FAQs

Click on a question to reveal the answer.

• Where is Penn located?

  Penn's 302-acre urban campus is located in the West Philadelphia neighborhood known as University City, just across the Schuylkill River from Center City Philadelphia. All Penn facilities except the Morris Arboretum and the New Bolton Center large-animal hospital are located on the University City campus.

• Is Penn a state university?

  No. The University of Pennsylvania is a private Ivy League institution with no connection to Pennsylvania State University.

• How much does it cost to attend Penn?

  Tuition for the 2012-13 academic year is $39,088, not including fees of $4,650; room and board fees total $12,368.

• How do I apply to Penn?

  Penn's Undergraduate Admissions website provides complete information on the admissions process and how to prepare to apply to Penn.

  Graduate and professional admissions are handled individually by each of Penn's 12 graduate and professional schools. Visit the site of the school you wish to attend for information. For a complete list of areas of graduate study, consult our list of areas of graduate and professional study.

• What are the average class rank and test scores for students admitted to Penn?

  Penn received 31,218 applications for admission to the Class of 2016. Of those applicants, 3,935, or 12.43 percent, were offered admission. Ninety-four percent of the students admitted for Fall 2012 came from the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class. The middle 50% of scores, as well as the median scores, on each of the three SAT components, are as follows:

  SAT Reading component: 680 to 770, with a median of 730

  SAT Math component: 700 to 790, with a median of 750

  SAT Writing component: 690 to 780, with a median of 740

  2,397 students matriculated into this year's (Fall 2012) freshman class.

• What kind of financial aid do you offer?

  Penn offers a variety of grant and loan packages, including an enhanced financial-aid package known as the Mayor's Scholarship for graduates of Philadelphia public, private and parochial high schools. Penn practices need-blind admissions; no student will be denied admission based on ability to pay. Whatever your circumstances, Penn has programs designed to make attending affordable.

• Can I enroll in online learning classes or programs at Penn?

  Yes. The PennAdvance program offers qualified students the opportunity to earn Penn undergraduate credit online. Open-access, non-credit classes, are available at no cost to audiences around the world. Additional online learning programs are available in engineering (master's), continuing medical education, continuing nursing education and executive education.

• Where can I find facts and figures?

  Our Facts & Figures page has statistics on student enrollment, faculty size, faculty honors, athletics, employment, endowment and more.

• Where can I find a map of the campus?

  There's an interactive map available online.

• Where can I learn more Penn's history?

  Visit the University Archives website.

• What are your colors and mascot?

  Our colors are red and blue; our sports teams are nicknamed the Quakers, and a Quaker mascot performs at football games.

• What does your motto mean?

  Our motto, Leges sine moribus vanae, translates to "Laws without morals are useless."

• I'd like to visit Penn. How do I get there?

  Here are directions to campus by air, bus, train and car.