How to Get Into UPenn: Essays and Strategies that Worked
/How hard is it to get into the University of Pennsylvania? Learn the UPenn acceptance rate, admissions requirements, and read UPenn essays that worked
LEARN HOW TO GET INTO UPENN
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Part 1: Introduction
If your child is a highly competitive student with an appetite for a rigorous course load and a robust thirst for learning, chances are they’re looking into attending one of the prestigious Ivy League universities. If they also happen to be interested in interdisciplinary thinking and attending college in a historic, thriving city, they should consider applying to the nation’s first university, the University of Pennsylvania.
But before you start asking how to get into UPenn, take a moment to learn as much as possible about the spirit of the school that calls itself “the Ivy League without the ivory tower.”
Penn was established in 1740 by founding father Benjamin Franklin, who envisioned an institution of higher education that pushed the boundaries of knowledge and contributed to furthering society. At Penn, that lofty mission manifests in integrated studies in the liberal arts and sciences and pre-professional training at both the undergrad and graduate levels, along with several extremely unique interdisciplinary undergrad programs like the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business.
Penn’s four undergraduate schools include a college of arts and sciences, a business school, an engineering school, and a school of nursing. No matter which school or major students are enrolled in, Penn emphasizes that all undergraduate students receive a thorough foundation in the liberal arts. Many students take courses across all four undergraduate schools and choose from countless interdisciplinary minors and dual degrees.
Your child might spend their summer traveling with the Penn-in-Cannes abroad course to attend the Cannes International Film Festival and study international business, or hiking the Swiss and Italian Alps to gain direct field experience in their studies of geography. They might be invited by a top professor of physics to research supernovas in the Andes Mountains and aid in the discovery of a new planet by the start of the fall semester. Or they could spend their days training as an oncology nurse at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and their nights reading their poems to an audience of literary giants at the Kelly Writers’ House.
Penn prides itself on a tradition of firsts—the nation’s first university founded by its first statesman, in the nation’s first capital of Philadelphia—and it has a long tradition of producing the world’s foremost innovators and thinkers. Your child might follow in the footsteps of some of Penn’s greatest alumni—launch a private space exploration company like Elon Musk, become the chief NBC Nightly News correspondent like Andrea Mitchell, change the landscape of political thought like Noam Chomsky, or entertain the world through performance like John Legend.
As is the case for any Ivy League school, the competition to gain admission is fierce. Fortunately, our team has helped many UPenn applicants achieve admissions success and we routinely receive messages like these:
Read on to learn the UPenn acceptance rate, admissions requirements, and our recommendations to help your child maximize their chances of receiving a UPenn acceptance.
UPenn ranking
Penn sits firmly among the top 15 schools in the nation.
Forbes: 8
Niche: 7
U.S. News & World Report: 7
Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education: 10
(Suggested reading: Ivy League Rankings: The Definitive Guide)
Where is UPenn?
UPenn is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This walkable, unpretentious, historic Mid-Atlantic metropolis is nestled in the corridor between Washington D.C. and New York City.
Philadelphia was named a UNESCO World Heritage City in 2015, the first city in the United States given this distinction. It’s also the ninth-largest metropolitan economy in the U.S. and home to five Fortune 1000 companies, meaning your child might have a chance to intern or network with alumni and local Penn affiliates at the telecommunications giant Comcast or the food technology corporation FMC.
UPenn setting
Penn’s urban campus is located in the University City neighborhood of Philadelphia. While Penn is right in the heart of the city, the campus itself is abundantly green—so much so that it was officially declared an arboretum in 2017.
University City is a safe, affordable section of Philly easily accessible to the rest of the city and the greater Northeast corridor region through public transit. Your child might roll out of bed in their dorm room at Penn and be at their internship at JP Morgan Chase & Co or Facebook an hour later.
UPenn student population
Undergraduate students: 10,412
Graduate and professional students: 13,147
UPenn acceptance rate
Here’s the UPenn admissions data pertaining to the class of 2027:
Applications: 59,463
Acceptances: ~3,300
Matriculants: 2,420
Acceptance rate: ~5%
(Suggested reading: Ivy League Acceptance Rates)
UPenn tuition and scholarships
The 2023–2024 cost of attendance at UPenn (i.e., tuition, room, board, and fees) is $89,028.
UPenn meets 100 percent of demonstrated need without student loans, allowing students to graduate debt-free. In 2020-2021, 46 percent of undergrads received grant-based financial aid, and the average award was $56,095.
Who gets into UPenn?
In order to assess your child’s odds of gaining acceptance to UPenn, we’ve provided a profile of successful applicants:
96% of students are in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class.
