Philadelphia, PA · private · 10,650 undergraduates
University of Pennsylvania acceptance rate, SAT range and net price
The University of Pennsylvania admitted 4.92% of its applicants for fall 2025, and more than a third of its offers went to Early Decision applicants.
Net price per year at Penn
$25,476
Reach · admit rate 4.92%
| Admit rate, Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029) | 4.92% (1 in 20) |
| Middle 50% of enrolled students (SAT) | 1,510 to 1,570 |
| Enrolled students scoring below you (approx.) | 1% |
| This site’s label | Reach |
| Sticker price 2026-27 | $99,082 |
| Paid by families with $75,001-$110,000 (2023-24) | $25,476 |
| Share of the sticker price | 26% |
Net price: average paid after grants by students on federal aid in that income band (2023-24), not a quote. The label is a fixed rule of this site (admit rate under 15% is a reach for everyone), not a prediction. Your exact price: Penn net price calculator. How this is calculated.
Admissions: University of Pennsylvania Common Data Set 2025-2026 (dated 23 June 2026), C1 · net price: College Scorecard, 2023-24 · figures checked · Built by Radif Partners · Method and data
- Admit rate, newest cycle
- 4.92%
- SAT middle 50%
- 1,510 to 1,570
- Sticker price 2026-27
- $99,082
- Net price, income $48k to $75k
- $10,439
Penn's acceptance rate for the class that entered in fall 2025 (Class of 2029) is 4.92%: 3,570 admitted from 72,544 applicants, and 2,420 enrolled, per Penn's Common Data Set 2025-2026. The SAT or ACT is required for every first-year applicant, with a waiver for students who face hardship in testing. Penn reports section scores only, so the composite range of 1,510 to 1,570 is an approximation built from them; the ACT range is 34 to 35. The 2026-27 on-campus cost of attendance is $99,082, transportation included. In 2023-24, aided families paid $316 on average between $30,001 and $48,000 but $25,476 between $75,001 and $110,000, a higher middle-income figure than at Princeton or Harvard that year. Families up to $200,000 with typical assets now get at least full tuition covered.
Four schools, one application, a binding November round
Nobody applies to Penn in general. The application goes to one of four undergraduate schools, the College of Arts and Sciences, Wharton, Engineering or Nursing, or to a coordinated dual-degree program, and each reads its own pool. Penn does not publish admit rates by school in the Common Data Set, so the overall 4.92% is the only official rate.
What Penn does publish is the weight of its early round. For fall 2025, 1,266 of 9,503 Early Decision applicants were admitted, 13.3%, against 2,304 of the other 63,041, 3.7%. That makes 35% of all offers. The plan binds you to enroll if admitted; the deadline for fall 2027 entry is November 1, 2026, and Regular Decision closes January 5, 2027, with answers in April. Penn's waiting list held 2,566 students who accepted a place for fall 2025, and 60 were admitted.
Penn: where your SAT score lands
Enrolled students scoring below you (approx.)
50%
| Middle 50% | 1,510 to 1,570 |
| Your score is | inside the middle 50% |
Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), sum of section percentiles (CDS 2025-2026, C9 (1,249 SAT submitters, 427 ACT submitters)). Normal curve fitted to the two published percentiles.
Pennsylvania residents fare better than anyone else
The residency table in the CDS is unusual for a private university. Of 5,411 applicants from Pennsylvania, 451 were admitted, 8.3%. Applicants from other states were admitted at 5.4%, and international applicants at 2.5%, 441 out of 17,882. Penn is need-aware for international applicants other than citizens and permanent residents of Canada and Mexico, which is part of that last gap.
Penn: net price for your family income
Average net price, 2023-24
$10,439
| Income band | $48,001-$75,000 |
| Share of the 2023-24 cost | 12% |
Federal figure for first-year students on federal aid.
The Quaker Commitment and the middle-income bill
Penn's aid program meets full need with grants and work-study, no loans, and ignores the value of the family home. Since the latest expansion, families earning up to $200,000 with typical assets have at least full tuition covered, and families under $75,000 have every billed cost covered: tuition and fees, housing and dining. The 2026-27 budget behind those promises is $65,670 of tuition, $8,308 of fees and $20,604 for housing and food on campus.
The federal averages above predate the $200,000 tuition guarantee, which is why the $75,001 to $110,000 band sits well above what Princeton or Harvard families paid that year. Run your own figures through Penn's calculator, or place Penn next to Columbia in the comparison tool.
From University of Pennsylvania’s own documents
- Early Decision matters: for fall 2025, 1,266 of 9,503 Early Decision applicants were admitted (13.3%), against 2,304 of the other 63,041 applicants (3.7%). source
- Applicants apply to one of four undergraduate schools (College of Arts and Sciences, Wharton, Engineering, Nursing) or a coordinated dual-degree program, not to Penn in general. source
- Families earning up to $200,000 with typical assets are guaranteed at least full tuition; under $75,000, all billed costs (tuition, fees, housing, dining) are covered, and packages contain no loans. source
- International applicants had the lowest odds for fall 2025: 441 of 17,882 were admitted (2.5%), against 451 of 5,411 Pennsylvania residents (8.3%) and 2,678 of 49,251 other US applicants (5.4%); Penn is need-aware for international applicants other than citizens and permanent residents of Canada and Mexico. source
- The 2026-27 on-campus cost of attendance is $99,082, including $8,308 in fees on top of $65,670 tuition. source
- For fall 2025, 3,252 applicants were offered a waiting-list place, 2,566 accepted and 60 were admitted. source
Net price at University of Pennsylvania by family income
| Family income | Average net price 2023-24 | Share of the 2023-24 cost |
|---|---|---|
| $0-$30,000 | $0 | 0% |
| $30,001-$48,000 | $316 | 0% |
| $48,001-$75,000 | $10,439 | 12% |
| $75,001-$110,000 | $25,476 | 29% |
| $110,001 and up | $55,972 | 63% |
| All aided students | $28,699 | 32% |
Cost of attendance at University of Pennsylvania, 2026-27
| Item | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $65,670 | |
| Fees | $8,308 | |
| Housing and food | $20,604 | |
| Books and supplies | $1,412 | |
| Personal | $2,008 | |
| Travel | $1,080 | |
| Total | $99,082 |
University of Pennsylvania admissions by cycle
| Entering class | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029) | 72,544 | 3,570 | 2,420 | 4.92% |
| Fall 2024 (federal IPEDS figure) | n/a | n/a | n/a | 5.40% |
SAT and ACT scores at University of Pennsylvania
| Score | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total (Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), sum of section percentiles (CDS 2025-2026, C9 (1,249 SAT submitters, 427 ACT submitters))) | 1,510 | 1,550 | 1,570 |
| ACT composite (Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029) (CDS 2025-2026, C9 (1,249 SAT submitters, 427 ACT submitters))) | 34 | 35 | 35 |
| SAT sections, fall 2024 (Scorecard) | 740 + 770 | n/a | 770 + 800 |
Outcomes at University of Pennsylvania
| Measure | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Graduated within 6 years | 97% | fall 2018 entering cohort |
| Returned for a second year | 99% | fall 2023 entering cohort |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $111,371 | measured 2020-2021, 10 years after entry, 2022 dollars |
| Median federal debt of graduates | $15,715 | students who finished in 2019-20 and 2020-21 |
| Undergraduates | 10,650 | fall 2024 |
| Students with a Pell Grant | 17% | 2023-24 |