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University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania (also known as "UPenn" or just "Penn") is a private Ive League university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. UPenn is one of the four oldest higher education institutions in the United States, was the first university in the nation to offer both undergraduate and graduate education opportunities to its students and was founded by Benjamin Franklin. UPenn is classified as a research university and is known as one of the "Colonial Colleges", nine original education institutions that were chartered in the American Colonies before the American Revolution.

UPenn was one of the 14 original founding members of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an orginization of leading research universities dedicated to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education.

UPenn was established on a premise (advocated by its founder Benjamin Franklin) that students require a practical education for commerce, business, and public service as much, if not more, than an education in the classics and theology. UPenn was among the first universities to employ a multidisciplinary education model, pioneered in Europe, where one higher education institution offers students a large breadth of disparate academic disciplines. The university was also the birthplace of several other educational innovations. It was home to the first collegiate business school (Wharton, 1881), first school of medicine in North America (Perelman School of Medicine, 1765) and the first student union (Houston Hall, 1896).

UPenn is a large university that includes a range of academic schools and departments, hundreds of programs, as well as several community and public service initiatives. The university is well respected within the academic and business communities and is particularly well know for its medical, dental, business, communications, nursing, law, biotechnology, veterinary, social sciences and humanities programs. However, if you don't have the grades there's a good chance you won't get admitted. The institution is one of the more selective, accepting only 12% of undergraduate applicants each year. UPenn is also well known of its research centers and professorships, numerous joint degree programs, a unified campus, and a policy (the "One University Policy") which allows any student to take any course from any of UPenn's academic schools or departments.

As previously mentioned, UPenn is a research university. As such, all of UPenn's academic schools and departments exhibit very high research activity. UPenn is consistently ranked among the top five research universities in the United States and among the top research universities in the world, both in terms of quantity and quality of research performed each year. With a research budget exceeding $814 million, 4,000 faculty and 5,000 support staff actively involved in research, and 1,100 postdoctoral fellows, UPenn topped the list of Ivy League research universities in 2011. As a top research institution, UPenn is associated with numerous discoveries and innovations in several fields. It was involved with the development of the Rubella and Hepatitis B vaccines, Retin-A, conjoint analysis, cognitive therapy and the first general purpose electronic computer (ENIAC).

Part of UPenn's success in the area of academic research is due to its highly productive faculty and support staff. Over the last decade alone 9 UPenn faculty and/or graduates have been awarded the Nobel Prize. Other prominent alumni include one U.S. President, 12 heads of state, 3 U.S. Supreme Court justices, founders of large tech firms, law firms, and several global financial institutions. There are 18 living billionaires that are all UPenn graduates.

Academics

One of largest and well known schools at UPenn is the College of Arts and Science, which is the undergraduate division of the School of Arts and Sciences. It is also home to the Graduate Studies Division and the College of Liberal and Professional Studies, the university's division for non-traditional graduate and undergraduate students. Other popular schools at UPenn include its graduate business school, Wharton, its School of Nursing and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (also known as SEAS).

UPenn is known for its emphasis on multi/-interdisciplinary learning and academic research. Other distinguishing characteristics of its academic offering include numerous joint-degree programs, academic flexibility and custom-designed undergraduate majors. One of the university's most distinguishing features is its "One University" policy with allows any undergraduate the ability to take courses from any of UPenn's undergraduate or graduate schools (with exception of the dental, medical and veterinary schools). Through the "Quaker Consortium", an arrangement between between University of Pennsylvania, Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, and Swarthmore College, undergraduates can take courses offered at any one of the four institutions.

Interdisciplinary and Dual-degree Programs

UPenn is well known among the academic community for providing a large selection of some of the best coordinated dual-degree (CDD) programs of any university in the nation. UPenn dual-degrees allow undergraduate students to earn degrees from multiple academic schools upon completion of all required courses from each school. A few of the more popular "coordinated" programs include The Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business, The Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology, The Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management, Nursing and Healthcare Management, Accelerated 7 year Bio-Dental Program, and the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER).

