Why Penn sends fewer seniors directly to grad school

As graduation inches closer for the Class of 2015, some Penn seniors are planning to immediately pursue an advanced degree. But this number is small relative to peer schools.

While graduate school is a goal for graduating college seniors across the country, the percentage of Penn students who attend graduate or preprofessional school directly after college is comparatively low. In 2013, 16.2 percent of Penn’s graduating class reported that they had plans to immediately attend graduate school. In 2014, that number dropped to only 12.9 percent.

By comparison, 18 percent of Princeton seniors who graduated in 2013 had plans to attend graduate school right away. At Brown, 22 percent of graduating seniors in both 2013 and 2014 planned to continue their education. Meanwhile, 16 percent of Harvard’s graduating class in 2014 reported that they would be immediately pursuing graduate degrees.

Director of Career Services Patricia Rose said the percentage of Penn seniors who go directly to graduate school is skewed downward by Wharton, as the majority of Wharton students choose to take jobs immediately after they graduate.

“Most Ivy schools do not have undergraduate business schools,” Rose said in an email. “If you eliminate Wharton from the average, it climbs to the 18 to 19 percent range, which is probably closer to other schools.”

Many Penn students who seek employment immediately after they complete their undergraduate degrees choose to return to graduate school after a few years of work. MBA programs, in particular, generally prefer prospective students to have spent time in the workforce before applying.

“The bottom line is that within five years, over 60 percent of Penn graduates have begun or completed a graduate degree,” Rose said. “Penn students want to work and are successful in finding work, want to save money before embarking on another degree, or want to make certain that a particular graduate degree makes sense before matriculating.”

Another reason that seniors may wait to attend graduate school is that taking a few years off gives them a chance to improve their chances of gaining acceptance to graduate programs.

“They may want to strengthen their academic records prior to applying,” Rose said. “But within a few years the majority are pursuing a graduate degree.”

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