “here’s a toast to dear old Penn” is sung during the fight song, students throw toast onto the field, littering the field with 20,000 to 30,000 pieces of toast per game. The toast tradition dates to prohibition when students used it to protest the school banning alcohol.

4. The ENIAC Was Invented At UPenn’s Moore School of Electrical Engineering

The first general-purpose electronic computer (ENIAC) was born in 1946 at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering.

5. UPenn Is Home To The Oldest Track & Field Event In The USA

The Penn Relays are hosted every year. They started in 1895 and are the largest and oldest track and field event in the United States.

6. UPenn Students Have A History Of Tossing Goalposts Into A Nearby River

Ever since the 1960s, students have ripped the goalposts out of Franklin Field and tossed them into the Schuylkill River whenever the school won a home game. In 1983, after winning three Ivy League titles in a row, the tradition was amended so that the goalposts were only tossed into the river when the school won the Ivy League championship. 

However, the goalposts have stayed in place since 2003.  Modern goalposts made of steel and aluminum with concrete footings are harder to rip up, and the Penn police have taken extra precautions to discourage students from attempting to continue the tradition.  However, students do not consider the tradition abandoned, just on hold until the right opportunity.

7. The UPenn vs. Princeton Rivalry Is Intense

The Penn-Princeton rivalry is the third oldest consecutively played rivalry in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The rivalry is very intense. In fact, a large scoreboard in the home basketball court is dedicated to keeping track of the school’s all-time record against Princeton.

What kind of student is UPenn looking for?

In the University of Pennsylvania’s own words, they are looking for students who “are inspired to emulate [the school’s] founder Benjamin Franklin by applying their knowledge in ‘service to society, to our community, the city of Philadelphia, and the wider world.” 

UPenn students “possess a curiosity about the world in which they live – locally, regionally, and globally, and they also share a passion for learning and want to make a difference in the world.”

Most students do this through one of the university’s most popular majors:

• Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
• Social Sciences
• Biological and Biomedical Sciences
• Engineering
• or Health Professions and Related Programs

Furthermore, students who value and actively seek out practical experience and research opportunities will be an excellent fit for UPenn. 

Not only do 75% of students partake in direct research experience by the time they graduate, but UPenn also offers a non-traditional practical experience through its study abroad programs such as Penn-in-Cannes, partnership with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and the famous Kelly Writers’ House.

UPenn Admissions by the Numbers: Key Statistical Findings

The Diversity of UPenn Applicants: A Demographic Analysis

The majority of UPenn’s undergraduate class is White (41%) and Asian-American/Pacific Islander (21%).  Students who identify as African American, American Indian, or Latino may have a demographic advantage, especially Hispanics and Latinos whom the university has been trying to recruit more of since 1992. 

Both first-generation students and legacies may also have a statistical advantage.  Each makes up about 15% of the incoming class.

GPA Requirements To Get Into UPenn

UPenn does not list its GPA requirements or the average GPA of students accepted to the school. 

The likely reason UPenn does not list an average GPA is because that metric is increasingly harder to compare across students (international students versus home-schooled students, versus high-schoolers whose schools didn’t offer APs, etc).

You should know that most Ivy Leagues will expect a student to have taken the most rigorous coursework available and to have performed very well on that curriculum (maybe one B per year).

What Test Scores You Need To Get Into UPenn

Most UPenn students scored between:

• a 1460 and a 1550 on the SAT
• or between a 33 and a 35 on the ACT

If your ACT scores aren’t quite there yet, don’t worry, you have options:

• Check out our list of recommend ACT study books and materials.
• Sign up for a free, live proctored ACT practice exam that Powerful Prep administers the first Saturday of each month via a Zoom conference.
• Take advantage of one of our elite ACT test prep options including an AI-driven app called Achievable or sign up for Personalized ACT Tutoring with one of our Ivy League graduate instructors.

In fact, UPenn focuses on SAT and ACT scores.

Unlike the average GPA of it’s incoming class, UPenn does, luckily, list the average accepted standardized test scores for accepted students. 

This is useful information given that nearly all of the applicants to Ivy League schools will have near-perfect GPAs.

Using SAT and ACT scores allow the school to more easily compare the academic prowess of students. 

Plus, it’s good to know that in the era of COVID-19 where practically every university is going testing-optional, SAT and ACT scores still have an impact on admissions.