In addition to the previously mentioned CDD programs, UPenn offers several other dual-degree programs. In contract to CDD programs, "dual degree" programs require students to complete requirements for both programs independent of one another. Both CDD and dual-degree programs lead to degrees awarded through the College of Arts and Sciences and a degree from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

For aspiring graduate students, UPenn offers several structured joint-degree programs, such as the J.D./MBA, and maintains a directory of the interdisciplinary graduate studies institutions that support dual-degree programs.

Medical Center and Biomedical Research Complex

UPenn offers a range of top ranked medical and health-related programs in nursing, dental medicine, general medicine, veterinary medicine, bioengineering and health management. Given UPenn's high level of research funding and activity, intellectual breadth, and vast clinical resources, only a few other schools rank with UPenn in overall program quality.

However, due to the ongoing cost of maintaining UPenn's biomedical research component, unpredictable government regulations, medicaid/medicare program changes, and a decrease in federal funding for academic research, UPenn may face revenue instability in the near future. UPenn is working to address potential financial shortfalls and is pooling its resources in an attempt to achieve greater efficiences and productivity.

Undergraduate Admissions

According to the Princeton Review UPenn is the 6th most selective university in the United States. For the graduating class of 2015, UPenn received a record 31,659 applications, of which it admitted 3881--an admittance rate of roughly 12%. At the graduate level UPenn is also quite selective, although acceptance rates vary quite a bit from program to program. As is the case with most universities, some of the more selection graduate programs include law, medicine, and business.

Rankings

On the U.S. News & World Report's list of top undergraduate colleges in the United States UPenn is tied with Duke University for 8th place, out ranked only by Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, MIT, Stanford, and The University of Chicago. UPenn is also a prominent and consistent feature in the U.S. News & World Report list of Most Popular National Universities and Princeton Review's "Dream Colleges" list.

University of Pennsylvania was recently ranked 12th in the world by QS World University Rankings, 14th by Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Academic Ranking of World Universities, and 15th by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. UPenn has also ranked 8th and 9th in the world for its economics/business and social sciences programs. In 2012, The Human Resources & Labor Review ranked University of Pennsylvania 12th among 300 Best World Universities.

In the category of top research universities, The Center for Measuring University Performance ranked UPenn as a first tier university (on par with Columbia, Stanford, and MIT). The National Science Foundation ranked UPenn 9th based on its investment in Research & Development. In fact, for the last decade almost every reputable ranking publication, including High Impact Universities, Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities and SCImago Institutions Rankings World Report has ranked UPenn among the top research universities in the world.

General Information

Admission Office
1 College Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 898-7507
Fax: (215) 898-9670
info@admissions.ugao.upenn.edu
Contact: Eric Furda
Dean of Admissions

Main Address
3451 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 898-5000
www.upenn.edu

Size
Total undergrads: 9,756
First-time degree-seeking freshmen: 2,400
Degree-seeking undergrads: 9,756
Graduate enrollment: 6,873

Setting
Urban setting
Very large city (over 500,000)
Residential campus

Degrees offered:

Associate

Bachelor's

Master's

Doctoral

First Professional

Tuition & Fees

Estimated Expenses for Academic Year	2008-'09	2009-'10	2010-'11	2011-'12	% change 2010-'12
Tuition and fees	$35,916	$37,526	$38,970	$40,514	+3.96%
Books and Supplies	$1,000	$1,050	$1,090	$1,120	+2.75%
Living Arrangement - On Campus
Room and Board	$10,208	$10,621	$11,016	$11,430	+3.76%
Other	$1,956	$2,102	$2,174	$2,186	+0.55%
Living Arrangement - Off Campus
Room and Board	$0	$0	$0	$0	0.00%
Other	$0	$0	$0	$0	0.00%
Total Expenses	2008-'09	2009-'10	2010-'11	2011-'12	% change 2010-'12
In-state On Campus	$49,080	$51,299	$53,250	$55,250	+3.76%
In-state Off Campus	$36,916	$38,576	$40,060	$41,634	+3.93%
In-state with Family	$36,916	$38,576	$40,060	$41,634	+3.93%

