The University of Pennsylvania is a prestigious Ivy League university in Philadelphia with more than a few claims to fame. Penn received over 72,000 applications for the Class of 2029, and it was the hardest year ever to get into the university. The acceptance rate was only 4.9%. We expect the statistics to shake out about the same for the Class of 2030.  

The University of Pennsylvania, or Penn, is an outstanding Ivy League university with equally impressive outcomes. It is mid-size, with 10,610 undergraduates across a range of colleges, and attracts students who think big. At Penn, students put their big ideas into practice. The Philadelphia setting empowers taking action rather than waiting for graduation.  

During the 2024-2025 admissions cycle, the University of Pennsylvania, or Penn, had an acceptance rate of 5.4% – their lowest ever. But what does this actually mean? Where does that number really come from? Schools like Penn may openly publish some of the statistics that make up this number, but to really understand “why” and “how,” we need to look at more. We dig into the numbers of elite schools every year to help our clients have the best shot at success.

The University of Pennsylvania (also called UPenn and Penn) has been teaching engineering since the mid-1800s. The Philadelphia-based Ivy League offers an impressive list of engineering majors through its School of Engineering & Applied Science. While Penn provides a couple of specialized cross-school programs (including VIPER and Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology), the vast majority of hopeful UPenn engineers apply directly to the Engineering school. UPenn doesn’t release separate acceptance rates for its four undergraduate schools. However, Engineering is likely on the harder side of the spectrum given the popularity of its majors. Last year, UPenn’s overall acceptance rate was 5.4%. This is a very competitive rate. If you hope to become a Quaker, you need to be a top student. If you don’t know where to start, don’t worry, we have a couple of steps you need to take.