Penn Abroad has paused study abroad applications to King’s College London for most College of Arts and Sciences students, citing increased challenges with King’s College admissions and course-registration processes.
The update — posted last week on Penn Abroad’s Passport website — stated that applications to King’s College are suspended for all students except those in the Department of English and Wharton School exchange programs. The notice said that the decision “reflects student feedback” and a change to King’s College application process that has limited how many Penn students can be admitted.
In a written statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn Abroad Executive Director Kristyn Palmiotto wrote that King’s College evolving admissions procedures have created recurring difficulties for students outside of the English Department, even when the students had strong applications.
“As a result, we have experienced several semesters of numerous qualified Penn students being either denied admittance to KCL based on the KCL admissions process or experiencing significant challenges enrolling in KCL coursework needed to maintain academic progress at Penn,” Palmiotto stated.
She added that many of these issues surfaced late in the abroad application process, often leaving students with little time to pursue alternatives.
As a result, Penn Abroad decided to temporarily halt sending additional College students to King’s College.
Palmiotto wrote that pause is intended to direct students toward programs that will “best support them through the process and experience” with more dependable course-enrollment pathways and admissions.
According to Palmiotto, English majors and minors remain eligible for the King’s College exchange because the department maintains a “partnership” with the London-based university that includes a clearly defined admissions process and an established academic framework for those students.
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In a statement to the DP, English Department Chair Zachary Lesser wrote that after the Penn English Program in London was discontinued, the English Department worked with Penn Abroad to reserve exchange spots for English students, allowing them to retain access to King’s College despite the broader pause.
Although the English Department was not directly informed of the reason behind the pause, Lesser reasoned that “something may have changed on the KCL side.”
Before the update, King’s College was open to students across Wharton and the College, as well as those in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
“We remain committed to offering high-quality programs,” the online notice read, adding that Penn will “revisit broader participation in the future.”
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Staff reporter Phoebe Anagnos contributes to data and enterprise reporting and can be reached at panagnos@sas.upenn.edu. At Penn, she studies architecture and earth science. Follow her on X @phoebeeanagnos.