Average Graduate Student Tuition & Fees
Tuition for In-state Students	$25,660
In-state Student Fees	$2,152
Tuition for Out-of-state Students	$25,660
Out-of-state Fees	$2,152

Financial Aid

Full-time Beginning Undergraduate Students
Type of Aid	Students	Percent	Amount	Average Per Student
All students financial aid	1,462	61%
Grant or scholarship aid	1,050	44%	$31,802,204	$30,288
� Federal grants	284	12%	$2,041,439	$7,188
� Pell grants	244	10%	$887,998	$3,639
� Other federal grants	277	12%	$1,153,441	$4,164
State/local government grant or scholarships	140	6%	$408,180	$2,916
Institutional grants or scholarships	1,046	44%	$29,352,585	$28,062
Student loan aid	779	32%	$4,428,968	$5,685
� Federal student loans	705	29%	$3,543,451	$5,026
� Other student loans	137	6%	$885,517	$6,464

All Majors and Programs

Program Completions for Most Recent Year	BA/BS	MA/MS	PhD	AA/AS	CERT
Total of All Education Programs	3238	3518	1210	3	275
Architecture and Related Services	25	238	9	-	30
Architecture	25	114	4	-	18
City/urban, Community and Regional Planning	-	78	5	-	5
Environmental Design/architecture	-	-	-	-	1
Landscape Architecture	-	46	-	-	6
Area, Gender, Cultural, Ethnic, and Group Studies	33	4	3	-	-
African Studies	5	-	-	-	-
African-american/black Studies	6	1	-	-	-
American/united States Studies/civilization	2	-	-	-	-
East Asian Studies	13	-	-	-	-
Latin American Studies	1	-	-	-	-
South Asian Studies	4	3	3	-	-
Women's Studies	2	-	-	-	-
Biology and Biomedical Sciences	280	113	108	-	-
Biochemistry	32	-	-	-	-
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology	-	1	9	-	-
Bioinformatics	1	-	-	-	-
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other	4	-	-	-	-
Biology and Biological Sciences, General	122	1	7	-	-
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Other	-	1	7	-	-
Biomedical Sciences	23	-	-	-	-
Biophysics	3	-	-	-	-
Biostatistics	-	4	5	-	-
Biotechnology	-	62	-	-	-
Cell/cellular and Molecular Biology	-	12	40	-	-
Environmental Biology	-	-	-	-	-
Epidemiology	-	29	-	-	-
Immunology	-	-	12	-	-
Neuroscience	95	2	19	-	-
Pharmacology	-	1	9	-	-
Business, Administration, Management, Marketing, etc.	874	1315	18	-	167
Accounting	57	31	-	-	-
Accounting and Finance	-	-	-	-	26
Actuarial Science	8	-	-	-	-
Business Administration and Management	124	253	5	-	64
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other	-	-	-	-	5
Business/commerce	20	-	-	-	-
E-commerce/electronic Commerce	-	-	-	-	-
Entrepreneurship/entrepreneurial Studies	-	147	-	-	-
Finance	399	507	2	-	-
Human Resources Management/personnel Administration	-	4	-	-	21
Insurance	9	6	4	-	-
International Business/trade/commerce	8	14	-	-	-
Management Information Systems	-	1	-	-	-
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other	-	112	-	-	-
Marketing/marketing Management	105	105	6	-	22
Non-profit/public/organizational Management	-	19	-	-	11
Operations Management and Supervision	73	37	1	-	-
Organizational Behavior Studies	-	34	-	-	-
