Preparing Your Application
Each year, the University of Pennsylvania Admissions Selection Committee seeks to build a class of 2,400 scholars, scientists, artists, athletes, innovators, and entrepreneurs. Our students refuse to be defined by just one thing. We want our campus to reflect the diversity of the world around us, so we aim to enroll students who come from all corners of the world with a wide range of backgrounds and unique perspectives.
We look for students who aspire to develop and refine their talents and abilities within Penn’s liberal arts-based, practical, and interdisciplinary learning environment. When our Admissions Selection Committee reads applications (and yes, we do read all of them), we look for students who are inspired to emulate our founder Benjamin Franklin by being in “service to society”—to our community, the city of Philadelphia, and the wider world.
Review our Incoming Class Profile to learn more about the amazing members of our most recently admitted class.
Our Comprehensive Review Process
What are we looking for when we review your application? Ultimately, we want to understand how you might embody Penn’s mission and values, embrace our academic opportunities, and contribute to our community. We carefully consider each application through a comprehensive, whole-person review. This means we’re looking at all of your application as we make our decision, and don’t favor any one component of your application. It also means we consider the entirety of your context and the story you share with us. Together, this allows us to get a sense of what you might bring to the Penn community, and what we may be able to offer you!
Our admissions committee meets in teams to discuss all parts of your application so we can look beyond the words on the page to discover the intangible qualities that make you authentically you. Our approach comes from understanding that you are more than the individual parts of your application. Through what you share with us, we hope to learn more about what you care about, your academic interests, your resilience, and your story.
When we review your application, we’re asking the following questions to better understand you :
- What do the classes you’ve taken and academic experiences you’ve had in high school tell us about you as a learner?
- What are your interests?
- How have you spent your time and energy outside of class?
- What brings you joy or sustains you?
- Who or what inspires you?
- What is important to know about your unique experiences to better understand you?
- How do you contribute to the communities you are currently part of?
- What inspired you to apply to Penn and what do you hope to get out of the experience?
- How do you hope to contribute to the Penn community?
Our goal is to identify students who we believe are ready for the academic challenges Penn has to offer and whose character exhibits traits inspired by our founder, Benjamin Franklin. In other words, we are looking for students who are open-minded and curious, inventive and practical, making connections across fields, imperfect but self-improving, and relentlessly focused on enhancing social good.
For more information on our comprehensive review process, Penn offers workshops throughout the admissions cycle that can help you better prepare for the application.
We appreciate that attending Penn is a tradition for many families. The Admissions Office identifies legacy applicants based on the information provided in a student’s application and defines “legacy” as being either a child or grandchild of alumni. Legacies who apply to Penn—like all applicants—receive thorough consideration in the application process.