If you are interested in undergrad business programs, you may have already stumbled upon the Huntsman Program at the University of Pennsylvania. But what is it? Is it different from the Wharton School of Business? Don’t worry, we are here to break down everything you need to know about this competitive undergrad program.
What is Huntsman?
Simply put, Huntsman is a four-year dual degree program in international business. Students graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Penn’s College of Arts and Sciences and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Penn’s Wharton School of Business. It’s a program for students who eat, sleep, and breathe international business and want a program that will teach them a language, the liberal arts, and business.
Students take complete business fundamentals courses in the Wharton School, complete the College’s general education curriculum in the humanities and social sciences, take advanced language courses and complete an International Studies major. We know that sounds like a lot and it kind of is. This program isn’t easy, but it does give an amazing knowledge base.
Students can choose the language that they want to pursue from a list of 11 languages including Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
Why are these academic recs unique?
Upenn houses four undergraduate schools. The College of Arts and Sciences, The School of Nursing, Penn Engineering, and The Wharton School. Students can take classes across the schools. For example, an International Relations major in the College could take Wharton courses. You can also dual major at Penn meaning, you could earn a dual degree such as a B.A. from the College and a B.S. from Wharton outside of the Huntsman Program. You may be thinking, well then what’s the big whoop about Huntsman then?
The first thing has to do with the International Studies major. While it is in the College, it is only open to Huntsman students. Meaning if you are not in Huntsman, you can’t do it. The second is about how they set up the requirements. Huntsman has students complete boh general requirements for the College and Wharton. If you were a student in the College and wanted to take some Wharton classes or visa versa you wouldn’t have to do this. The schools do have different requirements. The College has a lot more humanities requirements than Wharton for example.
The advanced language study is also an added requirement of this program that you would not have to complete outside of it. These are a lot of requirements, but Huntsman knows this. They have a lot more advising and support to ensure that students are set up to complete what they need to complete to graduate from the program.
Anything else I need to know academically?
Huntsman students also complete a senior thesis under the supervision of a faculty member. Many Penn majors and programs offer thesis options and honors, but it is required for Huntsman. The paper must be researched and written by the student and be a substantial formal research paper.
What are some perks?
What? You need more perks than a first-class education? Jk. There are some really cool perks. The program is super tight-knit. Students get a lot of support, not only from faculty and advisors but also from each other. Some of that has to do with the living/learning community freshman year. During freshman year, Huntsman students all live together on the third floor of Kings Court/English College House. This establishes a support network and community right out of the gate for Huntsman students.
All huntsman students also get to study abroad. There is a required semester abroad so that students can advance their language and area studies knowledge. There are also two student groups exclusive to Huntsman. One is an organization for Black Huntsman students and the other is a student advisory board for the program.
They also have a strong alumni network and their alumni are very impressive. If you are hoping to work in international business, you aren’t only receiving a great educational background, but a network of connections.
Ok, I am interested but is it hard to get in?
Penn doesn’t publish an acceptance rate for the Huntsman Program, but it is hard to get into. The program only takes about 50 students a year. That’s a really small number. On top of that, Penn is also very competitive to get into. Penn withheld its acceptance rate this year (kind of a jag-off move, if you ask us). But they did release the acceptance rate for the Class of 2025. For 2025, it was about 5.9% and the early decision rate was 14.9%. For the Class of 2026, the number of applicants went down slightly meaning the acceptance rate was somewhere between 6% and 7ish. The early acceptance rate for the Class of 2026 was also 15.6%.
The Huntsman program also doesn’t allow either internal or external transfer students. You need to be a freshman, sorry!
The TLDR: it’s hard to get into Penn and it’s harder to get into a specialized program. Thus, it’s hard to get in. If you are interested in Huntsman, make sure you have the best application you can. (Pssst, we can help with that.)
How do I get in? Can I apply early?
Before you apply to Huntsman you have to apply to Penn. When you start your Common App select Penn as one of your schools. In the essay section of the supplement, you will be able to see the Huntsman Program segment as part of the coordinated dual-degree section. You can choose to apply and upload the extra materials in that tab.
If you were looking at the acceptance rates above, you might realize that it pays to apply early to Penn. ED is a great route in the Ivy League. If you are serious about Huntsman, it isn’t a bad idea to apply ED but it comes with one big caveat. If you apply and don’t get into Huntsman but do get into Penn, the ED decision is still binding. What does that mean? Well, Huntsman is more selective and competitive than the College or Wharton in general. This means there is a world where you can not be selected for Huntsman but still be accepted in Wharton (or the College, whichever you choose outside of your Huntsman application.)
This is all to say, if you want to ED to Huntsman, you also need to be sure you want to ED to Penn. Honestly, if you are serious about Penn, EDing isn’t a bad option. But if you are at all on the fence, it might not be the right course.
Huntsman is an amazing program for those hoping to jump into the world of international business. With two degrees and an advanced language requirement, it’s a hard program. On top of being a hard program, it’s a super-selective program. If that doesn’t scare you off, it is also an amazing opportunity.
Need help getting in? That’s what we do. Contact us here.