Public Finance	-	-	-	-	9
Real Estate	48	45	-	-	9
Retailing and Retail Operations	5	-	-	-	-
Sales, Distribution, and Marketing Operations	18	-	-	-	-
Communication and Journalism Programs	127	3	13	-	-
Speech Communication and Rhetoric	127	3	13	-	-
Computing and Information Sciences	26	147	12	-	7
Artificial Intelligence	-	21	-	-	-
Computer and Information Sciences	-	70	12	-	-
Computer Graphics	13	17	-	-	7
Computer Science	12	-	-	-	-
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications	1	39	-	-	-
Education	1	341	74	-	1
Counselor Education/school Counseling and Guidance Services	-	-	-	-	-
Curriculum and Instruction	-	8	2	-	-
Education	-	29	21	-	1
Educational Leadership and Administration	-	23	20	-	-
Educational Statistics and Research Methods	-	7	-	-	-
Elementary Education and Teaching	1	52	-	-	-
English/language Arts Teacher Education	-	12	-	-	-
Foreign Language Teacher Education	-	-	-	-	-
Higher Education/higher Education Administration	-	42	30	-	-
Mathematics Teacher Education	-	5	-	-	-
Reading Teacher Education	-	18	1	-	-
Science Teacher Education/general Science Teacher Education	-	12	-	-	-
Secondary Education and Teaching	-	65	-	-	-
Social and Philosophical Foundations Of Education	-	12	-	-	-
Social Studies Teacher Education	-	18	-	-	-
Teaching English As A Second or Foreign Language/esl Language Instructor	-	38	-	-	-
Engineering	312	184	48	-	-
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering	62	23	21	-	-
Chemical Engineering	49	27	10	-	-
Computer Engineering	29	-	-	-	-
Electrical and Electronics Engineering	31	36	1	-	-
Engineering, Other	23	34	-	-	-
Geological/geophysical Engineering	-	1	-	-	-
Materials Engineering	36	19	10	-	-
Mechanical Engineering	45	20	6	-	-
Systems Engineering	37	24	-	-	-
English Language, Composition and Literature/letters	126	13	13	-	-
English Language and Literature	126	13	10	-	-
English Language and Literature/letters, Other	-	-	3	-	-
Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	126	32	33	-	-
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	15	1	2	-	-
Comparative Literature	10	1	5	-	-
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	15	9	8	-	-
French Language and Literature	20	-	-	-	-
German Language and Literature	3	3	3	-	-
Italian Language and Literature	5	-	-	-	-
Linguistics	21	3	6	-	-
Middle/near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	5	4	3	-	-
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other	2	11	6	-	-
Russian Language and Literature	3	-	-	-	-
Spanish Language and Literature	27	-	-	-	-
Health Services and Allied Health Sciences	233	324	429	-	30
Adult Health Nurse/nursing	-	18	-	-	-
Advanced/graduate Dentistry and oral Sciences, Other	-	-	-	-	2
Bioethics/medical Ethics	-	27	-	-	-
Clinical Nurse Specialist	-	1	-	-	-
Community Health Services/liaison/counseling	72	-	-	-	-
Critical Care Nursing	-	-	-	-	-
Dentistry	-	-	148	-	-
Endodontics/endodontology	-	-	-	-	8
Environmental Health	-	1	-	-	-
