The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania is known for its top-ranked undergraduate business program, which boasts a highly competitive acceptance rate of 4.5%. As a prestigious institution, Wharton is considered selective in its admissions process, with an average GPA requirement of 3.15 for incoming students. Meeting or exceeding this GPA standard is essential for applicants hoping to secure a spot at this esteemed business school.

In addition to a strong GPA, applicants to Wharton must also demonstrate their readiness for college-level instruction by submitting competitive SAT or ACT scores. The typical range for accepted students falls between 1490 to 1560 on the SAT and 35 to 36 on the ACT. Achieving scores within these ranges can greatly increase one’s chances of admission into the program. It is important for prospective students to focus on excelling in these standardized tests to meet the academic requirements set forth by Wharton.

The admission process at Wharton involves submitting a comprehensive application that highlights the applicant’s academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and personal qualities. Admissions officers review each application holistically, taking into consideration not only GPA and test scores, but also letters of recommendation, essays, and any relevant work experience. For applicants aiming to stand out in the competitive selection process, it is important to craft a compelling application that showcases their unique strengths and passion for pursuing a business education at Wharton.

Wharton Undergrad Acceptance Rate Information
Acceptance Rate	4.5%
Average GPA	3.15
SAT Score Range	1490 to 1560
ACT Score Range	35 to 36

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Undergraduate Overview

The Wharton School is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania and was established as the first collegiate business school in 1881. This prestigious business school in US has played an important role in transforming the study of business from a trade to an intense and respected profession. 

The organization consists of a beautiful campus that offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs in nearly 20 disciplines. This deemed business school comprises approximately 5,000 students from all across the world and has an international population of over 30% in its MBA course which is one of the unparalleled, highly coveted programs for international aspirants to study in the USA.

The Wharton School awards Bachelor of Science in Economics degrees at the undergraduate level and Master of Business Administration degrees at the postgraduate level, both of which require the selection of a major. Wharton also offers a doctoral program and houses, or co-sponsors, several diploma programs either alone or in conjunction with the other schools at the university.

Wharton’s MBA program is ranked No. 2 in the World according to the Financial Times and No. 1 in the United States according to the 2021 U.S. News & World Report ranking. Meanwhile, Wharton’s MBA for Executives and undergraduate programs are ranked No. 3 and No. 1 in the United States respectively by U.S. News. MBA graduates of Wharton earn an average $159,815 first year base pay not including bonuses, the highest of all the leading schools.  Wharton’s MBA program is tied for the highest in the United States with an average GMAT score of 732 (97th percentile) for its entering class. Wharton school alumni include former U.S. President Donald Trump, SpaceX founder Elon Musk, and billionaire investor Warren Buffett. Current and former CEOs of Fortune 500 companies including Alphabet Inc., General Electric, Boeing, Pfizer, Comcast, Oracle, PepsiCo and Johnson & Johnson are also Wharton School alumni.

With over $1 billion in its endowment, Wharton is not only prestigious but incredibly well-funded for a business school. Alumni of the Wharton School include SpaceX founder Elon Musk, former President Donald Trump, and even the most successful living investor, Warren Buffett.

Wharton’s domination of most business school rankings lists hardly comes as a surprise, considering the school’s proclivity towards accepting only the most accomplished students in the world. 

Not to mention UPenn itself is located in one of the most prominent cities in the United States; Philadelphia is a commerce center and a great place for students to network with like-minded business owners. 

Wharton School Rankings

The definitive ranking of MBAs is currently none other than US News, the most widely read publication globally for college rankings.

US News currently slates UPenn Wharton as the #2 best MBA in the entire country. Taking the number one spot is actually Stanford University, a university enormously benefitted by its location in Silicon Valley alongside the world’s most profitable companies.

Another major ranking publication, the QS Top Universities, places Wharton #2 in the entire world. You may ask, who takes the #1 spot on the QS Top Universities list? It is, indeed, Stanford yet again.

However, UPenn Wharton is ahead of many of the most important schools worldwide, including MIT, Harvard, and the London Business School.

Unlike US News and QS, which are publications centered on college education, a business-first magazine has also published a list of the best MBA programs.

The publication, Fortune Magazine, ranks Wharton as the #3 MBA in the country, just behind Harvard and Stanford. 

