Following a months-long pause on applications, Penn Abroad has reinstated eligibility for its program at King’s College London for the general student population.
The reinstatement will allow all students — not simply those in the English department or Wharton School — to participate in the program’s spring 2027 application cycle. Last November, Penn limited applications due to challenges with the program’s admissions and course-registration processes.
In an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian, Associate Director of Study Abroad at Penn Abroad Greta Kazenski said the program was reinstated after changes to KCL’s review process.
The school will now “review applications holistically, including the essays and the letters of recommendation,” Kazenski said, adding that “we think that will give our students a better chance.”
She emphasized that students previously experienced barriers related to course registration and application timing.
“Class registration was really difficult for students,” Kazenski told the DP. “They weren’t getting the classes that they wanted, and the registration process itself was difficult.”
She added that “if students didn’t apply within the first 30 minutes of King’s opening their application portal,” they “didn't have a chance.”
In a separate statement to the DP, Kazenski wrote that “the application cap for this program remains at 25.”
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According to Kazenski, some uncertainty within the application process remains as Penn Abroad navigates the updated system.
“It’ll be the first time that we are going through that, and we don’t know quite how long it will take for students to hear a decision back from King’s,” she said.
While the deadline for fall 2026 study abroad programs has already passed, applications for spring 2027 open next week.
At the start of the fall 2025 semester, Penn Abroad discontinued the Penn English Program in London, prompting disappointment from students and alumni. Kazenski said that Penn still offers “a pathway for English students to participate in a very similar program.”
Although described the exchange pathway as “slightly different,” Kazenski reiterated that participants “have a more integrated student experience with the rest of the King’s undergraduates on campus.”
In addition to the reinstatement of the KCL program, Penn Abroad expanded several other study abroad options, including opportunities at University College London and the Bologna Consortial Studies program for Wharton School students.
A program at IE University of Madrid will also be available for computer science and digital media design students. Penn’s Morocco program was similarly revised to include an intermediate language track.
The reinstatement is the latest in a series of changes rolled out by Penn Abroad over the past year, including program caps, new holding periods, and a software upgrade.
Earlier this month, Penn revamped its study abroad application process and software, introducing a new platform set to take effect for spring 2027 applicants.
Kazenski said the updates are intended to broaden access to study abroad opportunities across different programs and student backgrounds.
“Our goal is that students go and they have a meaningful global experience,” she said. “We want to meet students where they are.”
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Staff reporter Lavanya Mani covers legal affairs and can be reached at mani@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies English. Follow her on X @lavanyamani_.
