upenn

How to Get into Penn

The University of Pennsylvania, often called UPenn or Penn, is an Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, PA. The university has been around longer than the US, making it one of the oldest schools in America. Penn is only one of two Ivies with an undergraduate business school, the Wharton School of Business, and the only Ivy League school offering an undergraduate Nursing school. Penn also offers undergraduate tracks in engineering and, of course, liberal arts. Penn has around 11,000 undergrads, making it one of the largest schools in the Ivy League as well.

Applying to the University of Pennsylvania as an International Student

The University of Pennsylvania, commonly called Penn or UPenn, is a major top-tier research university nestled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university is home to about 24,000 students, about half of whom are undergraduates. The undergraduates are spread across four colleges: the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of Nursing, and the Wharton School, the only undergraduate business school in the Ivy League. Yes, Penn is part of the vaunted Ivy League and considered one of the best universities in the world.

Demonstrated Interest at UPenn

Hello, and welcome to the “demonstrated interest” support group. If you’re a bewildered college applicant, you’re in the right place. Demonstrated interest is confusing. For one thing, there’s no data that can tell us in cold, hard numbers how much it impacts admissions decisions, and colleges don’t have a clear definition of what behaviors they interpret as meaningful displays of interest.

What to Do if You've Been Waitlisted by Penn 2024

The University of Pennslyvania (Penn) is the quintessential work-hard play-hard Ivy, and it’s extremely competitive to get into. In 2022, they accepted 3,549 students out of 54,588 – a 6.5% acceptance rate. But you are obviously aware of how competitive Penn is because you’re here for something else – waitlist info.

Deferred by the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) (2023-24)

If you received a deferral decision from the University of Pennsylvania, or Penn, or UPenn, you have every right to be annoyed. You put in the work, and you crafted a strong enough application to not get a ‘no’ — but something just didn’t click. For some reason, Penn wasn’t sold on making you a Quaker. The good news is that you still have a shot, and we’re here to help. First, though, some stats.

Rejected Early Decision from Penn 2023

Getting rejected can be tough. Getting rejected Early Decision can be extra tough because it doesn’t come along at the same time as acceptance letters to all of the other schools you’re going to get into. But we want to make sure you don’t fret too much. Just because you’re rejected from Penn doesn’t mean you should cast aside any hope of getting into the others or similarly competitive top-tier schools. Penn is a really, really competitive school. In fact, the acceptance rate is just 7%. There are a ton of qualified candidates applying. So, don’t sweat this one too badly. We also want to offer some advice for what to do next:

How to Write the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) Supplement 2023-2024

The University of Pennsylvania, or Penn, is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is a member of the prestigious Ivy League. Penn stands out in among the Ivy League as the only member of the world-renowned group of schools that accepts undergraduate students into their business school, and they are first among the Ivy League in number of students who study abroad. Penn offers study abroad programs in dozens of countries, which augment the on-campus academic culture of big ideas, big dreams, and seeking solutions to big challenges. Penn received over 54,500 applications last year, and the acceptance rate is 6%.  

What to do if you're waitlisted by Penn 2023

The University of Pennsylvania, or Penn, is an extremely prestigious school and member of the Ivy League, and so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it’s very hard to gain an offer of admission. Students at Penn are known for being brainy and business-minded, whether they are studying economics or anthropology, political science or, well, business. It’s also the only Ivy League school to offer an undergraduate degree in Business.

UPenn Legacy Strategy

“Hurrah, Hurrah! He’s going to be a quaker just like his mother!” is something we hear from parents all the time. It always gives us pause. Mainly because most alumni parents don’t really understand legacy admissions at top schools like Penn. They assume their kids will automatically get in, or that it’ll be significantly easier, which just isn’t the case. So if you are a legacy parent (or a student thinking of applying to your dear old parent’s alma mater), let’s break down legacy admissions at Penn.

UPenn Legacy Guide

We work with legacy students all the time and the most common question we hear is from parents: “Will my legacy kid get in?” The answer can be slightly more complicated than you might think. At top schools like Penn, not every legacy gets in. Actually, most legacies do not get in. It’s just too competitive. So we wanted to break down all the ins and outs of legacy admission at Penn and answer some of the most common questions we get from alumni parents.

Transferring to UPenn 2023

In 2021, the transfer acceptance rate at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) dropped to a record low. Of the more than 3,500 applicants who applied to transfer, only around 165, or 5%, of students were accepted. While the drop did signify a record, it was part of an ongoing trend and not an anomaly — so we don’t expect to see a rise in the future. It’s only going to be increasingly difficult to get into Penn as a transfer, and Penn isn’t unique in that. The Penn transfer acceptance rate is twice that of fellow Ivy League members Harvard and Princeton. As a result, “Penn is the second-most popular Ivy League school for transfer students after Cornell, reflected by its higher admissions rate and large applicant pool.”

The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) Deferral Rate

If you were deferred from the University of Pennsylvania, or Penn, you’re in luck. Penn is kind enough to give you clear guidance on what to do next, which is a very Penn thing to do. We aren’t surprised that a school that attracts analytical go-getters who like to look before they leap would provide their applicants with the very information they need to do so. Which is to say, good job Penn on being Penn-y.

How to Write the UPenn Supplement 2022-2023

The University of Pennsylvania is a private, research institution in Philadelphia, PA. UPenn is the only Ivy League school with an undergraduate nursing school, but they are probably more famous for its business school, the Wharton School of Business. UPenn has around an 8% acceptance rate, however, they strangely did not release an acceptance rate for the Class of 2026, so this number is from a previous year. If you are serious about Penn, we highly suggest thinking about applying early. They choose a good chunk of the class during early decision and have a higher acceptance rate of around 15% ED. UPenn changed their supplement a bit this year so we wanted to break down it and give some tips on how to craft a stand-out supplement.

The 10 Most Unique Programs at UPenn

Ivy League schools are selective and competitive, and UPenn is no exception. And with them continuing to stay test-optional, it’s only going to remain competitive. If you’re thinking about applying to UPenn, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to study and why – and if you want to take it to the next level, you should also have a good idea of all the niche things you can study that will help you achieve your goals. Thankfully, UPenn has a ton of unique programs, degrees, minors, concentrations, and certificates that could help you pitch your case.

UPenn Interview Strategy

So you applied to UPenn, what’s next? Well for most students, you will be offered an alumni interview. Don’t freak out, unfortunately, it doesn’t mean you are on the shortlist to get in. Penn offers interviews to about 90% of candidates. They actually try for 100% if possible. Penn’s admissions office has a short video of tips and tricks for interviews and also a very long one. These can be super helpful resources for preparing for the UPenn Interview, but we thought we would share our own top tips for a great Penn interview.

What is the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business?

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.