University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania is a private, nonprofit school located in the urban setting of Philadelphia, PA.

Founded in 1740, the institution currently enrolls around 22,436 students a year, including 9,872 undergrads. The institution runs on a semester academic calendar.

UPenn's endowment was valued at $14,877,363,000 in 2021. For each full-time student, UPenn spends about $68,281.

2021 Admissions Facts About UPenn

Acceptance rate: 9%

Average GPA: 3.9

Mean ACT score: 34

Offers early decision.

Doesn't offer early action.

Get ready! The 2022 regular decision application deadline for UPenn is January 5

All regular decision applicants should hear back April 1.

Want to score 34 or higher on the ACT?

Access ACT practice tests and study tips and see upcoming ACT test dates.

What's the acceptance rate at University of Pennsylvania in 2021?

UPenn is a extremely difficult school to get accepted to. Around 9 percent of all applicants are admitted to UPenn each year. In 2021, UPenn admitted 3,789 of the 42,205 people who applied.

The average high school GPA for a student at UPenn is 3.9 on a 4.0 scale. The mean ACT scores is 34.

In 2021, 3,205 applicants were waitlisted and 391 waitlisted students got accepted.

Is UPenn a good school?

The definition of a "good school" is different for different people. Acceptance rate and average GPA are good indicators of how selective an institution is, but they don't tell you how happy or successful students are.

Retention, graduation rates, and job placement statistics can help you understand how satisfied students are with their school experience, and how effectively an institution prepares students for careers.

Retention and graduation rates

About 95 percent of students who start at UPenn return for their second year of college. Out of the 2,352 students who started at UPenn as first-time freshman, 2,018 graduate within four years.

Around 96 percent of students who started at UPenn earn their Bachelor's degrees within six years. Compare this to the average six-year graduation rate for colleges and universities in the U.S., which is around 61 percent for public schools and 67 percent for private.

Job outcomes and student debt

Job placement rates after graduation, average starting salaries, and the debt students graduate with can all give important clues about the value of a degree from a specific school. In 2020, students graduated with an average of $23,876 in student loans for each student with debt. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.

Based on this information, how does UPenn sound? Remember, a school that is perfect for one person may not be the right school for another! So the real question to ask yourself: is UPenn a good school for YOU?

Thinking of applying to UPenn for Fall 2022?

Click the heart icon at the top of this page to save UPenn to your own personal list of colleges.

The deadline to apply to UPenn for Fall 2022 is January 1. All applicants will receive an admissions decision by April 1.

Read on to find out more about the admissions requirements and deadlines, student life, academics, majors and more.

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