University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania Featured Rankings
- #1 Private Colleges in Pennsylvania
- #1 Best Colleges in Pennsylvania
- #1 The Most Affordable Online Criminology Doctorate Degree Program
- #1 Grad Schools in Pennsylvania 2022
- #1 The 50 Best No GRE Online PhD Degree Programs
- #1 Most Affordable Online DSW and PhD in Social Work Doctorate Programs 2023
- #1 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #1 Research Universities in Pennsylvania
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- #3 Accelerated Online Doctorate of Computer Science
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About University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (commonly known as “Penn”) is a leading private research university (note that nearly all US universities named after their state are public-supported—Penn is an exception to this rule).
The sixth-oldest institution of higher learning in the country, Penn was the brain child of American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, who also served as its first president. Franklin’s educational ideas were highly innovative for the time, inclining more towards the teaching of practical skills and preparation for the learned professions, in contrast to the traditional curriculum based on the Classical languages, literature, and history, which aimed primarily to produce ministers and “gentlemen.”
Accordingly, the first medical school in the 13 colonies (now known as the Perelman School of Medicine) was founded at Penn in 1765. Also, thanks in large part to Franklin’s guiding principles, the first business school in the country (the Wharton School) opened there in 1881.
Penn has had a major impact on American politics and history: nine signers of the Declaration of Independence were either graduates of the university or members of its Board of Trustees. Hundreds of Penn graduates have served in the two houses of Congress, at the cabinet level of the executive branch, and as ambassadors in their country’s diplomatic service. Nearly 50 have served as governors of many different states. Finally, Penn can boast three US Supreme Court Justices (James Wilson, Owen J. Roberts, and William J. Brennan) and two presidents (William Henry Harrison attended the Penn medical school, but did not graduate, and Donald Trump received his bachelor’s degree from the Wharton School).
Located in racially and economically diverse West Philadelphia, Penn today has a student body that is “majority minority,” comprising numerous African American, Hispanic, and Native American students, as well as many international students (just under 500 in all) hailing from East Asia, South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and elsewhere.
Among notable alumni we may mention:
- Philosopher, Hilary Putnam
- Famed linguist, Noam Chomsky
- Investors, Warren Buffett & Eric Weinstein
- Entrepreneurs, Elon Musk, Steve Wynn, & Sundar Pichai
- Actors, Bruce Dern, Candice Bergen, Vanessa Bayer, & Elizabeth Banks
- Broadway producer, Harold Prince
- Stand-up comedian, Whitney Cummings
- TV personalities, Andrea Mitchell & Marc Lamont Hill
- Distinguished American poets, William Carlos Williams & Ezra Pound
- Renowned architect, I.M. Pei
- Blogger, Cenk Uygur
- Kaw professor and political activist, Lawrence Lessig
- African independence leader and first president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah
- 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump
Altogether, some 28 Penn-connected persons have been recipients of the Nobel Prize, including:
- Christian Anfinsen —chemistry
- Stanley Prusiner and Gerald Edelman, —physiology or medicine
- Edmund Phelps, Lawrence Klein, and Simon Kuznets, —economics
- Martin Luther King, Jr., —peace
According to Wikipedia, The University of Pennsylvania is a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is one of nine colonial colleges and was chartered prior to the U.S. Declaration of Independence when Benjamin Franklin, the university's founder and first president, advocated for an educational institution that trained leaders in academia, commerce, and public service. Penn identifies as the fourth oldest institution of higher education in the United States, though this representation is challenged by other universities, as Franklin first convened the Board of Trustees in 1749, arguably making it the fifth oldest institution of higher education in the U.S.
University of Pennsylvania's Online Degrees
University of Pennsylvania Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
Annual Applications | Acceptance | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
54,588 | 7% | 96% | 1535 | 34 |
How Much Does University of Pennsylvania Cost To Attend?
Tuition (in-state) |
---|
$63,452 |
Income | Average Net Cost |
---|---|
0 - 30K | $344 |
30K - 48K | $4,611 |
48K - 75K | $11,544 |
75K - 110K | $22,549 |
110K+ | $48,881 |
How Much Do University of Pennsylvania Graduates Make?
If you graduate from University of Pennsylvania, then you can expect to earn an average of $131,600 per year. You also have a 90% chance of being employed after 10 years.
University of Pennsylvania's Demographics
Demographic data is for full-time, on-campus students.
Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
---|---|---|
32,618 | 13,519 | 19,099 |
Where is University of Pennsylvania?
University of Pennsylvania is located at 34th & Spruce Street, Philadelphia PA 19104-6303
What Is University of Pennsylvania Known For?
University of Pennsylvania is known for it's academic work in the following disciplines:
- Business
- Social Work
- Nursing
- Medical
- Communications
- Engineering
- Anthropology
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Education
- Economics
- History
- Biology
- Computer Science
- Literature
- Law
- Chemistry
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Religious Studies
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Earth Sciences
University of Pennsylvania's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Who Are University of Pennsylvania's Most Influential Alumni?
University of Pennsylvania's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Social Work, Criminal Justice, and Business. Here are some of University of Pennsylvania's most famous alumni:
- Noam Chomsky
- An American linguist and activist .
- Ezra Pound
- An American poet and critic.
- Hilary Putnam
- An American philosopher.
- Martin Seligman
- An American psychologist and writer.
- James McKeen Cattell
- An American psychologist.
- John Backus
- An American computer scientist.
- Lawrence Lessig
- An American academic, political activist.
- Eric S. Raymond
- An American computer programmer, author, and advocate for the open source movement .
- I. M. Pei
- A Chinese-American architect .
- Paul R. Ehrlich
- An American biologist and environmentalist noted for his warning about population growth being unsustainable.
- Asa Gray
- An American botanist .
- J. Presper Eckert
- An American electrical engineer and computer pioneer.
Who Are University of Pennsylvania's Most Influential Faculty?
University of Pennsylvania's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Social Work, Criminal Justice, and Business. Here are some of University of Pennsylvania's most famous alumni:
- Duncan J. Watts
- An Australian physicist and sociologist.
- Kristen Ghodsee
- An American ethnographer and professor.
- Ben Zimmer
- An American linguist and lexicographer.
- Justin Wolfers
- An Australian and American economist and public policy scholar.
- Matthew D. Green
- An American cryptographer and researcher.
- Jordan Ellenberg
- An American mathematician .
- Bruce Kleiner
- An American mathematician and academic.
- Emily Wilson
- A British classicist, professor.
- Betsey Stevenson
- An American economist.
- Adam Grant
- An American writer and Psych prof in the Wharton School.
- Angela Duckworth
- An American psychologist awarded MacArthur Fellowship.
- Janice Eberly
- An American economist.