Penn’s four undergraduate schools include a college of arts and sciences, a business school, an engineering school, and a school of nursing. No matter which school or major students are enrolled in, Penn emphasizes that all undergraduate students receive a thorough foundation in the liberal arts. Many students take courses across all four undergraduate schools and choose from countless interdisciplinary minors and dual degrees.
How to Get Into UPenn: Essays and Strategies that Worked
How hard is it to get into the University of Pennsylvania? Learn the UPenn acceptance rate, admissions requirements, and read UPenn essays that worked
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: UPenn requirements for admission
Part 3: Applying to UPenn early decision vs. regular decision
Part 4: 2023–2024 UPenn supplemental essays
Part 1: Introduction
If your child is a highly competitive student with an appetite for a rigorous course load and a robust thirst for learning, chances are they’re looking into attending one of the prestigious Ivy League universities. If they also happen to be interested in interdisciplinary thinking and attending college in a historic, thriving city, they should consider applying to the nation’s first university, the University of Pennsylvania.
But before you start asking how to get into UPenn, take a moment to learn as much as possible about the spirit of the school that calls itself “the Ivy League without the ivory tower.”
Penn was established in 1740 by founding father Benjamin Franklin, who envisioned an institution of higher education that pushed the boundaries of knowledge and contributed to furthering society. At Penn, that lofty mission manifests in integrated studies in the liberal arts and sciences and pre-professional training at both the undergrad and graduate levels, along with several extremely unique interdisciplinary undergrad programs like the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business.
Penn’s four undergraduate schools include a college of arts and sciences, a business school, an engineering school, and a school of nursing. No matter which school or major students are enrolled in, Penn emphasizes that all undergraduate students receive a thorough foundation in the liberal arts. Many students take courses across all four undergraduate schools and choose from countless interdisciplinary minors and dual degrees.
Your child might spend their summer traveling with the Penn-in-Cannes abroad course to attend the Cannes International Film Festival and study international business, or hiking the Swiss and Italian Alps to gain direct field experience in their studies of geography. They might be invited by a top professor of physics to research supernovas in the Andes Mountains and aid in the discovery of a new planet by the start of the fall semester. Or they could spend their days training as an oncology nurse at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and their nights reading their poems to an audience of literary giants at the Kelly Writers’ House.
Penn prides itself on a tradition of firsts—the nation’s first university founded by its first statesman, in the nation’s first capital of Philadelphia—and it has a long tradition of producing the world’s foremost innovators and thinkers. Your child might follow in the footsteps of some of Penn’s greatest alumni—launch a private space exploration company like Elon Musk, become the chief NBC Nightly News correspondent like Andrea Mitchell, change the landscape of political thought like Noam Chomsky, or entertain the world through performance like John Legend.
As is the case for any Ivy League school, the competition to gain admission is fierce. Fortunately, our team has helped many UPenn applicants achieve admissions success and we routinely receive messages like these:
Essays
The Penn application process includes a personal essay as well as supplemental short answer prompts. We read your words carefully, as they are yet another window into how you think, what you value, and how you see the world. Through your writing, we get a glimpse of what you might bring to our community, including your voice and creativity.
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Before you begin writing:
- Review the prompt thoroughly. Be sure you’re answering the question or prompt being asked. T opics are chosen because the Admissions Committee wants to know specific things about you. If you don’t address the them directly, we are left to make decisions regarding your application with incomplete information.
- Consider your response carefully. We understand that you may be writing responses for different schools and you may want to reuse material, but read through your response to make sure the content is relevant to the prompt.
- Double check your writing. Give yourself time to revisit your response. Do not rush your writing process; create space in your schedule to revise your work. Ultimately, it is up to you to polish your response before you submit.
In your Penn supplemental short answers, be precise when explaining both why you are applying to Penn and why you have chosen to apply to that specific undergraduate school. Some of our specialized programs will have additional essays to complete, but the Penn supplemental prompts should address the single-degree or single-school choice.
2023-24 Short Answer & Essay Prompts
Penn Supplemental Short Answer Prompts (Required)
- 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, only required for first year applicants)
- 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 will now be unique to the school to which a student is applying. Considering the undergraduate school you have selected, please respond to your school-specific prompt below. (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).
For students applying to the coordinated dual-degree and specialized programs, please answer this question in regard to your single-degree school choice; your interest in the coordinated dual-degree or specialized program may be addressed through the program-specific essay.
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)