Wharton Undergrad Acceptance Rate

Admissions at the Wharton School are available in multiple rounds throughout the year and observe different deadlines for its varying range of courses. All the applicants are charged a nonrefundable application fee of 265 USD when applying at the institute. It is a highly selective school in the country with an acceptance rate of merely 9%.

Students can choose from over 19 undergraduate concentrations, 19 MBA majors, and 9 doctoral programs. It has awarded more than 200,000 certificates from Wharton Online. The school accepts applications for early decision by November 01, 2020, and for regular decision by January 05, 2021. It has a highly selective admission process that results in an acceptance rate of 9%.

wharton undergrad acceptance rate early decision

The early applicant pool enjoyed a 19.7% acceptance rate in the previous cycle. A sizable 22% of those admitted early in the 2020-21 cycle were legacy students. Approximately 55% of the freshman class is typically filled in the ED round.

The Wharton School Campus

• Wharton School campus in Philadelphia is right on Locust Walk, the brick-lined pedestrian thoroughfare at the heart of the University of Pennsylvania
• There are over 100 student-run clubs and organizations which include concerts, academic honor societies and special interest groups on college campuses.
• The school launched the Student Life Space in Philadelphia’s central business district which is a 20,000 square foot land comprising conference rooms, meeting rooms and over 20 group study rooms.
• Student Affairs comprises various offices whose aim is to look after the basic needs of the students including leadership development, housing options, public service, career exploration and community engagement and numerous others.
• The Wharton campus is also known for building close interactions across its numerous centers and is pretty large enough to offer world class facilities.

The Wharton School Housing Facilities

• The institute also provides students with several housing options in its residence halls. However, students can also opt for housing options outside the college campus.
• This Business School comprises 9 residence halls and various apartment communities.
• The Residence life offered by the college aims at encouraging personal development of students through in-hall programs offered by the college, academic and social activities and is also responsible for ensuring that students will get a perfect learning atmosphere.
• A large number of facilities such as laundry, recreation areas, common rooms, parking etc. are provided to students who stay on the campus of the college.
• Students who wish to stay in any of the residence halls of the college are required to fill the housing application form available on the college’s official website and submit the same at the time of admission itself.

The Wharton School Courses

• The institute offers an array of courses for international students including undergraduate programs in over 19 disciplines, 19 MBA majors and a total of 9 doctoral programs.
• This deemed business school conducts special orientation seminars for students enrolled in any of the programs offered by this college.
• The institute provides 2 types of MBA courses including an MBA for full-time students and an MBA for executives.
• It also offers various dual-degree programs with various other renowned schools of University of Pennsylvania. 
• It provides its students with a variety of  Interdisciplinary programs– MA lauder or joint degrees.
• The school is also a member of Wharton-INSEAD Alliance which allows its candidates to cover one part of their education abroad at the partner university.
• Some of the popular majors at the institute include accounting, actuarial science, business analytics, business economics, business administration and public policy

UPenn Wharton Requirements

At both the undergraduate and graduate levels, there are some requirements that UPenn Wharton may expect of a candidate.

On its website, Wharton gives some general advice, including demonstrating both leadership as well as interest in business.

It is true that, unlike in attending medical school, the requirements for business schools, in general, are more open. There are no required undergraduate classes, for example, that a student must complete to get accepted into UPenn Wharton.

That said, there are certainly some expectations an undergraduate or MBA applicant must meet.

As an Ivy League school, grades are critical when it comes to admission. The average GPA for an entering undergraduate student at UPenn Wharton is 3.9.

Additionally, the average SAT score for an entering student is between 1470 – 1550, and the ACT is between 34-36. For context, a 36 on the ACT is a perfect score.

The average GPA for an MBA candidate is 3.5. Additionally, the GMAT score average is 733, which is considered very high and comparable to other top MBA programs.

On top of the GMAT, students applying will also have to take the GRE, an abbreviation for the Graduate Record Exam. The average score for the GRE at UPenn Wharton is 162.

Besides test scores, another essential requirement is essays.

The UPenn Wharton MBA applicant has to compose two essays for consideration in the school. Both essays are short, meaning every single word and sentence counts tremendously.

The first prompt asks what a Wharton MBA will do for your future professional career. The second prompt asks how you will contribute to the Wharton community.

Combined, these essays are less than 1,000 total words, or about 3-4 double-spaced pages. 

Wharton School Application Process

How to Apply?

Application Portal: Visit the admissions page on the official website of the University of The Wharton School, USA and fill either the common application or coalition application form.

