Inspired by the intellectual audacity and educational ideals of our founder, Benjamin Franklin, the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) offers a compelling mixture of world-class liberal arts coursework and pre-professional education. Students apply to one of four undergraduate schools---Arts and Sciences, Nursing, Engineering and Applied Science, or Wharton. Penn also offers an array of exciting interdisciplinary programs and courses which leverage the resources of different departments or schools, such as the Fisher Program in Management and Technology, the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business, and the Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management.

Students are strongly encouraged to engage the world beyond Penn, both locally and globally. Civic House provides a “hub” for students interested in all kinds of community service while the Center for Community Partnerships coordinates over 150 Academically Based Community Service courses each term which link theory and practice through activities that make a significant difference in West Philadelphia and the City.  Opportunities for global engagement include Penn Abroad, through which more than 600 Penn undergraduates each year spend a semester or longer abroad, more than any other Ivy League school.  Nearly 15% of our undergraduates come to Penn from other countries, providing a linguistically and culturally diverse environment.

As one of the world's premier research universities, Penn offers students the opportunity to learn by participating in the hands-on creation of new knowledge.  The Center for Undergraduate Research, the Kelly Writers House, the Weiss Tech House, and the Penn Museum are places that connect undergraduates to leading researchers at Penn and to the cutting-edge ideas of its laboratories and seminar rooms.  The academic experience at Penn is integrated with social and extra-curricular life.  Almost all first-year students reside within the eleven College Houses at Penn, which link intellectual and social experiences through close contact with faculty-in-residence and student resident assistants. Penn has over 300 student groups ranging from political action to performing arts to sports clubs to student publications offering all students opportunities to pursue a wide-range of interests.