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University of Pennsylvania: Rankings, Admissions, Cost & Majors

1656 awards Ranking Badges
Fair Price Value for Your Money
5% Acceptance Rate

University of Pennsylvania is a private not-for-profit institution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania enrolling 10,650 undergraduates. It accepts 5% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 97%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #6 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 1%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.

Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.

How Is University of Pennsylvania Ranked?

University of Pennsylvania ranks #6 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 1%.

#6 Best Colleges in Nation
#1 Best Colleges in PA
University of Pennsylvania ranking badge

2027 Rankings

College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.

University of Pennsylvania was awarded 1656 badges in the 2027 rankings.

Overall Quality

According to College Factual’s 2027 analysis, Penn, U of PA, U-Penn, U of P, Pennsylvania, UPenn, Pennsylvania University, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton, Wharton School of Business is ranked #6 out of 5,159 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality. This puts it in the top 1% of all schools in the nation!

Penn, U of PA, U-Penn, U of P, Pennsylvania, UPenn, Pennsylvania University, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton, Wharton School of Business also holds the #1 spot on the Best Colleges in Pennsylvania ranking.

See all of the rankings for University of Pennsylvania.

Is It Hard to Get Into University of Pennsylvania?

5% Acceptance Rate
5% Of Accepted Are Women
50% Submit SAT Scores

Acceptance Rate

University of Pennsylvania has a very low acceptance rate of 5%, making it one of the most selective out of all the colleges and universities in the nation. It’s probably a good idea to apply to other schools in addition to Penn, U of PA, U-Penn, U of P, Pennsylvania, UPenn, Pennsylvania University, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton, Wharton School of Business just in case you don’t make the cut.

Average Test Scores

About 50% of students accepted to Penn, U of PA, U-Penn, U of P, Pennsylvania, UPenn, Pennsylvania University, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton, Wharton School of Business submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 740 and 770. Math scores were between 770 and 800.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for University of Pennsylvania  ( 740 to 770 )
200
800
SAT Math Scores for University of Pennsylvania  ( 770 to 800 )
200
800

Penn, U of PA, U-Penn, U of P, Pennsylvania, UPenn, Pennsylvania University, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton, Wharton School of Business received ACT scores from 17% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 34 and 36.

ACT Composite Scores for University of Pennsylvania  ( 34 to 36 )
1
36

Learn more about University of Pennsylvania admissions.

What Is the Student-to-Faculty Ratio at University of Pennsylvania?

8 to 1 Student to Faculty
79% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

At Penn, U of PA, U-Penn, U of P, Pennsylvania, UPenn, Pennsylvania University, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton, Wharton School of Business, the student to faculty ratio is an excellent 8 to 1. That’s much better than the national average of 15 to 1. This indicates that many classes will probably be small, and students will have ample opportunities to work closely with their professors and classmates.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.

The full-time faculty percentage at University of Pennsylvania is 79%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  79 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at University of Pennsylvania?

99% Freshmen Retention
97% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate of 99% tells us that most first-year, full-time students like University of Pennsylvania enough to come back for another year. This is a fair bit higher than the national average of 68%. That’s certainly something to check off in the good column about the school.

Freshmen Retention Rate  99 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at Penn, U of PA, U-Penn, U of P, Pennsylvania, UPenn, Pennsylvania University, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton, Wharton School of Business for first-time, full-time students is 97%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  97 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at University of Pennsylvania.

How Diverse Is University of Pennsylvania?

10,650 Undergraduate Students
52.7% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
54.8% Percent Women

The current enrollment includes 10,650 undergraduates at Penn, U of PA, U-Penn, U of P, Pennsylvania, UPenn, Pennsylvania University, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton, Wharton School of Business.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at University of Pennsylvania.

How Much Does University of Pennsylvania Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
10% Take Out Loans
$28,480 Total Student Loans

The average net price of Penn, U of PA, U-Penn, U of P, Pennsylvania, UPenn, Pennsylvania University, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton, Wharton School of Business is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.

Net Price by Income Group for Penn, U of PA, U-Penn, U of P, Pennsylvania, UPenn, Pennsylvania University, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton, Wharton School of Business

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$-3,012 $316 $10,439 $25,476 $55,972

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Penn, U of PA, U-Penn, U of P, Pennsylvania, UPenn, Pennsylvania University, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton, Wharton School of Business, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At Penn, U of PA, U-Penn, U of P, Pennsylvania, UPenn, Pennsylvania University, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton, Wharton School of Business, approximately 10% of students took out student loans averaging $7,120 a year. That adds up to $28,480 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 0.9%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for University of Pennsylvania.

How Much Do University of Pennsylvania Graduates Earn?

$111,371 Avg Salary of Grads
High Earnings Boost

Although some majors pay more than others, students who graduate from University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree go on to jobs where they make an average salary of $111,371 in their early years. This is good news for future University of Pennsylvania graduates since it is 126% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Average Salary for University of Pennsylvania Graduates

See which majors at University of Pennsylvania make the most money.

Where Is University of Pennsylvania Located?

Pennsylvania State
10,650 Undergraduate Students
Large City Campus Setting

University of Pennsylvania is an private not-for-profit institution found in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The surrounding area of the school is a good match for students who enjoy city life. Get more details about the location of University of Pennsylvania.

Location of University of Pennsylvania

Get in touch with University of Pennsylvania can be found below.

Contact Details
Address: 34th & Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6303
Phone: 2158985000
Website: www.upenn.edu
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Pennsylvania
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Philadelphia-PA/University-of-Pennsylvania/98508878775
Twitter: twitter.com/Penn

What Majors Does University of Pennsylvania Offer?

26 Majors With Completions
23,870 Undergraduate Degrees

In the most recent reporting year, students from 26 majors graduated from University of Pennsylvania. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 11,935 NA
Computer Information Systems 1,121 $114,272
Data Analytics. 867 NA
Business Administration & Management 542 $162,591
Nursing 479 $87,232
Management Sciences & Methods 447 $68,404
Entrepreneurial Studies 362 $161,907
Computer Science 287 $127,623
Law 254 $186,571
Biomedical Engineering 246 $67,167

Learn more about the majors offered at University of Pennsylvania along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Does Penn, U of PA, U-Penn, U of P, Pennsylvania, UPenn, Pennsylvania University, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton, Wharton School of Business Offer Online Classes?

8% Take At Least One Class Online
6% Take All Classes Online

859 students took at least one online class at University of Pennsylvania.

Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.

Learn more about online learning at University of Pennsylvania.

Interested in comparing Penn, U of PA, U-Penn, U of P, Pennsylvania, UPenn, Pennsylvania University, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton, Wharton School of Business? Compare them side by side using College Combat, our free tool for head-to-head college comparisons.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

References

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