Family Practice Nurse/nursing	-	18	-	-	-
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other	-	6	-	-	-
Health/health Care Administration/management	25	71	5	-	-
Maternal/child Health and Neonatal Nurse/nursing	-	32	-	-	-
Medical Scientist	-	9	-	-	-
Medicine	-	-	156	-	-
Nurse Anesthetist	-	15	-	-	-
Nurse Midwife/nursing Midwifery	-	14	-	-	-
Nursing Administration	-	8	-	-	-
Nursing Education	-	19	-	-	-
oral Biology and oral and Maxillofacial Pathology	-	-	-	-	1
oral/maxillofacial Surgery	-	-	-	-	3
orthodontics/orthodontology	-	-	-	-	6
Pediatric Dentistry/pedodontics	-	-	-	-	2
Pediatric Nurse/nursing	-	31	-	-	-
Periodontics/periodontology	-	-	-	-	8
Perioperative/operating Room and Surgical Nurse/nursing	-	17	-	-	-
Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing	-	13	-	-	-
Public Health, Other	-	20	-	-	-
Registered Nursing/registered Nurse	136	4	8	-	-
Veterinary Medicine	-	-	112	-	-
History	168	16	27	-	-
History and Philosophy Of Science and Technology	13	2	7	-	-
History	155	12	15	-	-
History, Other	-	2	5	-	-
Human Services	21	177	20	-	-
Public Administration	-	48	-	-	-
Public Policy Analysis	21	5	4	-	-
Social Work	-	124	16	-	-
Legal and Law Studies	-	90	278	-	-
Advanced Legal Research/studies	-	90	3	-	-
Law	-	-	275	-	-
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities	22	98	-	-	-
Humanities/humanistic Studies	-	-	-	-	-
Liberal Arts and Sciences/liberal Studies	22	98	-	-	-
Mathematics and Statistics	70	13	17	-	-
Applied Mathematics, Other	-	1	-	-	-
Mathematics	44	8	8	-	-
Statistics	26	4	9	-	-
Multi-/interdisciplinary Studies	55	82	-	-	9
Cognitive Science	15	-	-	-	-
Historic Preservation and Conservation	-	21	-	-	9
International/global Studies	40	61	-	-	-
Natural Resources and Conservation	18	27	-	-	-
Environmental Science	-	5	-	-	-
Environmental Studies	18	17	-	-	-
Natural Resources Management and Policy	-	5	-	-	-
Physical Sciences	37	68	41	-	-
Chemistry	17	31	25	-	-
Geology and Earth Science	3	-	2	-	-
Hydrology and Water Resources Science	-	5	-	-	-
Physics	17	32	14	-	-
Psychology	88	123	7	-	8
Counseling Psychology	-	63	-	-	8
Developmental and Child Psychology	-	17	-	-	-
Psychology	88	43	7	-	-
Social Sciences	511	77	53	2	22
Anthropology	36	6	7	-	-
Applied Economics	-	3	-	-	-
Archeology	-	-	1	-	-
Criminology	5	27	3	-	-
Demography and Population Studies	-	5	8	-	-
Economics	189	14	20	-	-
Geography, Other	-	11	-	-	1
International Relations and Affairs	60	-	-	-	-
Political Science and Government	153	6	6	-	-
Political Science and Government, Other	-	-	-	-	21
Social Sciences	5	-	-	1	-
Sociology	24	5	8	1	-
Urban Studies/affairs	39	-	-	-	-
Visual and Performing Arts	85	33	7	1	1
Art History, Criticism and Conservation	18	7	1	-	-
Design and Applied Arts, Other	-	5	-	-	-
Drama and Dramatics/theatre Arts	6	-	-	-	-
Film/cinema/video Studies	19	-	-	-	-
Fine/studio Arts	26	18	-	-	-
Graphic Design	-	-	-	-	1
Music	8	3	6	1	-
Visual and Performing Arts	8	-	-	-	-

