🏅 QS World Rank #15
University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) — Full Profile & Ranking 2026
Ivy League leader in business and medicine — QS World Rankings 2027 #15
The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) is a private Ivy League university in Philadelphia, founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin. In the QS World University Rankings 2027 (announced June 2026), Penn ranked 15th in the world, unchanged from the previous edition. This guide covers Penn’s schools, undergraduate admission, the real acceptance rate for international applicants, the 2026–27 charges, need-aware financial aid, advice for applicants from Pakistan, and the questions prospective students ask most. Every figure is labeled with its year or ranking edition.
Penn Overview
The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) is a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Penn traces its founding to 1740 and describes itself as America’s first university; Benjamin Franklin was its founder and key early leader. It is home to the Wharton School, the world-famous business school, and to leading schools of medicine, law, nursing, engineering, and the arts and sciences.
Penn has four undergraduate schools — the College of Arts and Sciences, Wharton, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the School of Nursing — and students can combine fields across them. Admission is highly selective, and international applicants should understand Penn’s financial aid rules before they apply.
Penn Rankings — QS World University Rankings 2027
The University of Pennsylvania is ranked 15th in the QS World University Rankings 2027, published by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) in June 2026. Its position is unchanged from the previous edition. In the same edition Cornell and Yale are tied at 16th.
QS ranks universities using academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per faculty, student-to-faculty ratio, and measures of international faculty and students. This is a QS-specific result, not one universal ranking. Times Higher Education, U.S. News, and ARWU use different methods and can order the same universities differently.
Source: QS TopUniversities and the QS World University Rankings 2027 press release (18 June 2026).
Key Strengths & Programs
Penn offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional programmes, and it is known for:
- Business — the Wharton School, for both undergraduate and MBA study
- Medicine and health — the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Nursing
- Law — Penn Carey Law
- Engineering and computer science — Penn Engineering
- Arts and sciences, design, and education
- Integrated, interdisciplinary study — including dual-degree programmes across schools
For the full list, see Penn’s official website.
Explore Related Guides & Rankings
Admission Requirements
Penn admission is run through its Office of Admissions. Details below were checked in October 2026; confirm them on Penn’s admissions site before applying.
Undergraduate Admissions (First-Year)
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Early Decision | Deadline 1 November, with a decision in mid-December. Early Decision is binding, so accepted students must enrol. |
| Regular Decision | Deadline 5 January, with a decision by 1 April and a reply by 1 May |
| Application | Applicants apply to one of Penn’s four undergraduate schools through a common application platform |
| Test scores (Fall 2025 entrants) | SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing middle range 740–770 (median 760) and SAT Math 770–800 (median 790), per Penn’s published facts |
| English | International applicants whose first language is not English normally need to show English ability; check Penn’s requirements for the accepted tests and scores |
| Other requirements | Essays, recommendations, and school documents; some schools ask for extra materials |
Graduate and Professional Admissions
Graduate, MBA, law, and medical programmes apply through each school’s own process, with its own deadlines and tests.
Official sources: Penn Admissions and Penn facts.
Penn Acceptance Rate
For students entering in Fall 2025, Penn’s published facts list 72,544 applications and 3,570 admitted students, an acceptance rate of 5%, and 2,420 students who enrolled as first-years.
International applicants face an even tighter field: Penn’s published data show 17,882 international applicants and 441 admitted, an international acceptance rate of about 2.5%. International students were 13% of the first-year class.
Source: Penn facts (Fall 2025 entering class). Rates change each year.
Practical Application Checklist
- Choose your school at Penn (College, Wharton, Engineering, or Nursing) and the programme within it
- Decide whether to apply Early Decision (binding, 1 November) or Regular Decision (5 January)
- Apply for financial aid at the same time as you apply for admission. International students cannot apply for aid after they are admitted
- Check Penn’s testing policy and prepare strong SAT or ACT scores if you submit them
- Prepare essays, recommendations, and school documents early
- Plan for an English test if your first language is not English
- Remember that Penn is need-aware for international applicants
- Verify every date, fee, and requirement on Penn’s official website before submitting
Tuition & Costs
Penn published its 2026–27 undergraduate charges as follows:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition (2026–27) | $65,670 |
| Fees (2026–27) | $8,308 |
| Room (2026–27) | $13,644 |
| Meal plan (2026–27) | $6,960 |
| Total direct charges (2026–27) | $94,582, a 3.8% increase on the previous year |
Books, travel, and personal costs are additional, and your cost depends on financial aid. For comparison, Penn’s published tuition and fees for 2025–26 were $71,236. Read tuition and fees together when you compare years.
