Address: 34th and Spruce Streets, 19104 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Business (Wharton), Medicine, Nursing
Founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin, Penn is a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia. It is known for its Wharton School (business), medical school, law school, nursing school, and interdisciplinary “One University” approach.
The University of Pennsylvania dates its founding to 1740, and Benjamin Franklin, who published a proposal for a new academy in 1749, is regarded as its founder. It opened as a charity school and academy, and the institution later became a college, then the University of Pennsylvania. It established the first medical school in the American colonies in 1765. Today it has about 28,000 students and 13,000 staff, and the campus in West Philadelphia stretches across leafy walkways, brick buildings and Locust Walk.
Penn is a member of the Ivy League and is organised in twelve schools. The Wharton School, founded in 1881, was the first collegiate business school in the world, and it remains a leader in finance and management. The Perelman School of Medicine, the Carey Law School, the School of Nursing, the School of Dental Medicine, the School of Veterinary Medicine, the Weitzman School of Design and the Annenberg School for Communication complete the list. Few universities in the country offer so many professional schools on a single contiguous campus.
In 1946, at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering, John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert completed ENIAC, widely described as the first general-purpose electronic digital computer. The Penn Museum holds important collections from Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Americas, and it has run archaeological expeditions since the nineteenth century. Franklin Field, opened in 1895, is the oldest stadium still used for college football games and hosts the Penn Relays, an annual track meet.
Penn encourages students to combine fields, and its interdisciplinary programmes allow dual degrees across schools. Admission is highly selective, and financial aid is need-based. Check the current tariff for tuition. Teaching is in English.
Philadelphia offers lower rents than New York or Boston, and the 30th Street Station next to the campus provides fast trains to both cities and to Washington.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Bioengineering, Data Analytics, Engineering, Life Sciences, Project Management, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Private
Partnerships:
Ivy League institution. Home to the Wharton School, a world-leading business school. Strong interdisciplinary focus (“One University” concept linking its 12 schools). Member of AAU. First university in US to have multiple schools on one campus.
Research:
A leading research university with exceptional strengths in business, medicine, biomedical research, nursing, law, engineering, and social sciences. Very high research activity.
Famous Alumnis:
Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Warren Buffett (attended Wharton, did not graduate from Penn), John Legend, Noam Chomsky, Sundar Pichai (MBA), Elizabeth Banks
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
13200
Current students***:
28200
Foreign students***:
20%
Cumulative former students***:
305000
Pros
Ivy League education with world-renowned Wharton School, excellent medical, law, and nursing schools, strong interdisciplinary culture, urban campus integrated with Philadelphia.
Cons
Extremely competitive admissions, urban campus in Philadelphia has pros and cons, high cost of attendance, large and sometimes impersonal.
Best For
Students seeking a prestigious Ivy League education with exceptional programs in business, medicine, law, or nursing, often valuing an interdisciplinary and urban environment with strong professional school connections.
For students who like the bioengineering, project management and life sciences focus of this institution but want another option nearby, Duke University fits well: it covers ecology and sustainability as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 17,200 students against roughly 28,200 here.
Both schools build their programmes around project management, life sciences and data analytics, and Columbia University is the one to compare first within the country, since it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers physics as well.
Another national school that puts project management, life sciences and data analytics at the centre is Cornell University, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers agriculture as well.
Among national alternatives, Johns Hopkins University stands out for its focus on bioengineering, project management and life sciences, and it covers materials as well, and has almost the same size, at about 31,500 students.
Northwestern University sits close to this university on project management, life sciences and data analytics; it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers nanotechnologies and materials as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Austral University brings a Argentina setting to the same core fields, bioengineering, project management and life sciences, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers industrial design as well.
Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology in India is the nearest foreign match on bioengineering, life sciences and data analytics; it is also a private institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham brings a India setting to the same core fields, bioengineering, life sciences and data analytics, and it covers robotics as well, and is slightly smaller, at about 24,000 students against roughly 28,200 here.
Korea University (South Korea) works on the same fields as this university, chiefly life sciences, data analytics and software engineering; it covers finance and chemistry as well, and has almost the same size, at about 31,130 students.
Seen from abroad, Yonsei University (South Korea) is a close relative on subject matter, since life sciences, data analytics and software engineering are central to both, and it is also a private institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is the University of Pennsylvania?
In West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
When was it founded?
The university dates its founding to 1740, and Benjamin Franklin is regarded as its founder.
How large is it?
About 28,000 students and 13,000 staff.
How many schools does it have?
Twelve, including Wharton, medicine, law, nursing, dental medicine, veterinary medicine, design and communication.
What is special about Wharton?
Founded in 1881, it was the first collegiate business school in the world.
What was ENIAC?
A computer completed at Penn in 1946 by John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert, widely described as the first general-purpose electronic digital computer.
When did Penn open a medical school?
In 1765, the first in the American colonies.
What are the Penn Relays?
An annual track meet held at Franklin Field.
Is it part of the Ivy League?
Yes.
How is financial aid decided?
It is need-based. Check the current tariff for tuition.
Business Process Reengineering (BPR), Change Management, Continuous Improvement, Innovation, Lean Manufacturing, Project Management, Quality Management
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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