University of Pennsylvania

History, Affiliations and Rankings

The University of Pennsylvania is a private Ivy League research institute that was established in the year 1740 as a charity school. Popularly known as Penn University (UPenn), it is located in Philadelphia and is one of the oldest institutions of the USA that was founded by Benjamin Franklin. UPenn is also among the 9 colonial colleges that were created before freedom was announced. In 1755 it was chartered as the College and Academy of Philadelphia. The institution became a university with the founding of the first medical school in colonial America in 1765, although it was not termed so until 1779 when it received state support and funding for a while. It has been a privately endowed and operated institution since 1791, while it still receives public funding. The University of Pennsylvania is further affiliated with many international and national organisations like the Association of American Universities, Consortium on Financing Higher Education, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, 568 Group and Universities Research Association. UPenn is also backed by amazing and prestigious global rankings. QS World University Rankings 2022, THE World University Rankings 2022 and U.S. News Best Global Universities Rankings 2022, all rank UPenn at #13 in their world rankings, respectively. 

Infrastructure, Campuses and Courses

UPenn spreads over a campus area of around 299 acres with more than 100 buildings. It has over 180 research centres and specialized institutes. The College (School of Arts and Sciences), the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of Nursing, and the Wharton School are the university's four undergraduate schools (business education). These schools, as well as graduate schools of Law, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Dentistry, Education, Communication, Fine Arts, and Social Work, provide graduate and professional programmes. A unique fact about graduate schools is that they provide the option to practice specialized dual degree programs. UPenn also has a graduate residential complex called Sansom Place.

Accomplishments and Alumni

Among the many accomplishments, the university built the nation's first medical school in 1765; the first university teaching hospital in 1874, and the Wharton School in 1881 which was the world's first collegiate business school. The university is a recipient of several awards with recent ones that include the 2021 International Architecture Award, Phoenix Award, etc. With unparalleled excellence and delivering quality education, the university stands 1st among the Ivy League schools in the number of students studying abroad. UPenn also provides essential student services like Counseling and Psychological Services, Health facilities, Violence prevention facilities, financial services, etc. The University of Pennsylvania boasts of an exceptional alumni network of over 290,000 living Penn graduates, including notable alumni like Anil Ambani, Elon Musk, Warren Buffet, the Google CEO Sundar Pichai and more. 

Student Diversity and Top Recruiters

Recognized as one of the top US Universities, UPenn offers the best career opportunities to students. The placement scenario is also top-notch at this university. Some of the top recruitment companies include Google, Microsoft, Amazon, AB InBev, Goldman Sachs, Blackstone, JP Morgan, McKinsey, Kraft Foods and Time Inc. The graduates of UPenn earn around 85,000 USD (roughly around INR 63.9 lakhs) as a starting salary and the university boasts one of the highest numbers of graduates who go on to become Fortune 500 CEOs. The student diversity at UPenn comprises more than 25,000 students across 12 schools, with more than 4,000 faculty members.