Source: Penn Almanac, 2026–27 undergraduate charges. Charges change each year.
Scholarships & Financial Aid
Penn does not give merit or athletic scholarships. Its aid is need-based:
- Need-aware for international applicants: Penn is need-blind for U.S., Canadian, and Mexican citizens and permanent residents, but need-aware for other international applicants, so financial need can be considered in admission
- Full need met: for international students who are admitted, Penn commits to meet 100% of demonstrated need through grants and work-study, with no loans
- Budget: Penn says it commits over $18 million a year in aid to students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the U.S., Canada, or Mexico
- Timing: you must apply for aid during the admission process, using the international financial aid checklist
Sources: Penn Admissions financial aid and Penn international aid FAQ.
Penn for Pakistani Students
Pakistani applicants follow the same process as other international applicants, and they are in the international pool of about 17,900 applicants for roughly 441 places (Fall 2025). Practical points:
- Be realistic about odds: admission for international applicants is very competitive, so apply to a balanced list of universities
- Financial aid: apply for aid with your admission application, because Penn is need-aware for international applicants
- Tests and English: prepare SAT or ACT as required and an English test if needed. Our IELTS preparation guides can help.
- Visa: admitted students need a U.S. student visa (F-1). Visa decisions are made by the U.S. government, not by Penn, and no outcome is guaranteed.
- Agents: you apply directly to Penn, so a paid agent is not required
See also our guide to fully funded scholarships for 2027.
Campus & Student Life
- Penn’s campus is in West Philadelphia, a short distance from the city centre, with a compact, walkable layout
- Penn had 29,384 students in Fall 2025, including 6,785 international students
- Student clubs, performing arts, sports, and Greek life are all part of campus life
- Philadelphia is a major city for healthcare, education, and finance, and it is cheaper than New York or Boston
Research & Career Opportunities
- Penn is a major research university, with strong medical, engineering, and business research
- Wharton graduates work across finance, consulting, and technology
- Penn’s published undergraduate six-year graduation rate is 97% (Fall 2025 facts)
- Penn does not guarantee employment, salary, or visa outcomes
Notable Alumni
- Benjamin Franklin — founder and early leader of the institution that became Penn
- Elon Musk — earned bachelor’s degrees in physics and economics at Penn
- Warren Buffett — studied at Wharton for two years before transferring to the University of Nebraska
- Many leaders in business, medicine, law, and public life
Contact & Location
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
Official website: upenn.edu
Frequently Asked Questions
The University of Pennsylvania is ranked 15th in the QS World University Rankings 2027, announced in June 2026. Its position is unchanged from the previous edition.
Wharton is Penn’s business school, widely regarded as one of the top business schools in the world. Undergraduates apply to Wharton directly through Penn’s application.
Penn traces its founding to 1740, with Benjamin Franklin as its founder and key early leader.
For students entering in Fall 2025, Penn’s published acceptance rate was 5% (3,570 admitted from 72,544 applications). For international applicants it was about 2.5%.
Penn’s published 2026–27 undergraduate charges are $65,670 tuition, $8,308 fees, $13,644 room, and $6,960 meal plan, a total of $94,582 in direct charges before financial aid.
No. Penn is need-aware for international applicants, so financial need can be considered in admission. For admitted international students, Penn commits to meet 100% of demonstrated need without loans.
Early Decision closes 1 November and Regular Decision closes 5 January. International students must apply for financial aid at the same time as admission.
Yes. Pakistani applicants apply through the standard international process. Admission is very competitive, so apply to a balanced list of universities.
No. Penn follows Ivy League policy and gives only need-based aid, with no merit or athletic scholarships.
Check Penn’s official website, admissions.upenn.edu, and the Student Registration and Financial Services site. Deadlines, charges, and rules are set by Penn and can change.
Compare Penn With Other Top Universities
Disclaimer: This page is based on the QS World University Rankings 2027, Penn’s published admissions facts (Fall 2025), the University of Pennsylvania Almanac’s 2026–27 charges, Penn’s financial aid pages, and other publicly available sources, last checked in October 2026. Fees, rankings, deadlines, and admission rules change, and no admission, funding, visa, or employment outcome is guaranteed. Always verify current details directly with the University of Pennsylvania before applying.