University of Pennsylvania
Private Research University in Philadelphia, PA. Six-year graduation rate 97%. Median 10-year earnings $111,371.
Students who entered University of Pennsylvania reach a median of $111,371 ten years later, which puts this school in the upper band of undergraduate earnings outcomes. The six-year graduation rate of 97% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students. Borrowing stays contained, with median debt at graduation of $15,715. Mobility is where this school separates itself: 2.1% of students move from the bottom income quintile to the top.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.14 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ Graduation rate 97% — well above the national average
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Admit rate 5% — heavily selective, limited transfer slots
Admissions
University of Pennsylvania admits just 5% of applicants, placing it among the most selective undergraduate institutions in the country. With 65,226 applications received, this is a school operating at national scale. 68% of admitted students actually enroll, which is a high yield by national standards. Score ranges below describe the middle half of score submitters among enrolled first-years; students who applied test-optional are not represented in them.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 740–770 | 1,204 (50%) |
| SAT Math | 770–800 | |
| ACT Composite | 34–36 | 416 (17%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at University of Pennsylvania →Academics
Six-year completion runs to 97% — students who start here overwhelmingly finish here. First-year retention of 99% shows the cohort holds together through the hardest year. A 8:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty. Judge these figures against other institutions of the same type — sector explains more of the variation in completion than any single campus factor. The undergraduate body runs to 11,612, large enough that student experience varies widely by program.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 10,768 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $23,570 annually once grants are applied. Aid is steeply need-based: families in the $0–30k band pay $-3,012 while those at $110k+ pay $55,972. Grant aid reaches 54% of students at an average of $55,321. 10% borrow federally — a low rate, though it covers federal loans only.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 2,415 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $-3,012 |
| $30–48k | $316 |
| $48–75k | $10,439 |
| $75–110k | $25,476 |
| $110k+ | $55,972 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,105 of these 10,768 students, totalling $7,810,693 — an average of $7,069 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Philadelphia County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)