Application Fee: 265 USD

Application deadlines:

Deadlines for various courses at the institute may vary. However, deadlines for MBA program of the school is as follows:

Round	Application Deadline	Admissions Decision
Round 1	September 17, 2019	December 18, 2019
Round 2	January 7, 2020	March 26, 2020
Round 3	April 15, 2020	May, 2020

Basic Admission Requirements 

1. Official academic transcripts with an average GPA of 3.70.
2. English proficiency scores like an average TOEFL score of 110 or equivalent.
3. Letters of Recommendation
4. Statement of purpose
5. Health certificate
6. Resume for the ones with job experience/prior experience
7. Visa/passport (if required)
8. GMAT (avg score of 790 for MBA)/GRE scores for graduate applicants
9. Financial Statement
10. Interview (additional) 

Wharton Undergraduate program Admissions process

Wharton undergraduate students with cohort banners

Prospective Wharton candidates apply in their senior year of high school either through the early decision (ED) process or regular decision (RD) process. Unlike many other undergraduate business programs where students transfer in after their freshman or second year (University of Virginia’s McIntire, Emory’s Goizueta, UC Berkeley’s Haas), Wharton applicants apply specifically for Wharton during their senior year of high school. These candidates are then grouped with a pool of applicants separate from those applying to University of Pennsylvania’s College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), or School of Nursing. Each of the other three schools also forms its own separate pool of applicants.

The legacy status of applicants, defined as having a parent or another direct relative who attended the same academic institution, may be taken into consideration in the admissions process. This correlation has been observed in a number of empirical studies conducted on the nation’s most elite schools, with a particular focus on Ivy League universities. Leading universities in the United States cite stronger alumni connections and continued support as the primary reasons for this practice.

Graduation and employment

Wharton undergraduate students are required to graduate with a B.S. in Economics with at least 1 of 21 current concentrations. Concentrations range from finance and accounting to lesser known studies such as business analytics and Social Impact & Responsibility. Obtaining a concentration requires a student to take 4 classes outside of what is required in the core curriculum. Policy has recently changed such that Wharton students can graduate with a maximum of 2 concentrations rather than 3.Quadrangle at the University of Pennsylvania

In the 2015–16 school year, 334 employers participated in the on-campus recruiting process; each student received an average of 7.6 first-round interviews and 1.8 job offers. About 48% of Wharton’s typical undergraduate class of 650 students go into financial services, with the top sectors being investment banking, investment management, and private equity. The next most common industry after finance is management consulting, which hires approximately 22% of the students, while a significant number of students enter marketing, sales, and the technology industry, particularly in Silicon Valley.

For the Class of 2016, Wharton undergraduate students reported an average expected first-year compensation of $116,676, including an average starting base salary of $77,566, an average signing bonus of $10,493, and an average projected annual bonus of $28,617.

Wharton Online

Through its online division, Wharton offers massive open online courses on Coursera with specializations in business and financial modeling, business analytics, entrepreneurship, and business foundations. Wharton Online also offers a Leadership and Management Certificate and a Business Analytics Certificate. The division is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET); it was the first online business school to be accredited by this organization.

The COVID-19 pandemic meant a rapid shift towards online teaching, transforming some of the classroom courses into online courses. For years there has been a strong investment in online education, so the school has been able to adapt well to the new circumstances, according to the Financial Times analysis on the adaptation of business schools to COVID-19.

Wharton School Cost of Attendance

An undergraduate degree at Wharton costs considerably less, with tuition and fees coming in at about $61,000 per year. 

That said, there are opportunities for tuition savings. At the MBA level, Wharton does offer many fellowships for some of the accepted applicants. 

One of these fellowships includes the Joseph Wharton Fellowship, awarded to students who showcase excellent academic and professional accomplishments. Another award, the Emerging Economies Fellowship, is bequeathed to students who come from an emerging economy. For the latter award, this extends to international cities and countries.

Undoubtedly, an MBA at UPenn Wharton or any other school is expensive; scholarships and fellowships are a must-have for some students. 

For all the prospective candidates, an estimated budget for international students looking to study in the US has been tabulated below. 

