Announcements

To the Penn Community:Yesterday, Penn and the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) resolved a February 2025 investigation into Penn's compliance with Title IX for women’s athletics. This is a complex issue, and I am pleased that we were able to reach a resolution through the standard OCR process for concluding Title IX investigations.

After months of anticipation and careful review of more than 72,000 applications, today we had the privilege of extending an official Quaker welcome to our newest Regular Decision admits!

President J. Larry Jameson provides an update on two important and related matters: the Trump Administration’s expected suspension of $175M in federal contracts awarded to Penn and the Office of Civil Rights investigation under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

Global engagement is critical to our mission as a leading research university, bringing the world to Penn and Penn to the world. Penn is committed to welcoming and supporting students, scholars, faculty, and staff from all over the world. We know that recent policy changes and actions related to immigration, visas, and travel are causing uncertainty and anxiety for many members of the Penn community. We are taking action to offer direct support to impacted community members, plan for disruptions caused by potential policy changes, and provide information to ensure that we can continue to support students, scholars, and others.

We are writing to update you on our near-term operational and financial planning in light of potential federal funding cuts and legislation. We recognize the strain that these policies put on our community—and the uncertainties surrounding their timing and impact. In moments like these, we are guided by our core principles: protecting our missions, sustaining our culture, supporting our people, and judiciously managing our resources.

As the future of higher education may alter dramatically depending on how courts rule, how agencies implement new policies, and how future orders and legislation are enacted, there are resources available to the Penn community while navigating the recent executive orders.

Beginning with the 2025-2026 undergraduate admissions cycle, Penn is reinstating a standardized testing requirement for applicants, with the goal of bringing clarity and transparency to the application process. Students applying for fall 2026 admission will be required to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of their admission materials. Penn’s updated policy will allow students facing hardship in accessing testing to submit a testing waiver with their application. 

The City of Philadelphia is expecting sizable crowds of people to attend this Friday’s parade to celebrate the Philadelphia Eagles decisive Super Bowl victory (approximately 3 million attended the last Eagles Super Bowl parade in 2018). This event will come with significant logistical and transportation challenges that will impact our entire community. Both SEPTA and PATCO have issued advisories that will substantially modify service on Friday in order to accommodate people traveling to the City to view the parade. (See current information here.)

NIH-funded research at Penn has enriched the world in innumerable and lifesaving ways. The cuts by NIH will affect universities across the country, and Penn will continue to explore legal options to address these reductions.

Like you, I am closely monitoring recent developments from Washington that directly affect higher education. These include executive orders and pending legislation on research funding, financial aid, visas, immigration status, student loans, endowments, and DEI programs. Because these immediately affect our missions, operations, and community, I write today to provide guidance to sustain our missions while ensuring Penn complies with federal law.