Your Best Options To Get Into UPenn

The academic requirements to get into UPenn are comparable to the requirements to get into the other Ivy League schools.  We have an entire article about how to get into the Ivy’s here and a detailed look at how to get into Harvard if you’d like to compare it with what it takes to get into UPenn.

For UPenn specifically, admission suggestions for each of the four undergraduate colleges are slightly different. 

• The College of Arts and Sciences wants to see a balanced and advanced college-prep curriculum. 
• Both UPenn Engineering and the Wharton School expect particularly strong preparation in mathematics, with calculus coursework if possible.
  • For Wharton specifically, students should submit an AP math score (calculus or statistics). An AP Economics score would be impressive as well. 
• The School of Nursing likes to see strong science prep, particularly in chemistry.
  • Furthermore, students looking to get into the School of Nursing should take and submit scores for the Biology and Chemistry AP tests. 
• For Penn Engineering, students should submit scores for the AP Calculus and AP physics tests. 

(Update 1/23/2021: The College Board has officially ended the SAT Subject Tests. You can read more about this story here.)

WATCH: Navigating the UPenn College Admissions Process

At UPenn, Supplemental Essays Are An Important

However, what truly sets an application apart is the two or more UPenn-specific supplemental essays that a student must submit. 

Expect UPenn to ask the following question:

The key to a successful essay is showcasing a student’s long-term goals and interests related to UPenn specifically. Students should name programs, professors, and/or work done by those professors. Prospective UPenn students should relate these things to their personal academic pursuits and social involvement. 

Successful essays also highlight the interesting ways the student has combined their disparate areas of interest. Remember that Benjamin Franklin’s thoughts on “intersection of practical and traditional learning” are fundamental to UPenn’s identity.

Get an Edge When Applying To UPenn With Early Decision

Considering applying to UPenn?

Apply early decision if possible. 

The number of students accepted through early decision is staggeringly high (~15%) compared to those who only applied through regular decision (~9%). 

University of Pennsylvania Acceptance Rate

UPenn declined to announce it’s acceptance rate for the Class of 2027. However, College Scorecard suggests that The University of Pennsylvania acceptance rate is 9%.

This figure falls in line with the UPenn acceptance rates previous years:

• Class of 2024 was 8%
• Class of 2023 was 7.44%
• Class of 2022 was 8.39%

These figures combines those who applied through regular decision with those who were deferred from early decision. 

However, early decision may not be the best choice of action for students who need the fall semester of their senior year to improve test scores, GPA, or activities profile.

Here’s what we know about the University of Pennsylvania’s class of 2027:

• About 55,000 students applied to UPenn Class of 2027 (includes both early and regular decision)
• Of those whom applied, about 2,400 first year students got into UPenn
• 8000 students applied Early Decision, the largest Early Decision applicant pool in Penn’s history
• The UPenn acceptance rate for the Class of 2027 was not officially published by UPenn, however; Penn accepted 15.63% of applicants under the Early Decision Program in December 2021 (Class of 2026). That’s 1,218 students from a pool of 7,795.

Which UPenn School Has the Highest Acceptance Rate?

Another edge in admissions is to apply to one of the schools within UPenn with a higher acceptance rate with the intent to transfer into one of the more challenging schools. For example, Nursing School or School of Arts and Sciences have a higher acceptance rate than UPenn’s Engineering and Wharton schools.

Transferring within schools is possible but should be done with care. 

While all the different undergraduate schools are competitive, some are more so than others.  Wharton (9% acceptance rate) is the most competitive school, while the UPenn School of Nursing (25% acceptance rate) is the least competitive of the four.

Also, Students in UPenn Nursing School skew female. So males applying would have much-improved odds.

So long as a student keeps their application competitive and targeted to the school they apply to, he or she has a better chance of being accepted by applying to a less competitive program and transferring later.  After all, over half of the students who indicate an intended major when they apply end up majoring in a different subject once they are studying at Penn.

Get Expert UPenn Admissions Guidance

The University of Pennsylvania is a titan of educational prestige. Applicants need to be ready for a challenge when they apply.

If you feel that UPenn is right for you, and you can see yourself thriving in a campus in the city with a practical and professional bent, then use our admissions tips to gain an ethical edge in the process. Remember a near-perfect GPA and very strong test scores are a prerequisite for most of these schools.

And remember, what you do beyond achieving perfect scores, such as in your essay and extracurriculars, can really set you apart.

We hope to see you around Locust Walk—good luck!