UPenn average GPA: 3.9
UPenn average ACT score: 35
25th percentile: 34
75th percentile: 36
UPenn average SAT score: 1535
25th percentile: 1510
75th percentile: 1560
International students: 13% (Class of 2026)
First-generation college students: 19% (Class of 2027)
In Fall 2021, the largest racial demographic of UPenn undergrads was white students (34%), followed by Asian-American/Pacific Islander (26%), Hispanic/Latine (10%), and African American/Black (8%).
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Part 2: UPenn requirements for admission
UPenn academic requirements
Similar to its Ivy League and Ivy+ counterparts, Penn seeks intellectually curious, well-rounded students who will continue that Franklinian philosophy of applying knowledge in service to society—the Penn community, the city of Philadelphia, and the world.
There are no specific course requirements to get into UPenn but the university expects your child to have taken challenging classes in the core academic areas (English, social studies, math, science, and foreign language) based on the courses available to them at their specific high school. They also want to see how your child challenges themselves with extracurricular activities.
It's worth noting that Penn, unlike Harvard, Yale, or Stanford, but like Cornell, does ask students to apply to one of the four specific colleges within the university. Again, those undergraduate schools are: The College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Nursing, Penn Engineering, and the Wharton School of Business.
Revisiting coursework for a moment, admission suggestions for each of the four undergraduate colleges are slightly different. The College of Arts and Sciences expects your child to have had a balanced and advanced college prep curriculum, while both Penn Engineering and the Wharton School expect particularly strong preparation in mathematics, with coursework in calculus of possible. The School of Nursing likes to see strong science prep, particularly in chemistry.
Choosing one of the four colleges also means that, to apply to Penn, your child may need a little more information about their future academic plan than they might at another school. However, while identifying an intended major gives the admissions committee an idea of what your child might pursue at Penn, it has no impact on their studies once they enroll in one the undergraduate colleges.
Over half of students who indicate an intended major end up majoring in a different subject once they are studying at Penn. If your child is undecided, they can check that box, like over half of students admitted to the College of Arts and Science.
One difference to consider: If your child is admitted to one school and decides they’d rather study in another (for example—they are admitted to the College of Arts and Sciences but decide after their first year they’d rather study business at Wharton), their internal transfer is not normally considered until after their sophomore year.
UPenn application requirements
Here’s the lowdown on what your child will need. Penn accepts both the Common Application and the Coalition Application.
Two Penn-specific essays and possibly several more essays tailored to the undergraduate school to which your child intends to apply
Optional in 2023–2024: ACT or SAT test scores
Optional: IB, AP, or AICE test results
3 letters of recommendation, following one of the options below:
1 counselor recommendation and 2 teacher recommendations
1 counselor recommendation, 1 teacher recommendation, and 1 other recommendation (e.g. a letter from a supervisor, mentor, coach, arts or music teacher, spiritual leader, or cultural leader)
School report, transcript, and midyear senior report (plus a final report required in June for matriculating students)
Optional: Additional letters of recommendation, art or music samples, or an expanded resume or research abstract in addition to the activities section of the application
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Part 3: Applying to UPenn early decision vs. regular decision
Your child can apply to Penn via a binding early decision agreement by November 1st. They’ll receive an answer of accepted, deferred to the regular decision pool, or denied by mid-December. Penn admits roughly half of their incoming class through early decision, but the UPenn early decision acceptance rate is still low, around 15 percent.
Your child can also apply regular decision to Penn, by January 5th.
How do you know if your child should apply to UPenn early decision?
If Penn is absolutely your child’s first choice (i.e. they will 100 percent attend UPenn if admitted and your family can pay, regardless of the financial aid package offered), and their application is ready by November 1st, then applying early is right for them.
If your child needs the fall semester of their senior year to improve their test scores, GPA, or activities profile, then they should wait for regular decision
Since Penn has different undergraduate schools, you might be asking yourself, are your child’s admissions odds affected by which school they apply to? The answer: Not particularly. Admissions rates to the College of Arts and Sciences, Wharton, and Penn Engineering are all typically under 10 percent. Only the School of Nursing is slightly higher—about 25 percent in recent years.
(Suggested reading: Early Action vs. Early Decision: Pros and Cons and What Your Child Should Do)
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Part 4: 2023–2024 UPenn supplemental essays (examples included)
Penn will evaluate your child based on their Common App personal statement, but it is equally important that they have exceptional Penn-specific supplemental essays. Some individual undergraduate schools and specialty programs require additional written supplements, so make sure your child is aware of all Penn-specific essays required for their chosen program.
For all undergraduate admissions, Penn requires two supplements, both of which are shorter than the Common App essay: a 350–400-word essay that focuses on academic pursuits and a 150–200-word mini-essay that focuses on life outside of school.
Like other Ivy League essays, these supplements help the admissions team get a more holistic picture of your child’s drive, leadership, passions, intellect, and background. These essays allow the admissions committee to imagine how your child might contribute to Penn’s culture.
