Admit rate has ranged 6%–9% over the last 5 years. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
The University of Pennsylvania blends Ivy League prestige with a distinctly pre-professional edge—Wharton’s finance titans and engineering innovators share quads with humanities scholars, all fueled by Philadelphia’s gritty energy. Its 'work hard, play hard' culture attracts ambitious students who thrive in competitive academics but still pack Franklin Field for football games and frat parties. With a median graduate salary of $124K and a 97% graduation rate, Penn delivers ROI, but at a sticker price that demands serious aid calculations.
Admission requirements
Test-optional — scores considered if submitted
Required
High school transcript
Grade point average
Letters of recommendation
Considered (not required)
Class rank
Test scores (SAT/ACT)
College-prep program
Demonstrated competencies
TOEFL (non-native English)
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
Undergrad enrollment
10,650
In-state tuition
$68,686
Out-of-state tuition
$68,686
Acceptance Rate
5.4%
On-Campus Housing
52%
Student-Faculty Ratio
8:1
6-Year Graduation Rate
97%
Need-Based Aid Recipients
46.34%
Median Alumni Salary (4 years out)
$124,000
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
Median earnings (10 yr)
$111,371
Value (earnings ÷ net price)
3.9×
Median debt at graduation
$15,715
Graduation rate
97%
First-year retention
99%
Reducing loan balance (3 yr)
84%
Pell (lower-income) share
34%
First-generation share
19%
Endowment / student
$2,098,399
Financial health
3.0 / 3.0Meets the federal financial-responsibility standard
U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
Computer and Information Sciences, General$138,932
Computer Science$125,015
Finance and Financial Management Services$122,725
Systems Engineering$101,964
International/Globalization Studies$84,653
Biomedical/Medical Engineering$82,440
Campus & location
Campus safety
On-campus violent crimes (2024)
17
Per 1,000 students
1.60
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
Pleasant days / yr
89
Summer high
85°F
Winter low
30°F
Annual rain
49.8"
Annual snow
12.8"
Natural-hazard risk
Very High
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility▾
Research output
Institutional h-index
1,742
Scholarly works
380,126
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Future-scholar output
Science & engineering PhDstop 31 nationally
Humanities & social-science PhDstop 25 nationally
Share of this school’s graduates who go on to earn research doctorates (2010–20), by national rank and per-capita yield (NSF institutional-yield ratio). A signal of a research-oriented student culture — not a causal promise, since it partly reflects who enrolls. Only top producers appear. Source: NSF NCSES, Baccalaureate Origins of U.S. Research Doctorate Recipients.
Economic mobility
Mobility rate
Quick answers
What is the acceptance rate at University of Pennsylvania?
University of Pennsylvania's acceptance rate is approximately 5% (Philadelphia, PA), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
What SAT score do you need for University of Pennsylvania?
Admitted students at University of Pennsylvania typically score 1510–1570 on the SAT (the middle-50% range). Scores outside this band are still admitted, especially with strong applications.
How much does University of Pennsylvania cost?
At University of Pennsylvania, the average net price (after aid) is about $28,699 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
How many undergraduates attend University of Pennsylvania?
University of Pennsylvania enrolls approximately 10,650 undergraduate students.
Where is University of Pennsylvania located?
University of Pennsylvania is located in Philadelphia, PA.
Admissions
Penn’s admissions process is a gauntlet: just 5.4% of applicants snag an acceptance, with Early Decision offering a slightly better 13% shot. The middle 50% of admitted students boast SAT scores between 1500-1600 (83% of submissions) or ACT equivalents, though Test-optionalA policy where you choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores. If you don't, the rest of your application carries more weight. policies apply. No class rank data is published, but academic rigor matters—Penn explicitly weighs course difficulty, GPA, and essays heavily. Demonstrated interest isn’t tracked, but the admissions office emphasizes 'intellectual curiosity' and interdisciplinary ambition in successful applicants.
Penn’s 8:1 student-faculty ratio supports its reputation for rigorous academics, with 58.8% of classes under 20 students. While Wharton’s finance programs dominate (332 majors in Financial Analytics in 2024), the College of Arts and Sciences holds its own in humanities and social sciences, from Philosophy to Political Science. Interdisciplinary study is baked into the curriculum—engineering students minor in design, pre-meds take ethics seminars. The nanotechnology center and robotics labs underscore Penn’s research muscle, where undergrads routinely co-author papers with professors.
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
Mechanical Engineering$80,858
Economics$77,087
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings). Figures cover graduates who received federal aid and lag ~2 years; not all programs report data.
2.1%
Bottom → top quintile
58%
From bottom quintile
4%
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Philly’s urban campus pulses with a 'work hard, play hard' vibe—52% live on campus in Gothic dorms or modern high-rises, while Greek life and cultural clubs (like tight-knit Asian student associations) anchor social scenes. Reddit threads warn of 'cutthroat' pre-professionalism, but Niche reviews highlight balance: tailgates at Franklin Field, art crawls in West Philly, and late-night cheesesteak runs. The divide between affluent students dining downtown and scholarship cohorts budgeting at food trucks is palpable, but 300+ clubs—from Quaker finance societies to robotics teams—offer niches for all.
Penn’s ROI is staggering: 97% graduate within six years, and alumni median earnings hit $124,000 within four years post-graduation. Career Services data reveals finance (32%) and consulting (24%) dominate for the Class of 2025, though tech and healthcare are rising. Notably, 76% of grads secure jobs before commencement—many via Penn’s Wall Street pipeline—while 20% pursue advanced degrees at institutions like Penn Med or Harvard Law. The Krishna P. Singh Nanotechnology Center exemplifies how undergrad research feeds into Silicon Valley or PhD tracks.
Sticker shock is real—Penn’s total cost hovers near $90K, but need-blind admissions and generous aid soften the blow. The average Net priceWhat a family actually pays after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the sticker price — usually far less than the published cost. after grants is $25,315, with 46.34% of students receiving aid packages averaging $70,971. MyinTuition’s quick calculator shows families earning under $65K pay $0, while those up to $140K contribute ≤10% of income. Merit scholarships are rare; Penn bets on need-based support, including no-loan policies for low-income students. Unofficial forums note that middle-class families often juggle larger gaps.
Penn merges Ivy tradition with real-world hustle—Benjamin Franklin’s 'practical education' ethos lives on in Wharton dealmakers prototyping startups in Venture Lab, or English majors interning at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Its urban campus offers gritty authenticity (think: debating economic policy over Federal Donuts’ fried chicken), while alumni networks open doors from Goldman Sachs to Guggenheim fellowships. For students who want rigorous theory applied to tangible outcomes—and don’t mind the occasional pre-professional stereotype—Penn delivers like few peers.
University of Pennsylvania logo · sourceUniversity of Pennsylvania — Landmark Review | Condé Nast Traveler · sourceCampus life | Penn LPS · sourceCollege Hall | University of Pennsylvania Facilities and Real Estate Services · source
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