How To Get Into The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)

The University of Pennsylvania, often called UPenn, is a private university and one of eight Ivy League colleges. With a history dating back to 1740, UPenn had its beginnings as a charity school. While construction on the original building began in 1740, plans for the colonial school were then abandoned for almost a decade due to a lack of funds.

In 1749, Benjamin Franklin wrote an essay titled “Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth” and organized a group of trustees to form a college based on that essay. The group purchased the original UPenn building in 1751 and opened it as the Academy and Charitable School in the Province of Pennsylvania.

Today, UPenn is a highly selective school. Its Philadelphia location gives students access to all the benefits of a vibrant, bustling city — and our Philadelphia college counseling team can help you navigate UPenn's competitive admissions process.

Some notable alumni of the University of Pennsylvania include Warren Buffett, Elon Musk, Sharon Stone, John Legend, Kwame Nkrumah, Maury Povich, William Henry Harrison, and many others.

The University of Pennsylvania prides itself on its long tradition of producing innovators and thinkers. If you’re determined to follow in the footsteps of UPenn’s greats, you must learn how to get into UPenn. Ideally, you will start preparing years before you graduate from high school. 

You will need to achieve a remarkable GPA and earn top test scores. Your application essays must be persuasive and compelling. In addition, make sure to participate in extracurricular activities that show your abilities, talents, and potential contributions to the student body at UPenn.

The rankings held by the University of Pennsylvania are impressive — the school sits firmly as one of the top 15 schools in the United States year after year. 

U.S. News and World Report ranks UPenn #7 out of 443 national universities. Its latest CWUR National Ranking was #8, and the QS U.S. University Rankings put it at #10. University HQ ranks UPenn at #3 in nursing, #1 in Pennsylvania, #3 in business, and #1 in MBA accounting and economics.

The University of Pennsylvania received 54,588 total applications for the incoming class of 2026 (early and regular decision). However, only about 3,300 students were invited to join the class of 2026, and just 2,417 went on to enroll. This gives UPenn a competitive acceptance rate of just around 5% — one of the lowest in the nation.

This low acceptance rate doesn’t mean you can’t learn how to get accepted into UPenn and be successful in your journey! The harder you work, and the more you know, the more likely you’ll be to receive an acceptance letter. 

Your chances of admissions success are not hugely influenced by which undergraduate school at UPenn you apply to. The acceptance rates for each school average less than 10%. The exception is the School of Nursing, which accepts about one-quarter of its applicants.

UPenn looks for students who are leaders, thinkers, and innovators. The admissions staff is interested in learning what makes you unique and what you have that can make the campus culture better. They want to see students who have a commitment to learning, are engaged in their cultures, value personal development, and make an impact on their communities.

The university assesses each applicant’s individual pursuit of knowledge and purpose by carefully reviewing their detailed application. Applying to UPenn requires many different application components, including:

• GPA and class rank
• The application itself
• High school transcripts and reports
• SAT or ACT scores (currently optional)
• Community involvement/extracurricular activities
• Application essays
• Letters of recommendation
• Optional additions like a resume and art or music samples

The University of Pennsylvania accepts both the Common Application and the Coalition Application. If you begin one, it’s best to finish it; don’t switch mid-way or jump from one to the other. 

When you apply to UPenn, you must declare to which of the four undergraduate schools you are also applying. The options are:

• The Wharton School of Business
• The College of Arts and Sciences
• Penn Engineering
• The School of Nursing

Because you are required to choose a school (and a major) upon applying, you will need to have made more decisions about your academic goals than if you were applying to other schools. 

However, you should also know that more than half of the students at UPenn change their major to something different than what they stated when they initially applied. You’re not stuck with your original decision.  

There are at least two UPenn-specific essay prompts that must be completed. Additional essay prompts may be required, depending on the undergraduate school at UPenn to which you apply.

As for the letters of recommendation, you are required to submit three. These must follow one of the following two options:

• One from a counselor and two from teachers
• One from a counselor, one from a teacher, and one from a leader or coach

You are also welcome to submit additional letters of recommendation, along with expanded resumes or research abstracts, as an extension of your application.

The average GPA of incoming students to the University of Pennsylvania is 3.9 (unweighted), so you will need to strive for all As in your classes in order to make an impression on UPenn’s admissions staff. 

In addition, although SAT and ACT scores have been optional to submit for the past couple of admission cycles, it may help you to know that the UPenn average SAT score is 1535, with 50% of students scoring between 1510 and 1560. The average ACT score for students is 35, with 50% of students scoring 34, 35, or 36.

