University of Pennsylvania

16th
World University Rankings 2024
12th
US College Rankings 2022
23rd
World Reputation Rankings 2023
3451 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

About University of Pennsylvania

Given its status as one of the nine original Colonial Colleges – institutions established before the US became a sovereign nation after the American Revolution – and a founding member of the Association of American Universities, it is no surprise the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) claims to be the first fully fledged (multi-faculty) “university” in the USA.

Though Penn’s origins date back to 1740, it was until 1749 when Benjamin Franklin published his famous essay, Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth, circulated it among Philadelphia’s prominent citizens, and organized 24 trustees to form an institution of higher education based on his proposals. It was 30 years later when Penn was granted university status. Since then, Penn has expanded into a sprawling 302-acre campus with 200 buildings. It boasts many notable “first” landmarks on campus including the country’s first student union, double-decker college football stadium, and the world’s first collegiate business school – The Wharton School.

Penn’s prowess is not restricted to just infrastructure. The university has an exhaustive list of notable alumni from all walks of life. Penn has affiliations with over 25 Nobel Laureates including physicist Raymond Davis Jr and economist Lawrence Klein, and has accounted for numerous heads of state. Ninth president of the USA, William Henry Harrison, trod the boards at Penn in 1791, while Nnamdi Azikiwe – former president of Nigeria – and Kwame Nkrumah – former prime minister and president of Ghana – both gained multiple degrees from the institution. Noted modernist poets and friends Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams are among the literary luminaries from the institution.

Explore rankings data for University of Pennsylvania

All ranked institutions have an overall score and 4 pillar scores. However for each pillar, only institutions ranked in the top 500 overall or the top 500 in this pillar have a publicly visible score

Compare universities on their key stats

Key statistics

  • 13%
    Proportion of ISR Publication
    (1)
  • 21,312
    Number of FTE Students
    (1)
  • 54 : 46
    Student Ratio of Females to Males
    (1)
  • 6.2
    No. of students per staff
    (1)
  • 22%
    Percentage of International Students
    (1)
  • $82,667
    Salary after 10 years
    (2)
  • $57,770
    Out-of-state Tuition and Fees
    (2)
  • $16,190
    On-campus Room and Board
    (2)
Based on data collected for the (1) 2024 World University Rankings and (2) 2022 US Rankings

Subjects taught at University of Pennsylvania

  • Clinical, pre-clinical & health

    • Other Health
    • Medicine & Dentistry
  • Physical sciences

    • Physics & Astronomy
    • Mathematics & Statistics
    • Geology, Environmental, Earth & Marine Sciences
    • Chemistry
  • Business & economics

    • Accounting & Finance
    • Economics & Econometrics
    • Business & Management
  • Engineering & technology

    • General Engineering
    • Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
    • Electrical & Electronic Engineering
    • Chemical Engineering
  • Arts & humanities

    • Languages, Literature & Linguistics
    • Archaeology
    • History, Philosophy & Theology
    • Architecture
    • Art, Performing Arts & Design
  • Life sciences

    • Biological Sciences
    • Veterinary Science
  • Social sciences

    • Sociology
    • Geography
    • Politics & International Studies (incl Development Studies)
    • Communication & Media Studies
  • Psychology

    • Psychology
  • Education

    • Education
  • Law

    • Law
  • Computer science

    • Computer Science