Penn Class of 2029 admissions report shows rise in first years from underrepresented groups

Penn released demographic data for the Class of 2029 on Friday, revealing an increase in the percentage of students from groups historically underrepresented in higher education.

According to the Sept. 5 report, 21% of the Class of 2029 are first-generation students, and 24% are from historically underrepresented backgrounds in higher education, as opposed to 19% and 23% of the Class of 2028, respectively. Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the admission trends reflect the University’s broader intentions for future classes at Penn.

“We’re pleased to see an increase in students who are the first in their family to attend college and students who are eligible for a Pell Grant,” Soule wrote in a statement to the DP. “Welcoming first-generation and lower-income students continues to be a priority for us, made possible by Penn’s significant annual investments into undergraduate financial aid.”

In the Class of 2029, 23% are eligible for Pell Grants, and 259 students were admitted through the QuestBridge program, reflecting a 2% increase in Pell Grant-eligible students and 20 more students affiliated with QuestBridge than the Class of 2028.

The Class of 2029 is also larger as a whole than the Class of 2028, containing 2,421 students as opposed to 2,396. The change is in line with the larger pool of applicants — 72,544 applications in comparison to last year’s 65,236 — that Penn saw during the 2024-25 admissions cycle.

As Penn remained test-optional, data — reflective only of first-year students who chose to submit test scores during their admissions processes — reported that the middle 50% of the class showed a shift in the distribution of scores compared to previous years. For the interquartile range of students in the Class of 2029, 63% submitted an ACT score of 35 or 36, while 83% submitted SAT scores between 1500 and 1600. 

The gender breakdown of the incoming class has remained consistent over the past two years, with 53% identifying as female, 46% identifying as male, and 1% identifying as transgender, nonbinary, or gender-questioning.

Other demographic data of the Class of 2029 — including geographic, gender-identity, and the early decision acceptance rate — remained comparable to previous years.