Application Requirements & Deadlines
Each year, Penn welcomes transfer students to our community. Transfer applicants apply to the specific undergraduate school they are interested in attending. Each school has specific requirements for applicants, so be sure to look into eligibility and specific requirements in addition to this page! The Transfer Application deadline is March 15th, 2025.
Application Forms
Penn accepts applications from the Common App and Coalition Application. We have no preference for either format and treat both applications equally in our process. We encourage you to review the features of each application format and use the platform that suits you best. Please submit only one application per admissions cycle and not mix-and-match across platforms.
Application Fee or Fee Waiver
The application fee to apply to Penn is $75. If paying the application fee is a significant financial burden for you and your family, please request an application fee waiver through either your Common App or the Coalition Application in the “fee waiver” section.
Penn-Specific Essays and Short Answers
Transfer applicants are required to submit four Penn-specific essays and short answers. When answering these prompts, be precise when explaining both why you are applying to Penn and why you have chosen to apply to a specific undergraduate school.
- Transfer Essay (required for all transfer applicants): Please explain your reasons for transferring from your current institution and what you hope to gain by transferring to another institution. (4150 characters)
- How will you explore community at Penn? Consider how Penn will help shape your perspective, and how your experiences and perspective will help shape Penn. (150-200 words)
- The school-specific prompt is unique to the school to which you are applying. (For example, all applicants applying to the College of Arts and Sciences will respond to the prompt under the “College of Arts and Sciences” section).
- Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge. (We encourage you to share this note with that person, if possible, and reflect on the experience!) (150-200 words, optional for transfer applicants)
Learn more about preparing your essays and short answer prompt responses.
Official Transcripts
You will need to request that an official transcript is sent by a school official for all high schools and colleges you have attended.
Records from summer school, study-abroad programs, or special college programs must be submitted in official transcript form with certified English translations, if applicable. These records will be considered along with other credentials.
If you have taken courses on a PASS/FAIL or CREDIT/NO CREDIT basis, you must have grades or written evaluations of your performance sent by the professor of these courses for them to be transferrable. If you attend a school that records only PASS/FAIL on your transcript for your first-semester or first-year courses, please request that your grades be released on the transcript sent to our office.
COVID-19 Update: Please note, due to COVID-19 grading changes, various colleges and universities implemented pass/fail grading to accommodate the challenges of online learning. If your current institution has a policy where pass grades are awarded for a C- or lower, then you will need to request to reveal those grades prior to enrolling at Penn in order to earn credit.
Mid-Term Report
A mid-term report is required if you intend to enter as a second-year student. Ask each professor to report your current grade in the course. This form can be downloaded from the Common App and submitted directly through your Penn Applicant Portal.
Letters of Recommendation and College Report
Your advisor will also need to submit a College Report form (available on the Common App or Coalition Application website). You may need to invite your advisor or another school official to complete these steps.
You will also need to request recommendation letters from two professors OR one professor and a non-academic supporter.
Learn more about requesting letters of recommendation.
Financial Aid Materials
To apply for financial aid, you will need to submit a separate application for aid in addition to your application for admission. Here’s what you’ll need to submit:
- FAFSA
- CSS Profile
- Penn Financial Aid Supplement (PFAS)
- Federal Tax Returns
Learn more about applying for financial aid.
Standardized Testing (Optional for the 2023-2024 Admissions Cycle)
Penn will not require applicants to submit the SAT or ACT for the 2023-24 application cycle. This applies to both first-year and transfer applicants. If you decide not to submit SAT or ACT scores you will not be at a disadvantage in the admissions process. Students who are able to take the SAT, ACT, and/or SAT Subject Tests and wish to report them may continue with that plan.
Last Test Dates Accepted: February 2024 (ACT) or March 2024 (SAT).
We will only accept SAT and ACT scores for tests taken within the past 5 years.
Learn more about our testing policy and guidelines.
Supplementary Materials (Optional)
All of the information that we feel is crucial in making an admission decision is included within our required documents. While most students who apply to Penn do not submit supplemental materials, you may choose to share other materials if you feel there is information essential to your application which was not able to be captured within the required documents.
Learn more about submitting supplementary materials.
To be submitted after your application deadline:
If you are accepted and decide to enroll at Penn, you must submit your final transcript for the end of your most recent semester in June.
All application materials, unless otherwise stated, must be official and sent directly to the University or the University’s designated application platform from an official source (e.g., high school), not through an agent or third-party vendor, with the following exceptions: submissions by government and partner organizations and/or submissions by non-profit, community-based organizations when schools are unable to provide this information on behalf of the student.
Applicants are required to attest to the accuracy and authenticity of all information and documents submitted to the University of Pennsylvania. Failure to submit complete, accurate, and authentic application documents may result in denial or revocation of admission, cancellation of academic credit, suspension, expulsion, or eventual revocation of degree. Applicants and/or school officials may be required to assist Penn Admissions in the verification of application documents and statements.
All applicants to the University of Pennsylvania must confirm on their application that they understand and agree to adhere to the above expectations. Questions about this policy can be directed to Penn Admissions at info@admissions.upenn.edu.