PENN ABROAD Contacts• Michael Griego, Associate Director
Main contact for inbound exchange students & partners• Greta Kazenski, Associate Director
Contact for exchange agreement update & renewals• Kristyn Palmiotto, Executive Director
Oversees study abroad office3539 Locust Walk
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Tel: +1-215-898-9073
exchangestudents@upenn.edu
ABOUT PENN
Penn has a long and proud tradition of intellectual rigor and pursuit of innovative knowledge, begun byBenjamin Franklin in 1740. That tradition lives today through the creativity, entrepreneurship, andengagement of our faculty, students, and staff. Penn has a diverse student body of approximately 28,000
undergraduate and graduate students. Penn is one of the world's most powerful research and teaching
institutions, with a research budget topping $1.47 billion and over 5,000 active faculty members.
IMPORTANT WEBSITES
Penn Abroad

global.upenn.edu/pennabroad

Exchange at Penn Website

global.upenn.edu/pennabroad/exchangeatpenn

College of Arts and Scienceswww.college.upenn.edu/

School of Engineering and Applied Science

www.seas.upenn.edu/

School of Nursing

www.nursing.upenn.edu/Wharton School of Business

www.wharton.upenn.edu/

IMPORTANT DATES AND GENERAL DEADLINES
Partner Nomination Deadline
Application Deadline

Student Commitment Deadline
Exchange Program Acceptance Materials
Submission Deadline
Academic Calendar

Fall Semester & Academic Year

March 1, 2024

Spring Semester

September 1, 2024

Fall Semester & Academic Year

March 20, 2024

Spring Semester

September 20, 2024

Fall Semester & Academic Year

May 15, 2024

Spring Semester

November 1, 2024

Fall Semester & Academic Year

June 30, 2024

Spring Semester

November 10, 2024

https://almanac.upenn.edu/penn-academic-calendar

STUDENT APPLICATIONSEligibility••••

Partner
Nomination
Procedures
Late nominations
will not be accepted!

Application
Procedures

Please email the following information to exchangestudents@upenn.edu:• Student’s Last Name
• Student’s First Name
• Gender• Email address• Birthdate (day month year format preferred; i.e. 10 October 2000)• Student’s specific major/area of study• Exchange term (fall/spring/year)• Exchange Program (College of Arts and Sciences/Nursing/Wharton/Engineering)
Note: A nominated student’s major must be within the list of majors in the receiving school.
See here for a list of majors: https://admissions.upenn.edu/learning-at-penn/majors-minors••Visa Application

Minimum 3.0 GPA equivalency
Evidence of solid academic preparation.
English Language Test taken within two years of application deadline (unless waived).
 Minimum DuoLingo English Test score of 130. Results should be sent via
DuoLingo by filtering institution type to “Other” and selecting University ofPennsylvania - Exchange at Penn (Penn Abroad), or Minimum IELTS Overall Band score of 7.0, sent to Penn Abroad via the IELTS
website, or Minimum TOEFL-IBT (Internet-Based Test) score of 100 OR TOEFL-PBT (PaperBased Test) score of 600. The Penn Abroad TOEFL Destination (DI) Code is 3221.
Penn Abroad can only accept official online results.

••

Nominated students will receive an e-mail from Penn Abroad with further instructions
on how to access our online application system and submit materials. English Language
Tests taken within two years of application deadline must be submitted via theappropriate test’s online portal (unless waived). No application materials should bemailed. For further information, please review the Eligibility and Application Process
section of our website: https://global.upenn.edu/pennabroad/exchangeapplication.
Students who require accommodations at Penn due to health conditions should informthe Penn Abroad Exchange Students Team or the Weingarten Center (https://weingartencenter.universitylife.upenn.edu/academic-accommodations/).
All exchange students who are not US citizens or permanent residents are required tohave a student visa to study in the United States. Penn’s International Student andScholar Services will provide information and assistance for J-1 and F-1 student visa
applications to accepted exchange students. For more information, visit
https://global.upenn.edu/isss/new.
US citizens or permanent residents should notify Penn Abroad and provide a copy of
their US passport or permanent residence card when applying.

COURSE INFORMATION
Course LoadRequirements••••

Exchange students are required to maintain full-time enrollment status while studying inthe United States. Students must enroll in a minimum of four course units (usually fourcourses) per semester to maintain full-time enrollment status.
Exchange students are eligible to take undergraduate courses up to the 4999-level.
Students are permitted to enroll in up to two courses outside of their admitting
school per semester.
Students are not permitted to take graduate-level courses OR courses in Penn’sLaw, Medical, Dental, or Veterinary Schools.