Nature of Expenses	Cost
Tuition Fee	70200 USD
General Fee	2984 USD
Health Insurance	3348 USD
Room and Board	22450 USD
Books and Supplies	1408 USD
Meals	5,000 USD
Transportation	3,000 USD
Personal/ Miscellaneous	5664 USD

Scholarships by The Wharton School

Numerous aids are available for international students at the institute in the form of awards and  scholarships for international students to study in the USA. The applicants are required to apply for any of the aid they are eligible for at the time of applying for admission to any of the programs in the college.

Several studentships, awards, grants, loans, aids etc. are offered to the candidates by this deemed college some of which are discussed as follows:

Financial Aid Package for International Students

Wharton Fellowship Program	All students who are admitted to this college are considered eligible for Wharton Fellowship support based on the application for admission. The fellowship criteria include unique personal qualities and background, academic achievement, exceptional professional development, and community involvement.
Loans	Different types of interest free loan options are available to students who are financially weak to support them in their studies.
Additional Work Options	This deemed B-School also offers additional role specific work options to help students in their finances.

Some of the fellowships that the candidates can avail when applying the school are listed below:

1. Joseph Wharton Fellowships: awarded to candidates showcasing spectacular academic record and personal plus professional achievements.
2. Forte Fellowships: awarded to female students with splendid academic and professional performance possessing great leadership and creative abilities who can also prove her commitment towards empowerment of women in general.
3. Academic Excellence Fellowship: For outstanding and academically brilliant students enrolled in an MBA program at the institute in term 2 and 3.

Alumni Network

Alumni of the school are usually provided with various benefits including access to offers made by the Credit Union of the college, Alumni Debit Card, Alumni Select, free access to library and health & fitness services and many more.

A few notable alumni of the Wharton School, USA are as follows:

1. Donald Trump – 45th US President
2. Elon Musk – CEO of SpaceX
3. Sundar Pichai – CEO of Alphabet
4. Ivanka Trump – American Businesswoman

In a nutshell, the University of Pennsylvania is one of the top universities in the world that its distinguishing and exceptional services can not be over-emphasized. The UPenn provides degree programs both to undergraduates, masters and Ph.D. programs.

So, if you really want to study in any of the best universities like the University of Pennsylvania, this article gives you insight into UPenn Acceptance Rate, admission requirements and the programs they offer.

Below is an overview of what to expect from this article

Why Study at UPENN?

Located in Philadelphia, UPenn also known as the University of Pennsylvania is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the nation.

In a nutshell, the university was founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin who later became the first president who advocated an educational program that trained leaders in commerce, government, and public service, similar to a modern liberal arts curriculum.

Firstly, the University of Pennsylvania has four bachelor’s degree schools and (12) twelve graduate and professional schools. Then, the school produced the first school of Medicine in North America (Perelman School of Medicine, 1765) and the first collegiate business school (Wharton School, 1881)

Furthermore, the university had an endowment of $14.7 billion in 2019, the seventh largest endowment of all colleges in the United States, as well as a research budget of $1.02 billion.

Then…..

About UPenn Campuses

Much of Ben’s architecture was designed by Cope and Stewardson, whose primary architects included the Gothic architecture of Oxford University and the University of Cambridge with the local landscape to establish the collective Gothic style.

However, the current central campus covers more than 279 acres (113 hectares) in an area adjacent to the University City section of West Philadelphia, while the oldest campus heart includes the historic district on the University of Pennsylvania campus.

Moreso, all Penn schools and most research institutes are on this campus. And, the surrounding neighborhood contains many restaurants, bars, a large luxury grocery store, and a movie theater on the western edge of the campus.

Hence, Penn’s main campus is located on 279 acres in West Philadelphia’s University City section. Moreso, Its campus combines the Gothic architecture of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge with the local landscape, for a Collegiate Gothic style.

Thus, Penn freshmen are required to live on campus, in Du Bois, Fisher-Hassenfeld, Gregory, Hill, Kings Court English, New College House, Riepe, Stouffer, or Ware.

UPenn Ranking

Coming to the ranking aspect, the University of Pennsylvania is ranked  6th in the national Universities by U.S News.

Interestingly, UPenn is rank second-best Universities in the world.

Other International Rankings:

• 15th by QS World University Rankings
• 17th by Academic Ranking of World Universities 
• 12th by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings
• 12 in the world by SCImago Institutions Rankings.

Now, coming to the graduate and professional program rankings, Among its professional schools, the schools of business, communication, dentistry, medicine, nursing, and veterinary medicine rank in the top 5 nationally Penn’s Law School is ranked 7th.

