University of Pennsylvania: Rankings, Courses & Admissions

The University of Pennsylvania was established in the year 1740 when a blueprint was created for developing a charity school in Philadelphia which would also be a worship destination. However, the costs overshot initial estimates, and the project remained stuck for a long duration. In the year 1749, Benjamin Franklin, the legendary inventor, printer and future founding father of the United States of America (USA), published his famous essay Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth. Benjamin Franklin circulated the essay among the citizens of Philadelphia and organized 24 trustees for setting up a higher education institution. This group bought the building, and in 1751, they opened its doors to children of the gentry and working-class called it the Academy and Charitable School in the Province of Pennsylvania. Franklin remained president of the school till 1755 and a trustee till 1790. 

Ultimately, Penn got its own collegiate charter in 1755, a first-class graduate in 1757 and set up the first medical school in the American colonies back in 1765. It was the first American higher education institution to become a university in 1779. It expanded to another campus in 1802 and outgrew the same, leading to the establishment of another new campus in 1872 at West Philadelphia.

The University of Pennsylvania has students representing every state in the USA along with 100 other countries. It is ranked amongst the top-10 national universities while admitting 10,000 UG students and 10,000 PG and professional students annually. Financial aid is offered to several students, with the institution having disbursed $2billion in UG funding since 2004 to 22,000+ pupils. 46% of UG pupils also got financial aid via grants in 2018-19. One of the world’s biggest research institutions with an annual research budget of $1 billion and 4,000+ active members of faculty. The University of Pennsylvania acceptance rate is 9% as of 2020. 

Some famous alumni include Gloria Allred (American civil rights lawyer), Donald Trump (former US President and businessman), Anil Ambani (Indian businessman and chairman of Reliance Group), Elon Musk (founder of SpaceX and Tesla), Elizabeth Banks (actor), Warren Buffet (CEO of Berkshire Hathaway), Tory Burch (fashion designer), Bruce Dern (two-time winner of the Academy Award and noted actor), Jennifer Eagan (author and Pulitzer Prize winner), Dave Gilboa and Neil Blumenthal (co-CEOs at Warby Parker), and others. Some of them include Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Apple giant Steve Jobs and a successful entrepreneur, Leonard Lauder, chairman emeritus at Estee Lauder; singer-songwriter John Legend, Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of the popular Dr. Oz Show and Ivanka Trump, daughter of former US President Donald Trump.