University of Pennsylvania Class of 2025
On April 6, 2021, the University of Pennsylvania has announced admission decisions for regular decision applicants to the Class of 2025, the institution’s 269th class.
The admitted cohort of 3,202 was selected from a pool of 56,333 applicants in both the early decision and regular decision programs. Penn enrolls a first-year class of about 2,400 students across the College of Arts and Sciences, Penn Engineering, the Wharton School, and the School of Nursing.
Fifty states, Washington, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are represented in the class, with the highest concentration of admitted students being from Pennsylvania, New York, California, New Jersey, Texas, and Florida. Of those admitted, 155 students reside in the city of Philadelphia. Eleven percent of the class are international students based on their citizenship, hailing from 95 countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.
Fifty-four percent of the admitted students are women, 56% are U.S. citizens/permanent residents self-identifying as a person of color, and 15% are first-generation college students. Thirteen percent had a parent or grandparent attend Penn in prior generations. At least 18% are estimated to qualify for a Federal Pell Grant.
Admitted students have pursued a most demanding secondary school curriculum within a broad range of educational settings. Nearly 2,000 unique high schools are represented.
The University of Pennsylvania adopted a test-optional policy with regard to standardized tests for the 2020-2021 application cycle. Twenty-six percent of the regular decision admitted students did not include testing as part of their application. For the admitted students including testing in their application, the middle 50% testing ranges are 1500-1560 on the SAT and 34-36 on the ACT.
John T. McLaughlin, Penn’s interim dean of admissions, said, “this class of 2025 applied to college under incredibly challenging and unusual circumstances. Yet, my colleagues and I found abundant evidence of their pursuit of the highest levels of intellectual achievement, as well as perseverance and empathy, throughout their applications. In a year in which we’ve all had to adapt to new and changing realities, this class found a way to achieve their own academic excellence and to show care for others and their communities. As we all look to the future, we are inspired by their optimism, ingenuity and creativity.”
As an institution, the University of Pennsylvania continues to respond to the changing environment related to the coronavirus. Read the University’s official response and ongoing updates at https://coronavirus.upenn.edu/.