Also, its Design school is 8th, and its School of Education and School of Social Policy and Practice are ranked in the top 10. In the 2010 QS Global 200 Business Schools Report, Penn was ranked 2nd in North America

Do you want to study on scholarship? Here is an opportunity. Check out the University of Pennslyvania scholarship

UPENN Transfer Acceptance Rate

Each school has its own application requirements, which means you have a lot to manage. This marks a transfer admission rate of 5.9%, the lowest transfer admission rate in UPenn’s history.

However, among the 174 students that gets admission, 116 will begin their studies this fall, marking a yield of 66.7%. The yield for last year’s transfer admits stood at 67.3%.

What is UPenn Acceptance Rate?

UPENN Acceptance Rate is very competitive because the percentage of students accepted every year is always low. For instance, only 8.4% of the students that applied for admission were admitted.

That means, out of 44,491 applications received by the school from students, only 3,740 students were accepted last year.

Note, Wharton delivers the knowledge to take action and advance society through leading programs at every level: undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA and doctoral. 

Then, of the admitted students, 2,518 enrolled this year. This means that UPEN has a 67% performance, meaning that most students who are accepted into UPenn choose to attend.

Though, 8.4% may seem daunting or almost impossible to log in, but it is important to remember that your acceptance opportunities depend on the strength of your application profile.

UPenn Wharton Acceptance Rate

The UPENN Wharton School was founded in 1881 through a donation from Joseph Wharton. However, the Wharton school is known as Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Note, UPenn Wharton Acceptance Rate is 8%.

Wharton University students must graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics with at least 1 of the 21 current concentrations. The concentrations range from finance and accounting for individual studies, such as business analysis, social impact, and responsibility.

Note, obtaining concentration requires the student to take 4 semesters outside of what is required in the core curriculum.

The policy has changed recently so that Wharton students can graduate with a maximum of 2 focuses instead of 3.

UPenn Admission Requirements

The University of Pennsylvania’s admission rate is 8.4%. For every 100 applicants, only 8 are allowed.

UPenn admission is very selective. Compliance with GPA and SAT / ACT requirements is extremely important to beat the first round of filters and demonstrate your academic readiness. If you do not meet your expectations, your chance of getting is almost zero.

Now, talking about the admission requirements, there are basic things you should focus:

• GPA requirements
• Testing requirements, including SAT and ACT requirements
• Application requirements

GPA requirements

Many schools set a minimum GPA requirement, but it is often the minimum to submit an application without immediately rejecting it.

However, the really important GPA requirement is the GPA you need to get a real opportunity to enter. For this, we note the average school GPA for current students.

With a GPA of 3.88, the University of Pennsylvania requires it to be near the top of its class, well above the average. Your text should basically show A. Ideally, you have also taken several AP or IB classes to show that you can engage with academics at the university level.

Also…

If you are currently a third or fourth-year student, it is difficult to change the GPA in time for college applications. If your GPA is equal to or less than the school’s 3.88 average, you will need a higher SAT or ACT score to compensate.

Meanwhile, the average ACT score at the University of Pennsylvania is 33. This score makes the University of Pennsylvania Strongly Competitive for ACT scores.

SAT and ACT Requirements

Each school has different requirements for standardized tests. Most schools require SAT or ACT, and many tests require SAT.
The average SAT score at the University of Pennsylvania is 1500 on the SAT 1600 scale.

This result makes the University of Pennsylvania very competitive to obtain SAT test scores.

The new SAT score in 25 percent is 1440, and the new SAT score from the 75 percent is 1560. In other words, 1440 on the new SAT places it below average, while 1560 will raise it above average.

Application Requirements

Every school requires an application with the bare essentials – high school transcript and GPA, application form, and other core information.

However, Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews.

Below is a list of requirements for application

• Fill out the Common Application, answer Penn’s supplementary questions, and pay an application fee of $75 (or apply for a fee waiver)
• Submit an ACT or SAT score
• Your high school transcript and a school report
• And two letters of recommendation from your teachers and one from your guidance counselor
• Submit a mid-year report (if you are a Regular Decision Applicant)
• Submit two SAT Subject Test scores (optional)

Interestingly, you can check out these top universities and colleges in Canada

What are UPenn Programs?

The University of Pennsylvania offers over 79 courses and students are given the opportunity to choose from the varieties of courses. Below are some of the programs offered at UPenn. Here’s a list of some of Penn’s programs: