Admissions and Visiting Campus

Who should come to study in the College at Penn?

Penn’s College of Arts and Sciences is changing the way students learn because it recognizes that a holistic education is composed of not only memorable classroom experiences, but also service to one’s community and experiential learning through research and professional opportunities. This unique combination attracts applicants who consider themselves to be pioneers with a profound curiosity for exploration. And while most students who apply to the College at Penn are immensely talented, those who ultimately gain admission are the ones the committee finds compelling due to both a passion for learning and a desire to apply this knowledge to change the world.

Planning a Visit

Penn is a dynamic place, and the only way to truly get a vibe about what it’s like to be a student here is… well... to be a student here! You should definitely take a tour and hear from admissions staff when on campus, but you should also make time for the “only at Penn” experiences by attending a College Cognoscenti presentation and visiting a class or two.

College Cognoscenti Presentations

Led by enthusiastic student volunteers, the College Cognoscenti give frequent presentations to families in small groups about what it means to be at Penn from an academic and co-curricular perspective. Independent of undergraduate admissions, the Cognoscenti are a great resource for prospective students since campus tours rarely have time to discuss the curriculum, student research experiences or other academic details specific to Penn's College of Arts and Sciences. Visit their website for presentation schedule and student profiles.

Courses for Visitors

The College created a database to encourage prospective students to taste the academic experience Penn provides. The courses on this list have been vetted, but prospective students might consider emailing the professor in advance to make sure an exam or other special event hasn’t been planned. Classroom visitors should also introduce themselves to the instructor at the beginning of class since you probably don’t want to be called on without having done the reading!

Undergraduate Art & Culture Tour

Prospective students interested in academic and extra-curricular art and culture activities should sign up for an Art and Culture tour of campus, which offers a supplemental and alternative view of campus life from that offered during the Kite and Key/Admissions tour. In addition to visiting Penn's many art and cultural centers, which serve as meeting places for creatively-oriented students and faculty, and often also members of the wider Philadelphia art and culture community, this tour will inform students about Penn's vibrant and unique academic opportunities in the arts and humanities and the inexhaustible art, music, theater, and writing resources offered by the city of Philadelphia.

Tour participants will have the chance to pose questions to students currently majoring in an arts-related discipline, and receive Penn's art and culture information packet. Click here to register >>

Admissions Information Sessions and Tours

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions offers prospective students and their supporters a variety of resources to learn more about Penn and the admissions process. Information sessions and campus tours are held daily throughout the year.