Priority
New Opportunities for College Students
College students go on to do great things: conduct groundbreaking research; found companies and nonprofits; lead in government, health care, the private sector, and the arts; and serve communities around the globe. It all starts with our pledge to make a Penn education accessible and affordable for every admitted student. Simply put, a gift to undergraduate financial aid powers Penn’s promise to admit the most talented scholars and inspires them to make a difference in the world.
46%Penn undergraduates receive direct grant support |
$57,075Average financial aid package totals, more than double the 2001 average |
$89 millionSchool undergraduate aid expenses |
*AS OF FY20
Why it Matters
A Message from Dean Fluharty
As Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences, I am proud of Penn’s commitment to financial aid and need-blind admissions. Here at the College, we can admit the brightest, most motivated students, regardless of their financial backgrounds. Our promise to provide grants rather than loans to all domestic students means that every admitted student can graduate without the burden of insupportable debt.
This tremendous investment in our students has an incredible impact on their lives and the lives of their entire families. I see the difference it makes in our classrooms, and I know what it will mean to the world these students will shape.
Our grant packages present an academic advantage and a financial challenge. The School of Arts & Sciences is the academic home for the majority of Penn’s undergraduates and thus provides the majority of the University’s financial aid. Endowment income covers only a small fraction of the School’s financial aid budget; the remainder must come from operating funds.
Donors committed to making a College education available to all admitted students support the overall mission of the School of Arts & Sciences. Scholarships have a twofold effect: they make a College education available to those for whom it would otherwise be out of reach, and they alleviate financial pressure on the School, making it possible to invest in in other academic opportunities for our students.
I ask you to consider endowing an undergraduate scholarship and to designate your gift to support for students in the College. No single factor will have greater impact on the future of undergraduate education in the College than increased endowment for financial aid.
Steven J. Fluharty, Dean and Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Professor of Psychology, Pharmacology, and Neuroscience
Angela, C’23
When Angela is not practicing with the rest of the Penn synchronized swimming team, studying biochemistry, or working with the Chinese Student Association, she spends her time as the Marketing Co-Chair for the Foundation of International Medical Relief for Children (FIMRC). FIMRC recently took on the mission of an Adopt-A-Project, specifically water purifiers for a rural village in Peru. Angela has also volunteered at The Clyde F. Baker Penn Transplant House, organizing game nights for patients and even cooking them brunch. “From where my family grew up in mainland China, I am still aware of the lack of medical help and access to medical resources for many countryside families and their children,” she says. Once she graduates, Angela plans on attending medical school to become a physician so that she can continue doing this important work.
Bailey, C’23
Bailey came into Penn with a plan but taking Philosophy of Law in the spring of her freshmen year helped her find her true passion and pursue a double major in political science and philosophy with a minor in anthropology. Bailey has continued to follow her interests ever since then by deciding to also earn a Persian Language Certificate, co-chairing Programs for Religious, Interfaith, and Spiritual Matters (PRISM), and wearing multiple hats at Williams Café, a student run café on campus. Penn has given Bailey the opportunity to broaden her horizons by diving into her interests. After she graduates, Bailey is interested in working in the field of the international law, specifically personal expression. Being in the Named Scholarship Program has given Bailey the confidence to take academic risks and pursue all these different paths knowing that there was someone out there who is supporting her education.
Jaydin, C’23
When Jaydin first found out that he had been accepted to Penn, he still was not sure if he would be able attend a university all the way across the country. But when he learned he received a Named Scholarship, Jaydin knew he would have the support system in pla ce that would allow him to thrive. And thrive he has. At the start of his freshman year, Jaydin joined Black Wharton Consulting, a student gro up that provides support to Black and minority owned businesses in the Philadelphia area. Through this experience he worked with both a full-service creative agency and a podcast network. When Jaydin returned home early due to COVID-19, he continued this consulting work by meeting through video calls and working from home until his project was complete, highlighting his dedication as he also focused on his coursework. These projects and Jaydin’s whole Penn experience have opened his eyes to all that is available to him and introduced him to people who have helped to guide him during this journey.
International Students
Support
Giving Opportunties
Penn is committed to meeting the increasing needs of talented students, for whom an Ivy-League education would not be possible without financial aid. With every gift to the Undergraduate Named Scholarship Program, donors affirm their belief in equalizing opportunity. Matching funds can expand the impact of our donors who share in this commitment.
Create a scholarship supporting nearly the average grant need of one student each year in perpetuity with a gift of $1 million
Your gift of $750,000 may be matched with up to $250,000 in challenge funds.
Create a scholarship providing nearly half of the average grant need of one student each year in perpetuity with a gift of $500,000
Your gift of $400,000 may be matched with up to $100,000 in challenge funds.
Create a scholarship providing a nearly a quarter of the average grant need of one student each year in perpetuity with a gift of $300,000
Your gift of $250,000 may be matched with up to $50,000 in challenge funds.
Create a scholarship in support of one student each year in perpetuity with a gift of $125,000
Create a Young Alumni Scholarship with a gift of $75,000
This opportunity is available to donors up to 10 years after graduation. Your gift of $75,000 may be matched with up to $75,000 in challenge funds to create a scholarship supporting one student each year in perpetuity.
Contact
To learn more about supporting undergraduate financial aid, please contact Deb Rhebergen, Vice Dean for Advancement, at drheberg@sas.upenn.edu or visit Penn’s scholarship giving page.
Over the past two decades, the number of international students at Penn has doubled and applications have risen by more than 300 percent. Today, more than 1,300 students from 108 countries—that’s 13 percent of our undergraduates—are enrolled at the University, establishing the foundation to become the creative, dynamic leaders the world needs. As the largest undergraduate school on campus, the College of Arts & Sciences is the potential home for many of these applicants. Creating a need-blind international undergraduate admissions policy would level the playing field—all applicants would be considered on their merits alone.