University of Pennsylvania: A Legacy of Innovation and Academic Excellence

Founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1740, the University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) stands as a historic and highly selective member of the Ivy League. This private research university, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, boasts a rich history, a commitment to interdisciplinary learning, and a global perspective. With a sprawling campus in the University City neighborhood of West Philadelphia and a legacy of groundbreaking research, Penn continues to be a leading institution of higher education.

A Foundation of Innovation and Diversity

The University of Pennsylvania prides itself on its diversity, drawing over 10,000 undergraduates from every state and many countries. UPenn is nationally recognized for its interdisciplinary programs such as the Institute for Medicine and Engineering and the Joseph H. Lauder Institute for Management and International Studies, which allow students to pursue a variety of academic and professional pursuits. The University also boasts The Wharton School, ranked as one of the top business schools in the country.

Academics and Research Prowess

UPenn’s academic structure comprises four undergraduate schools and twelve graduate and professional schools. Its interdisciplinary character carries over into its research endeavors. With a research budget of more than $800 million per year and 165 research centers, it is one of the top research universities in the country. In the National Science Foundation's Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) survey, the University of Pennsylvania is recognized as one of the top universities for research. Research conducted at Penn has been associated with developments in computing and medicine. Penn faculty have also been recognized through major scientific awards.

Penn offers unique and specialized coordinated dual-degree (CDD) programs, which selectively award candidates degrees from multiple schools at the university upon completion of graduation criteria of both schools in addition to program-specific programs and senior capstone projects. Specialized dual-degree programs include Liberal Studies and Technology as well as an Artificial Intelligence: Computer and Cognitive Science Program. Both programs award a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences and a degree from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Also, the Vagelos Scholars Program in Molecular Life Sciences allows its students to either double major in the sciences or submatriculate and earn both a BA and an MS in four years. The most recent Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER) was first offered for the class of 2016.

The Wharton School

Wharton School is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania.

School of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences is the undergraduate division of the School of Arts and Sciences. The School of Arts and Sciences also contains the Graduate Division and the College of Liberal and Professional Studies, which is home to the Fels Institute of Government, the master's programs in Organizational Dynamics, and the Environmental Studies (MES) program.

School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2)

Originally named the School of Social Work, SP2 was founded in 1908 and is a graduate school of the University of Pennsylvania.

School of Veterinary Medicine

The School of Veterinary Medicine offers five dual-degree programs, combining the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (VMD) with a Master of Social Work (MSW), Master of Environmental Studies (MES), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Master of Public Health (MPH) or Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degree.

Penn Medicine

The University of Pennsylvania Health System, also known as UPHS, is a multi-hospital health system headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, owned by Trustees of University of Pennsylvania. UPHS and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania together constitute Penn Medicine, a clinical and research entity of the University of Pennsylvania.

Admissions and Financial Aid

Each year the University of Pennsylvania receives approximately 23,000 undergraduate applications and admits about 4,000 students. Its 18% acceptance rate that makes it one of the most selective universities in the country. The Early Decision option is available for students who make UPenn their first choice and agree to matriculate, if accepted. The UPenn admissions committee pays close attention to the type and level of a student's high school courses. It looks for students who have taken full advantage of the opportunities their high school offers. Evaluations from guidance counselors and teachers are also very important to the selection committee, as they provide a more well-rounded view of an applicant, beyond exam scores and transcripts.

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For those seeking financial assistance, forty-six percent of first-year students receive need-based financial aid, and the average net price for federal loan recipients is $26,138.

Campus Life and Student Activities

Penn students are intellectually and socially involved, both on and off campus. Penn students participate in a wide range of student organizations, including publications, performing arts groups, and community and cultural organizations. Penn's performing arts groups include ensembles such as the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club and the University of Pennsylvania Band. Student performing arts groups are coordinated through the university's Performing Arts Council. The Penn Singers is a light opera company at the University of Pennsylvania. The group was founded in 1957 as the university's first all-female choir and was converted into a co-ed light opera company in 1972. The group performs two major productions each year - a Broadway-style musical or revue in the fall, and a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta or a show in the spring. Founded in 1936, the Pennsylvania Players was the first student theatre group at the University of Pennsylvania.

The University of Pennsylvania Police Department (UPPD) is the largest private police department in Pennsylvania, with 117 members.

A Look Back at Penn's History

Originally, in 1740, a group of Philadelphians organized to erect a great preaching hall for George Whitefield, a traveling Anglican evangelist, which was designed and constructed by Edmund Woolley. The 1765 founding of the first medical school in America made Penn the first institution to offer both "undergraduate" and professional education. In 1779, not trusting then provost William Smith's Loyalist tendencies, the revolutionary State Legislature created a university, and in 1785 the legislature changed name to University of the State of Pennsylvania.

After being located in downtown Philadelphia for more than a century, the campus was moved across the Schuylkill River to property purchased from the Blockley Almshouse in West Philadelphia in 1872, where it has since remained in an area now known as University City.

Read also: Legacy of Fordham University

William Adger, James Brister, and Nathan Francis Mossell in 1879 were the first African Americans to enroll at Penn. The first women enrolled at Penn were two graduate students at Penn's Towne Scientific School, medical doctors, Gertrude Klein Pierce,MD, Anna Lockhart Flanigen, MD, who were admitted in October 1876 as "special students" to study chemistry.

During the first decades of the 20th century, Penn made strides and took an active interest in attracting diverse students from around the globe. Two examples of such action occurred in 1910. Penn's first director of publicity, created a recruiting brochure, translated into Spanish, with approximately 10,000 copies circulated throughout Latin America.

Former Minnesota governor and perennial presidential candidate Harold Stassen served as third president of the University of Pennsylvania from 1948 to 1953. After World War II, the university began a capital spending program to overhaul its campus, including its student housing.

In 1983, members of the Animal Liberation Front broke into the Head Injury Clinical Research Laboratory in the School of Medicine and stole research audio and video tapes.

Controversies and Challenges

In October 2023, Penn hosted a Palestinian Writers Conference on campus which was attended by several hundred students, scholars and members of the media. After the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, tensions across university campuses rose across the United States. On December 9, the university's president Liz Magill and the chairman of its board of trustees, Scott L. Bok, resigned.

A Glimpse into the Seal

The outer ring of the current seal is inscribed with "Universitas Pennsylvaniensis", the Latin name of the University of Pennsylvania. The inside contains seven stacked books on a desk with the titles of subjects of the trivium and a modified quadrivium, components of a classical education: Theolog[ia], Astronom[ia], Philosoph[ia], Mathemat[ica], Logica, Rhetorica and Grammatica.

Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination

The University of Pennsylvania seeks talented students, faculty, and staff with a wide variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. The University of Pennsylvania does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any other class protected under applicable federal, state, or local law in the administration of its admissions, financial aid, educational or athletic programs, or other University-administered programs or in its employment practices.

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