When the school is operating with a “test-optional” policy for admissions, you are not required to submit your SAT or ACT scores. However, it’s advisable that you still take these tests and submit your scores if they fall within that median range. 

Students who apply during test-optional terms will not be penalized for not submitting test scores. However, if your scores are very high, it may help your case to submit them. Penn does superscore tests, which means that admissions counselors will consider the highest scores from all test sittings.

The University of Pennsylvania does not put forth specific class requirements for admission. However, the admissions faculty expects students to take a course load that encompasses various rigorous and challenging subjects. 

You are expected to have taken math, science, a foreign language, social studies, and English classes, along with others that exhibit your interests and skill set. However, the university has unique requirements for each of the four undergrad colleges. 

For example, if you want to apply to the school of nursing, you are expected to have a strong science prep, especially in chemistry. If you want to enter the College of Arts and Sciences, you should have a balanced college prep curriculum. The other two schools expect heavy coursework prep in mathematics.

If your high school offers Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) classes, make sure to take them every time you can. Like other esteemed universities across the country, UPenn looks for students who take on academic challenges whenever they are available instead of opting for their easier counterparts.

If you take AP, IB, or AICE tests and score very well, you can choose to submit your scores to UPenn as part of your application. In other words, submitting these test results is optional. UPenn continues to give students credit and placement for taking and passing these exams.

If you choose to submit AP scores and then you enroll at UPenn, you will need to have official score reports sent directly to the Office of the University Registrar. For students submitting IB test scores, you will direct those as official score reports to the Office of Admissions by the International Baccalaureate Organization.

If you end up enrolling at UPenn and want credit for your A-Level exams, you are required to email your original certificates to the Office of Admissions to have your scores evaluated for credit.

You will need to choose whether to apply to the University of Pennsylvania using the early or regular decision model. No matter which you choose, you must adhere to specific application deadlines.

If you apply to UPenn via the early decision model, you must apply by November 1st, and you will receive your decision by the middle of December. Be aware, though, that your decision is binding! Once your decision is made, you will not be able to change your mind. The answer you receive will be one of the following:

• Accepted
• Deferred to the regular decision pool
• Denied

Although the university admits about 50% of its incoming classes via early decision agreements, the early decision acceptance rate is still relatively low — it hovers at around 15%. (However, this is still about three times higher than the average overall acceptance rate.)

If you apply to the University of Pennsylvania via the regular decision model, your decision is not binding, and you have until January 5th to apply.

If you are 100% sure that you will attend UPenn if accepted and your family can pay for tuition regardless of financial aid, applying early is likely the best choice for you. However, if you think you need the fall semester to improve your test scores, profile, activities, or anything else, you may want to wait for the regular decision round.

You will be evaluated according to the personal statement you provide on your application, but you must also be able to answer the UPenn-specific supplemental essay questions satisfactorily.

Two of these supplements are required for all undergraduate applications. They are both shorter than the Common App essay. One is a 400-word maximum essay about your academic goals, and the other is a 200-word maximum essay that discusses your life outside the classroom.

The essay prompts you will encounter might be similar to the following:

How will UPenn help shape your identity and perspective, and how will your identity and perspective help shape UPenn?

Write a thank-you letter to someone you would like to acknowledge.

Describe your academic and intellectual interests and, considering the undergrad school you have chosen, discuss how you intend to explore those interests at UPenn.

Regardless of which specific prompts or questions come up for you, make sure to focus on interdisciplinary thinking and align with the school’s mission, philosophies, and identity. Display an intellectual connection to the university by including specific details about the campus, courses, teachers, or an experience that you have had.

The extracurricular activities you participate in during high school should display your commitment to positively influencing others around you. Whether you held a leadership role in any of your activities or not, when describing them on your application, it’s vital that you focus on the impact you have had on your community, school, or peers as a result of those activities. 

Keep in mind that UPenn is not looking for the students who were involved in the most activities. Instead, the school wants to see students who were active in a select few clubs or organizations that were important to them and really tried to make an impact through them.

The University of Pennsylvania is searching for students who want to hone their skills, talents, and interests in a research-based interdisciplinary learning environment. The ideal student is inspired to serve society, the community, the city of Philadelphia, and the world. 

The University of Pennsylvania uses a holistic approach to making admissions decisions, so no single trait, feature, or factor weighs more heavily than others in the decision-making process.