Academics
Philosophy professor Karen Detlefsen to serve as vice provost for education
The vice provost for education oversees undergraduate and graduate education at Penn, designing and implementing policies that promote academic excellence, innovation, and interdisciplinary knowledge.
Staying at Penn this summer? Here’s what will be open on campus.
Though all summer 2021 courses are set to be held online, a number of on-campus services — including libraries, recreational facilities, and the Penn Museum — will be open to students staying in Philadelphia.
Academically Based Community Service courses adapt to year of virtual learning
ABCS courses, which are run by the Netter Center, typically interact with local public schools in West Philadelphia, communities of faith, and community organizations.
Penn InTouch replacement delayed to March 2022
The new system, originally set to debut in late 2020, is set to consist of a number of improvements to the outdated Penn InTouch software, including making the interface more modern and seamless and fixing glitches.
Penn’s Biomedical Library will be renamed, renovated to become interdisciplinary hub
The building will soon be known as the Biotech Commons and is set to feature new collaboration spaces, expanded study rooms, and a digital fabrication lab with 3D- and poster-printing capabilities.
Faculty advocacy group outlines recommendations to govern course end times with new block schedule
Penn's chapter of the American Association of University Professors urged the administration to refrain from encouraging professors to teach through the 10-minute passing time at the end of class meetings.
Suspension of this year’s dean’s list leaves some students disappointed
Some students said that the timing of the announcement, which was made less than two weeks before the end of spring classes, blindsided them, given how hard they worked to receive the award.
Penn suspends dean's list for 2020-2021 academic year
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University suspended dean's list awards to keep academic policies consistent with the previous year, in which Penn also adopted an extended pass/fail grading system.
Penn senior Tathagat Bhatia receives Gates Cambridge Scholarship
Bhatia will pursue a master’s degree in history and philosophy of science at Cambridge, after majoring in science, technology, and society with a concentration in energy and the environment at Penn.
Penn clarifies instructors won’t have to teach for 10 extra minutes under new block schedule
Several faculty members reported unclear communication from administrators about whether they would be required to teach for extra time, and if so, whether they would be compensated.
Penn junior named one of 16 Beinecke Scholars to receive funding for graduate study
The scholarship program is open to college juniors at approximately 135 different colleges and universities, and each university nominates a single student for a potential scholarship.
Here are the College courses that double count for fall 2021
Advance course registration for fall 2021 opens Tuesday and ends April 23.
Penn instructs students to ignore ‘online’ course designations during advance registration
The University is planning to hold all courses in person, regardless of their current location listing on Penn InTouch — some of which are currently listed as "online," and others as "in-person."
From mathematicians to aspiring journalists, meet five members of the Class of 2025
Penn released decisions for regular decision applicants on Tuesday, offering admission to 3,202 students and recording its lowest ever acceptance rate of 5.68%.
Penn accepts record-low 5.68% of applicants to the Class of 2025
This year marked Penn's largest application pool in history, with 56,333 — a 34% increase from last year. Penn offered admission to 3,202 of these applicants
Students praise Penn’s plan to hold class in person this fall
Some students were optimistic that a return to traditional learning will be beneficial for their social and mental health.
Penn Graduate School of Education earns No. 1 spot in U.S. News ranking
The latest rankings mark the first time that Penn GSE was ranked No. 1 and the sixth consecutive year that it was ranked in the top five.
Penn will offer over 100 undergraduate courses virtually this summer
The University will offer completely virtual classes this summer, and the roster will have more variety and seats available than in a typical year.
Penn senior, alum awarded Churchill Scholarship to study at Cambridge University
College senior Adam Konkol and December 2020 College graduate Abigail Timmel were two of 16 people across the country who were awarded the scholarship.