Above data represent first majors only.

(-) Indicates that program is not offered at this award level.

Admissions Information

Application Fee
College has an application fee: Yes
Regular application fee: $75
Online application fee: $75

Enrollment Rates
Average Percent applicants admitted: 15%
Percent of students who return for sophomore year: 98%

Admissions Considerations
Secondary school GPA: Recommended
Secondary school rank: Recommended
Secondary school record: Required
Recommendations: Required
Admission test scores (SAT/ACT): Required
College-prep program completed: Required
TOEFL: Required

Undergraduate Admissions Fall 2011
Number of Applicants: 31,660
Percent Admitted: 12%
Percented Admitted Who Enrolled: 62%

Test Scores: Fall 2011

SAT Critical Reading

660 (25th Percentile)
750 (75th Percentile)

SAT Math

690 (25th Percentile)
780 (75th Percentile)

SAT Writing

670 (25th Percentile)
770 (75th Percentile)

ACT Composite

30 (25th Percentile)
34 (75th Percentile)

ACT English

30 (25th Percentile)
35 (75th Percentile)

ACT Math

29 (25th Percentile)
34 (75th Percentile)

ACT Writing

8 (25th Percentile)
10 (75th Percentile)

Enrollment Statistics

Undergraduate Attendance Status

Undergraduate Student Gender

Undergraduate Student Age

Undergraduate Student Residence

Graduate Attendance Status

Undergraduate Race/Ethnicity

Retention and Graduate Rates

Retention Rates for First-Time Students Pursuing Bachelor's Degrees

Overall Graduation and Transfer-Out Rates for Students

Graduation Rates for Students Pursuing Bachelor's Degrees

6-Year Graduation Rate by Gender for Students Pursuing Bachelor's Degrees

6-Year Graduation Rate by Race/Ethnicity for Students Pursuing Bachelor's Degrees

Undergraduate Majors

Architecture & Related Programs

Architecture B

Environmental Design B

Area, Ethnic, Cultural, & Gender Studies

African Studies B

African-American Studies B

American Studies B

East Asian Studies B

South Asian Studies B

Women's Studies A,B

Arts, Visual & Performing

Art History/Criticism/Conservation B

Arts - General B

Drama/Theater Arts B

Film Studies B

Fine/Studio Arts B

Music - General B

Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Biochemistry B

Bioinformatics B

Biology B

Biomedical Sciences B

Biophysics B

Business, Management, & Marketing

Accounting B

Actuarial Science B

Business Administration/Management B

E-Commerce B

Finance/Banking B

Human Resources Management B

Insurance/Risk Management B

International Business B

Management Information Systems B

Marketing Management B

Operations Management B

Real Estate B

Sales and Distribution B

Transportation/Transportation Management B

Communications & Journalism

Communications/Rhetoric B

Computer & Information Sciences

Computer Graphics B

Computer Networking/Telecommunications B

Computer/Information Sciences - General B

Education

Education - General B

Elementary Education B

Engineering

Biomedical Engineering B

Chemical Engineering B

Computer Engineering - General B

Electrical/Communications Engineering B

Environmental Engineering B

Materials Engineering B

Materials Science B

Mechanical Engineering B

Systems Engineering B

English Language & Literature

English Language & Literature - General B

Foreign Language & Literature

Classics B

Comparative Literature B

East Asian B

French B

German B

Italian B

Linguistics B

Russian B

Semitic B

Spanish B

Health Professions & Clinical Sciences

Community Health Services B

Health System Administration B

Nursing (RN) B

History

History - General B

History of Science/Technology B

Law & Legal Studies

Law & Legal Studies - General B

Liberal Arts & Sciences

Humanities B

Liberal Arts & Sciences B

Mathematics

Mathematics - General B

Statistics B

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies

Cognitive Science B

Global Studies B

Natural Sciences B

Neuroscience B

Natural Resources & Conservation

Environmental Studies B

Philosophy & Religion

Jewish/Judaic Studies B

Logic B

Philosophy B

Religion/Religious Studies B

Physical Sciences

Chemistry B

Geology B

Physics B

Psychology

Psychology - General A,B

Public Administration & Services

Public Policy Analysis B

Social Sciences

Anthropology A,B

Economics B

International Relations B

Political Science/Government B

Social Sciences - General A,B

Sociology A,B

Urban Studies B

Degree levels for each major are designated by the following letters:

*We do not guarantee the accuracy of information on this page. All information is subject to change. You should confirm all information with a college admissions officer.

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