The early decision acceptance rate for the Class of 2025 marks a 4.7 percentage point decrease from last year. This year, 7,962 students applied through the University's early decision program, a 23% increase from last year's 6,453 applicants.

While most colleges assure students that they will not be at a disadvantage if they do not submit test scores, some college counseling specialists question the assertion.

The admissions office decided back in March that their fall programming – like tours and information sessions, as well as traveling to speak at high schools – would be virtual, five months before the University went fully online.

Dean of Admissions Eric Furda said he does not expect the gap year increase to have a “significant impact on the selectivity or opportunity” during the upcoming admission cycle. 

Students, including Kite and Key Society president and Rising Engineering senior Sofia Gonzalez, said they were shocked and saddened by Furda's decision to leave the University after leading the Admissions Office for 12 years.

After leading Penn's Admissions Office since 2008, Furda will join the college counseling team at William Penn Charter School.

Penn admitted 196 students out of 2,506 transfer applicants for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Although students will be able to submit standardized test scores, those who do not submit will not be at a disadvantage.

Brian Taylor, managing director of New York City-based college admissions consulting firm Ivy Coach, believes the decision will influence other universities, and said it is likely that highly selective universities, such as Ivy League institutions, will be test-optional in the future. 

College Board and ACT testing agencies canceled and postponed multiple test dates in response to the pandemic, prompting many universities to change standardized test requirements for future applicants.

Each tour is capped at 50 students, and led by two Kite and Key tour guides and up to four admissions officers to ensure all questions asked through the Zoom platform’s chat feature are answered.

Admissions experts say schools are anxious about international students possibly not being able to arrive on campus for the fall semester, and about domestic students who may choose to take a gap year instead of enrolling amid the coronavirus.

Because U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services suspended routine visa services at all embassies and consulates due to COVID-19, it is unclear if new international students will be able to secure visas in time for the fall semester.

The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with some of the admitted students of the Class of 2024. Here are their stories.

Penn admitted 3,404 out of 42,205 applicants for the Class of 2024. At 8.07%, this year's acceptance rate is slightly higher than last year's 7.44%.

This year's Quaker Days events, which were planned for April 6 and April 15, and the Multicultural Scholars Preview program on April 14, have been canceled, Dean of Admissions Eric Furda wrote in a press release.

Penn received 42,191 applications for the Class of 2024, nearly 3,000 less than last year's applicant pool, breaking nearly a decade of steady growth.