Penn Trustees approve 2026–2027 undergraduate charges and financial aid budget
The University of Pennsylvania Board of Trustees has approved a $347 million undergraduate financial aid budget for the 2026–2027 academic year, along with undergraduate tuition and fees.
2 min. read
At its winter meeting, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania approved a financial aid budget of $347 million, representing a 3.8% increase over the prior year. Penn continues to meet 100 percent of demonstrated financial need with grant-based aid and without loans, a longstanding policy designed to ensure that students can pursue a Penn education regardless of their family’s financial circumstances.
This year’s financial aid investment builds on the expansion of the Quaker Commitment announced last year, which guarantees full tuition scholarships for students from families earning $200,000 or less with typical assets and provides tuition-free education for students from families earning $75,000 or less. That initiative strengthened Penn’s efforts to support middle- and lower-income families and to make a Penn education more attainable.
The Trustees also approved tuition for the 2026–2027 academic year. Undergraduate tuition will be $65,670 and fees will be $8,308. Room charges will total $13,644 and the meal plan charge will be $6,960, bringing the total cost of tuition, fees, room, and board to $94,582. The overall cost reflects a 3.8% increase from the previous academic year.
Tuition for graduate and professional students will be determined by Penn’s individual schools to reflect their respective budget requirements.
The approved budget reflects ongoing efforts to manage costs responsibly while sustaining investments in faculty, research, student support, and the student residential experience. The University remains focused on balancing the resources required to deliver a world-class education with its commitment to substantial financial aid support for students and families.
Novel plant-based approach to a better, cheaper GLP-1 delivery system
Research led by Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell investigates the use of a lettuce-based, plant-encapsulated delivery platform as a new oral delivery of two GLP-1 drugs previously approved by the FDA in injectable form.
No brain, no gain: Neuronal activity enhances benefits of exercise
Research led by Penn neuroscientist J. Nicholas Betley and collaborators finds that hypothalamic neurons are essential for translating physical exertion into endurance, potentially opening the door to exercise-mimicking therapies.
In honor of Valentine's Day, and as a way of fostering community in her Shakespeare in Love course, Becky Friedman took her students to the University Club for lunch one class period. They talked about the movie "Shakespeare in Love," as part of a broader conversation on how Shakespeare's works are adapted.
In Becky Friedman’s English course Shakespeare in Love, undergraduate students analyze language, genre, and adaptation in the Bard’s plays through the lens of love.
Beating the heat: Designing cooling for bodies in motion
Dorit Aviv, director of Weitzman’s Thermal Architecture Lab, studies how humans, technology, and design intersect, paving the way for the development of novel approaches to cooling people efficiently.
