F.A.Q. for Visitors to Penn

Can I sit in on a class?

Prospective students are invited to attend a class. No advanced reservation is required. Please see Special Visiting Opportunities.

Can I meet with a specific professor or coach?

Visits with faculty, staff, coaches, and leaders of extracurricular organizations are especially useful for students who are particularly focused. Contact the Office of Admissions at least two weeks before visiting the campus at (215) 898-7507 and we will put you in touch with the department that is most knowledgeable about your specific interest.

Can I spend a night in the dorms?

Overnight visits are an excellent way to learn more about academic and social life at Penn. Please see Special Visiting Opportunities.

How do I find out more about the Wharton School?

Wharton information sessions are available Monday-Friday in January, February, May – December at 3:30 p.m., and in March and April at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Saturday sessions are also offered in October and March at 1:30 p.m. All information sessions meet at the Information Desk, Jon M. Huntsman Hall, Locust Walk lobby, 3730 Walnut Street.

How do I set up an interview on campus?

Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate on-campus interviews for all applicants.

Once you have applied, your contact information will be sent to alumni volunteers living in your area who may contact you directly, if there is an active local Alumni Secondary School Committee. An interview is not guaranteed and is not a required part of the admissions process. Only about half of Penn applicants receive alumni interviews.

How do I get to Penn?

Hard work! Seriously, please see Directions to Penn. The Office of Admissions is located in College Hall.

Can I check the status of my application or confirm materials have been received?

If anything is missing from your application, you will be notified and given the opportunity to re-submit missing materials.

Do I need to rush my ACT or SAT test scores?

The January test dates, during the month just after the application deadline of January 1, are the last testing dates from which we can receive scores for consideration. Those scores must be rushed to the University of Pennsylvania Office of Undergraduate Admissions. But other score reports do not need to be rushed.

Is the deadline a postmarked date or received-by date?
It is a postmarked date.

Do you have a preferred method of application (Common Application or Universal College Application, online or paper)?

No. All methods of applying are weighted the same. However, submit all parts of your application using the same method. Please do not apply using both the Common and Universal College applications.

Why are all of those people in the photo wearing red shirts and styrofoam hats?

Hey Day! Every April, on the final day of classes, the Junior Class is officially recognized as the new Senior Class. Hey Day has four major components: the march of the junior class from the Junior Balcony in the Quad to College Green, the President officially proclaiming them seniors, a picnic on Hill Square, and the sporting of fake straw hats, red T-shirts and canes.