On Thursday, March 30th at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, the University of Pennsylvania announced admission decisions for Regular Decision applicants to the Class of 2027, the institution’s 271st class, to build a class of 2,400 outstanding students across Penn’s four undergraduate schools: the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Wharton School, and the School of Nursing.
There were more than 59,000 applicants this year—the largest first-year applicant pool in Penn’s history—and students were admitted through QuestBridge Match, Early Decision, and Regular Decision rounds. We are proud to report that they collectively represent the most diverse group of admitted students in Penn’s history in terms of racial and ethnic background, socioeconomic diversity (including those who are eligible for Pell Grants), and those who are the first generation in their family to attend a four-year college or university.
This year, every applicant wrote a thank-you note to someone as part of their application to Penn. The applicants shared moments when someone else influenced them in a positive way. We read thank-you notes to family members—biological, step, adoptive, and foster. To the teachers out there, you’ve meant a lot to those in your classrooms! Strangers, you’ve left impressions that young people still remember strongly enough to share with us in their writing. The thank-you notes helped us see the students’ openness, receptivity, and generosity.
In addition to their gratitude, our admitted students shared examples of their intellectual enthusiasm and energy to explore socially and culturally. They wrote to us about how their everyday experiences connect to the classes they want to take at Penn, to the faculty whose work they admire, and to taking in the vibrancy of our home city of Philadelphia. And, speaking of Philadelphia, we cannot wait to welcome our Philadelphia students—one of the largest Philly cohorts we’ve admitted to Penn.
Our admitted students have demonstrated commitment in so many ways. They have been fine-tuning talents that go on display during a performance, leading clubs that support conversation around challenging topics, acting as student representatives in local government, working at their jobs, commuting long distances to school, fundraising for causes in which they find meaning, and supporting family members and managing household tasks.
While these students all share the qualities of academic ambition and inspired action, each one of them will create their own unique imprint and contribution at Penn. Congratulations to the Class of 2027. We can’t wait to welcome you in person!
President Liz Magill and Whitney Soule—as well as special guest Vauk from the Penn Vet Working Dog Center—congratulate the University’s newly admitted students in a video.
For media inquiries, contact Ron Ozio 215-898-8658 | ozio@upenn.edu