First Generation Students

Amy Gutmann receives Yale Legend in Leadership Award

Gutmann accepted the award, presented by five current and former university presidents, at a ceremony on Jan. 28.

Penn expands financial aid for middle income families

The initiative expands Penn’s long-standing commitment to need-based financial aid, guaranteeing no-loan financial aid packages to eligible students and families since 2008.

Two students addressing a group of people outside College Hall on College Green.

Kite and Key Society celebrates a century

Students share the campus and their experiences at Penn with visitors in person and online, forming meaningful friendships and lasting connections.

A person wearing a backpack outside a university building.

From college community to career path

Joyce Kim, an advanced doctoral student in sociology and education, wants to know what motivates undergraduates—especially those who are the first in their families to attend college—to choose the career trajectories that they do.

An image of Franklin Field with 2028 spelled out in red and blue.

New Student Orientation for the Class of 2028

The New Student Orientation for the Class of 2028 includes a roster of events ranging from a primer on Penn traditions to dinner and dancing at the Philadelphia Museum of Art to walking tours and introductions.

Celebrating family firsts and resourcefulness in the Class of 2024

Lynn Larabi, Crystal Marshall, and Jason Chu all entered Penn as first-generation college undergraduates and the children of immigrants and pursued different paths: political science, film, and finance and accounting.

A Class like no other

As three fourth-year students look forward to Commencement, a look back at their Penn journey, which started during a global pandemic.

Sherry Gao pushes the boundaries of genetic engineering

The Presidential Penn Compact Associate Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering aims to make gene editing tools like CRISPR more accurate, and encourage first generation students along the way.

Top row, left to right: Camilla Z. Charles, Ali Shapiro Cudby, and Judith Browne Dianis. Bottom row, left to right: Richard David Feintuch, Stanley H. Greene, and Brett Andrew Perlmutter.

Nine honored at Alumni Award of Merit Gala

At the 2023 Alumni Award of Merit Gala, eight distinguished alumni will receive Awards of Merit, the Creative Spirit Award, and the inaugural Penn Alumni Social Impact Award, and Camille Z. Charles will receive the Faculty Award of Merit.

class of 2027 stage at franklin field for convocation

At Convocation, students encouraged to take a ‘fisheye’ view

Kicking off the University’s 284th academic year, first-year and transfer students were advised to take a wide view during at least some of their time at Penn, expanding horizons and seeing the borderless nature of knowledge.

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