First, let’s meet a few students closely based on Penn applicants we’ve worked with previously:
Jean is a first-generation college student interested in the Science, Technology, and Society major at Penn as a foundation for law school. She has been captain of the debate team since her sophomore year, and she’s a self-declared history buff. Jean writes a history of technology column for her school newspaper and serves as its web developer—last year, she even created an app for the paper.
Aashish is applying to the Nursing and Health Care Management Dual Degree Program. He loves statistics, chemistry, and working with kids, and spent his summer volunteering at the children’s cancer ward at his local hospital. Since his freshman year in high school, Aashish has held a part-time job as a dishwasher at a restaurant owned by his uncle.
Alice grew up between Minneapolis and Mexico City. She volunteered at a women’s prison in Mexico City during her last two years of high school and made a documentary with her IB Film class that profiled some of the prisoners and their lives there. She doesn’t know exactly what she wants to major in but feels strongly about the intersection of art and public policy. She also writes poetry but doesn’t have any coursework or achievements that show her talent.
Question 1: Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge. (We encourage you to share this note with that person, if possible, and reflect on the experience!) (150-200 words)
This short prompt offers students a chance to talk about their support system and what’s important to them on a personal level. Penn students come from many walks of life with many different academic goals in mind. Considering a student’s character is an important aspect of the admissions process.
The kind of letter you write will depend on your own experiences, but keep in mind that this question is specifically asking you to acknowledge other people who have contributed to your success. This can be a teacher, parent, coach, community leader, or any other person who has made a difference in your life.
Here’s how Jean answered this prompt:
Dear Mom & Dad,
Thank you so much for always placing the highest value on curiosity and exploration. It’s really been a huge influence on my positive nature and optimistic outlook. I’m often the only one in class smiling while working on a perplexing coding error, asking my genetics teachers for extra lab work, or laughing at the science puns my robotics teacher put on the back of our tests. That’s all thanks to the playful, intellectual atmosphere you both gave me.
When I first became interested in STEM, you balanced the cold facts with warm jokes. When I talked endlessly about the history of salt, you listened closely, even though you definitely didn’t care about the basic seasoning as much as me or Kurlansky. You gave me a confidence that helped me write about tech with authority and carried me through every debate over the past two years. I love who you have helped me become: a light-hearted, academically driven young woman, reflective of her supremely supportive family.
What makes this a great response?
Jean combines her appreciation for her parents with a closer look at her current academic experiences.
Jean recognizes the importance of balancing academics with passion, marking it as a defining familial trait.
Jean acknowledges how her support system is at least partially responsible for her success, allowing her to sound confident yet humble.
Question 2: How will you explore community at Penn? Consider how Penn will help shape your perspective and identity, and how your identity and perspective will help shape Penn. (150-200 words)
Question 3: The flexible structure of The College of Arts and Sciences’ curriculum is designed to inspire exploration, foster connections, and help you create a path of study through general education courses and a major. What are you curious about and how would you take advantage of opportunities in the arts and sciences? (150-200 words)
Question 4: Penn Engineering prepares its students to become leaders in technology, by combining a strong foundation in the natural sciences and mathematics, exploration in the liberal arts, and depth of study in focused disciplinary majors. Please share how you hope to explore your engineering interests at Penn. (150-200 words)
Question 5: Penn Nursing intends to meet the health needs of society in a global and multicultural world by preparing its students to impact healthcare by advancing science and promoting equity. What do you think this means for the future of nursing, and how do you see yourself contributing to our mission of promoting equity in healthcare? (150-200 words)
Question 6: Wharton prepares its students to make an impact by applying business methods and economic theory to real-world problems, including economic, political, and social issues. Please reflect on a current issue of importance to you and share how you hope a Wharton education would help you to explore it. (150-200 words)
Gain instant access to essay examples for every supplemental essay prompt from the top universities and BS/MD programs in the United States.
(Suggested reading: Successful College Essay Examples From Top-25 Universities)
Final thoughts
The University of Pennsylvania is a top contender for any ambitious high school student with a penchant for intersecting scholarship with practical knowledge. Here, your child will have every opportunity to access a first-rate education for their intellectual life and career paths. Penn’s identity is very specific, so as you think about how to get into UPenn, your child should get to know the school. It’ll help them articulate how they fit perfectly into Penn’s unique intellectual culture.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on college admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into top programs like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT using his exclusive approach.
THERE'S NO REASON TO STRUGGLE THROUGH THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PROCESS ALONE, ESPECIALLY WITH SO MUCH ON THE LINE. SCHEDULE YOUR COMPLIMENTARY CONSULTATION TO ENSURE YOU LEAVE NOTHING TO CHANCE.