Student Life
Meet five of Penn’s 20 Fulbright scholars for the 2021-2022 academic year
The Fulbright Program, paid for by the United States government, funds up to 12 months of international experience for the award recipients.
School of Arts and Sciences will no longer require social distancing indoors
All offices, conference rooms, classrooms, and labs are available to use at full capacity, and PennOpen Pass will no longer be used to enter buildings.
2021 graduate paints campus food truck with Chinese paintings to counter anti-Asian hate
Rosa Sun completed the project for FNAR 489: Senior Seminar Project (Spring), a required course for fine arts and design students.
Penn drops outdoor mask mandate for fully vaccinated community members
Both the City of Philadelphia and Penn will still require that masks are worn indoors until at least June 11, when the city plans to reevaluate the policy.
Penn eases summer COVID-19 campus and travel restrictions, upholds testing requirements
The updated guidelines remove restrictions on Penn-affiliated travel, allow departments to host visitors on campus, and permit the use of on-campus spaces.
Penn holds limited in-person commencement to honor Class of 2021
The commencement ceremony brought members of the Class of 2021 together after more than a year of online learning and several pandemic-altered milestones in their Penn careers.
Penn's undergraduate COVID-19 case count remains low in final weeks of spring semester
From May 2 through May 8, only four undergraduate students tested positive, less than 0.10% of students who were tested for COVID-19.
The Graduation Issue 2021: 2020-2021 Year in Review
The Class of 2021's final year at Penn was marked by pandemic-induced modifications to academics and campus life, featuring online classes, COVID-19 testing, and a largely shuttered campus.
The Graduation Issue 2021: 2019-2020 Year in Review
The Class of 2021's junior year started off like any other, but was upended as the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe, forcing students to cut their spring semester on campus short and transition to online learning.
The Graduation Issue 2021: 2017-2018 Year in Review
From the Eagles' first-ever Super Bowl victory, to a contentious Amy Wax op-ed, the Class of 2021's first year at Penn was defined by celebration and controversy.
Ten Penn seniors receive $100,000 in funding for community and social impact projects
The prizes are awarded annually to graduating seniors to encourage them to design engagement projects that will make a positive difference in the world in their first year after college.
College senior and Dental School first year Matthew Wang dies at 22
Wang was a 22-year-old student in the accelerated seven-year joint Biology-Dental program from Princeton Junction, New Jersey.
Penn Environmental Group releases sustainability cookbook for students
The cookbook contains vegan and vegetarian recipes, as well as some that include meat and seafood. There are also pages dedicated to indoor herb gardening, composting, local farmers’ markets, and multipurpose cooking.
Penn's undergraduate case count remains low for third straight week as end of semester nears
Director of Campus Health Ashlee Halbritter said the continued low case count was good news and urged students to continue following public health guidelines as the end of the semester nears.
United States to allow some international students to come to campus in the fall
The U.S. Department of State announced on Monday that foreign nationals from China, Iran Brazil, South Africa, the Schengen area of Europe, the United Kingdom, and Ireland will be allowed to enter the United States.
Penn Climate Ventures holds inaugural environmental tech startup competition
The event was part of Penn Climate Venture's mission to encourage climate careers by extending climate programming to students through opportunities working in energy and entrepreneurship, and to improve campus sustainability.
Winners of 2020 President’s Engagement Prize switch focus to restorative justice
Collective Climb, which was founded by 2020 College graduate Hyungtae Kim, 2020 Wharton graduate Kwaku Owusu, and 2020 College graduate Mckayla Warwick, was originally awarded the prize to fight poverty by utilizing Philadelphia’s community assets.
Penn to require all students to receive COVID-19 vaccine ahead of in-person fall semester
The University expects that masks will still be required in many locations on campus and COVID-19 testing may still be mandatory.
Students face extra obstacles to safe sex during the pandemic
Campus Health director Ashlee Halbritter expressed concerns over what Campus Health calls the "Romeo and Juliet Effect," an interconnected system that can put multiple students and their romantic partners at risk for COVID-19.