Penn announced regular decision admission results for the Class of 2028 after receiving a record number of applications for the second year in a row.
Students were informed of admissions decisions at 7 p.m. More than 65,000 students applied to Penn this year — marking the largest application pool in Penn's history and an increase of more than 10% from last year, with the Class of 2027 receiving over 59,000 applications.
This year's pool of admitted students includes students from 109 countries and all 50 states as well as Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Marshall Islands, and the military APO, according to a Penn Admissions press release. The Class of 2028 also includes one of the largest cohorts of students from Philadelphia.
Penn did not immediately share its acceptance rate or further demographic data for the Class of 2028, continuing a practice that began with the Class of 2026.
"This year's admitted class embodies Penn's tradition of academic and personal excellence across many dimensions," Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule wrote in the announcement. "Through their applications, students shared intellectual pursuits already underway and those they hope to undertake with Penn's faculty and with each other when they arrive in the fall."
Last year, Penn admitted 3,474 students, resulting in an overall acceptance rate of 5.8%. Class of 2027 includes students from 48 states and 97 countries. In a Board of Trustees meeting last June, Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule stated that first generation college students make up 19% of the admitted class, while 14% are legacy students.
Penn's record number of applicants comes after a tumultuous year for the university. Both former President Liz Magill and former Chair of the University Board of Trustees Scott Bok resigned due to mounting concerns from students, alumni, and lawmakers over antisemitism on campus.
In addition, this is the first full admissions cycle after the Supreme Court found race-conscious admissions to be unconstitutional in a landmark ruling last June. Admissions Dean Whitney Soule said in an interview with the Pennsylvania Gazette that despite the ruling, "we are reading students with the full integration of complexity that they reveal about themselves."
Penn continued to be test-optional this admission cycle and recently announced that it will maintain the policy through the Class of 2029. Other Ivies announced a return to standardized testing requirements.
The application was changed slightly this year, with each undergraduate college having its own application question. They also replaced a question asking about academic interest with a question about community involvement.
Penn kept the thank you letter prompt introduced last year. The prompt asks an applicant to write a thank you letter to a person who is important to them.
Finally, Penn is also continuing its policy of not requiring students to put down an enrollment deposit, a policy that started in the previous admissions cycle.
Admitted students have until May 1 to make their decisions.
"Each of these students exemplifies a unique combination of academic excellence, determination, curiosity, and joy," Soule wrote.
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