Grading Scale andTranscripts•

Letter grades ranging from A to F (with no D- or E) are used to report the standing of astudent upon the completion of each course. Transcripts are sent to the home university
coordinator via secure email approximately one month after the end of the student’s
final semester at Penn. Only ONE free transcript per student will be sent from theregistrar to the host university coordinator. Coordinators will have two weeks todownload the electronic transcript. Paper copies of the transcript will not be mailed.
Students must request and pay for additional copies of the transcript.

Course Registration•Course descriptions and course offerings for specific semesters can be found on the Course
Search website:
https://catalog.upenn.edu/course-search/
Exchange students are assigned an academic advisor from their admitting school/college.
Students register for courses online before beginning their semester. Course offerings
vary each semester and exchange students cannot be guaranteed enrollment in any
particular course.
Some courses require proof of successful completion of pre-requisites or instructor
permission to register. Students should work with the appropriate academic advisor orinstructor upon arrival at Penn for registration in these courses.

•••

POST-ACCEPTANCE INFORMATION
Housing andMeals••

All exchange students are required to live on campus in Penn housing unless meeting
conditions of a qualified exemption. Students must complete an online application forhousing after being accepted into their exchange program. NOTE: Due to high demandand low supply, exchange students often share a room with a roommate and rarely areplaced in single bedroom units.
More information about Penn housing, the application process, and deadlines can befound on the Penn housing website for exchange students: https://residentialservices.business-services.upenn.edu/room-selection#Exchange

Health Insuranceand Immunizations•All exchange students are required to purchase an on-campus meal plan. See here for more
information: https://dining.business-services.upenn.edu/dining-plans/transfer-exchangeupperclass. Further details are provided after students are accepted.

•All exchange students are required to enroll in a comprehensive health insurance as acondition of enrollment at the University of Pennsylvania, and as a requirement set forth by
the United States for all F-1 and J-1 students. Students have the option to enroll in the Penn
Student Insurance Plan or to enroll in another insurance plan of their choosing, provided itmeets certain minimum criteria set forth by Penn Student Health Services. Please review
insurance requirements here.
All exchange students must also submit proof of compliance with Penn’s immunization
requirements following acceptance.

•Orientation andEvents•••

Students admitted for the fall semester or academic year are required to attend amandatory New Student Orientation program. Students will be charged a fee to cover
event participation and meals. More information: www.nso.upenn.edu
Students admitted for the spring semester are required to attend the mandatory
Exchange Student Orientation program in January. A fee to cover events and meals will
be assessed to students.
Throughout the semester, Penn Abroad organizes events and excursions to introduce
students to the culture of Penn, Philadelphia, and the United States. These trips andmixers allow exchange students to meet and mingle with their Penn peers and makelasting connections.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION
EstimatedCosts••

Tuition and academic fees are waived for exchange students. Exchange students are responsible for all other expenses incurred during their time at Penn.
The following estimates are for the 2023-2024 Academic Year: Housing: $12,166
 Meals: $6,330
 Books & Supplies: $1,358
 Health Insurance: $4,210
 Local Transportation: $1,062
 Miscellaneous and Personal Expenses: $2,368
 Round trip flight to Philadelphia (varies): $1,700
 Clinical Fee*: $664
 Incoming Exchange Orientation & Student Activities Fee:
 Fall/Academic Year Admitted Students: Approximately $420; covers housing,orientation programming, most meals during New Student Orientation; subsidizes social and cultural programming during term
 Spring Admitted Students: Approximately $160; covers orientation programming; subsidizes social and cultural programming during term••••

To obtain a student visa, students must produce financial documentation showing thatthey have at least $30,408 (for two semesters) or $15,204 (for one semester) in assets.
These numbers are accurate for 2023-24, but will change for 2024-25. See Penn’s
International Student and Scholar Services office’s website (https://global.upenn.edu/
isss/new-app#finances) for more information.
* The Student Health Service Clinical Fee, which includes unlimited nursing and doctor
visits, is charged to all Penn students, including exchange students each semester.
These figures are estimates for the entire academic year and may vary greatly depending on individual spending habits. All estimates are subject to change without notice.
Instructions on how to pay student bills are distributed to students after acceptance.