UPenn Acceptance Rate: Class of 2030 Admissions Statistics

The University of Pennsylvania’s overall acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 stands at 4.87%, with 3,530 students admitted out of 72,544 applicants. This marks their lowest acceptance rate so far.

ED results for the Class of 2030 were released in December 2025. Over 7,800 students applied, but UPenn did not disclose an acceptance rate or the number of students admitted. RD decisions are expected in late March 2026.

In this blog, we’ll walk through UPenn’s latest available overall, early, regular, waitlist, and transfer acceptance rates and see how they’ve changed over time.

• UPenn Acceptance Rates
• UPenn Early Decisions Acceptance Rate
• UPenn Regular Decision Acceptance Rate
• UPenn Transfer Acceptance Rate
• UPenn Waitlist Acceptance Rate
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Takeaways

UPenn Acceptance Rates

UPenn’s overall acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 dropped to 4.87%, a new record low, down from 5.40% recorded for the Class of 2028. This decline stems primarily from a significant rise in applications, up from 65,236 to 72,544, while the number of admitted students remained relatively stable at around 3,500.

UPenn’s overall acceptance rate has dropped by nearly half over eight cycles, falling from 9.30% for the Class of 2021 to a record low of 4.87% for the Class of 2029. See how the numbers have shifted over time:

Note: All data has been compiled from UPenn’s Common Data Set.

Applications have grown by nearly 80% over eight cycles, rising from 40,413 for the Class of 2021 to 72,544 for the Class of 2029. More students are applying to UPenn each year, and that number has gone up consistently with no slowdown in sight.

At the same time, the number of students admitted has stayed roughly the same, falling between around 3,300 and 3,800 across all years. With more applicants competing for largely the same number of spots, the acceptance rate has dropped from 9.30% for the Class of 2021 to a record low of 4.87% for the Class of 2029, nearly cut in half over eight cycles.

UPenn Early Decision Acceptance Rate

UPenn’s Early Decision acceptance rate for the Class of 2028 stands at 14.22%, with 1,235 students admitted from a pool of 8,683 applicants. This is slightly down from the 14.85% rate of the Class of 2027.

UPenn Early Decision acceptance rate trends

The ED rate has also been on a steady decline, falling from 22.03% for the Class of 2021 to its current level. Here is the complete picture by class year:

Note: All figures are drawn from UPenn’s Common Data Set.

ED applications have grown from 6,147 for the Class of 2021 to 8,683 for the Class of 2028, a rise of more than 40%. Meanwhile, the number of admitted ED students has dropped from 1,354 to 1,235 over the same period, pushing the rate down by nearly 8 percentage points.

Despite the decline, ED still offers a meaningful statistical advantage over Regular Decision. For the Class of 2028, the ED rate of 14.22% was nearly three times the overall acceptance rate of 5.40%, reflecting the boost that binding early commitment typically provides at highly selective universities.

UPenn Regular Decision Acceptance Rate

UPenn’s Regular Decision acceptance rate for the Class of 2028 stands at 4.05%, down from 4.45% for the Class of 2027.

UPenn Regular Decision acceptance rate trends

UPenn’s RD acceptance rate has fallen sharply over the past decade, dropping from around 7% for the Classes of 2021 and 2024 to a record-low 4.05% for the Class of 2028. Here is the trend across all available cycles:

Note: Same with ED, all data are sourced from UPenn’s Common Data Set.

RD applications have grown from 34,266 for the Class of 2021 to 56,553 for the Class of 2028, a rise of more than 60%. Meanwhile, the number of admitted RD students has dropped from 2,403 to 2,288 over the same period, pushing the rate down from 7.01% to 4.05%.

For the Class of 2028, the ED rate of 14.22% was more than three times the RD rate of 4.05%, making Early Decision the stronger statistical pathway into UPenn by a wide margin.

UPenn Transfer Acceptance Rate

The most recent available UPenn transfer data comes from Fall 2024, with an acceptance rate of 3.21%. Here is the breakdown:

Note: Fall 2024 transfer data is from UPenn’s Common Data Set for 2024-2025, the same reporting year that includes Class of 2028 first-year admissions data.

UPenn’s transfer process is highly selective and actually more competitive than its first-year admissions. The 3.21% transfer acceptance rate is lower than the 5.40% overall first-year rate for the Class of 2028, making it one of the more difficult transfer processes among highly selective universities.

UPenn Waitlist Acceptance Rate

The most recent available UPenn waitlist data comes from the Class of 2028, with an acceptance rate of 2.88%. Here is the breakdown:

Note: Waitlist data is from UPenn’s Common Data Set for 2024-2025, the same reporting year that includes Class of 2028 first-year admissions data.

The 2.88% waitlist acceptance rate is even lower than UPenn’s already competitive transfer rate of 3.21%.

Being placed on UPenn’s waitlist can feel like an uncertain ending, but it does not have to be. Read our UPenn waitlist guide to understand how the process works and the concrete steps you can take to make the strongest case for your admission.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is UPenn’s current acceptance rate?

The most recent confirmed acceptance rate is 4.87% for the Class of 2029, with 3,530 students admitted from 72,544 applicants.

2. Is it easier to get into UPenn through Early Decision or Regular Decision?

It’s statistically easier to get through Early Decision than Regular Decision. For the Class of 2028, the ED rate was 14.22% compared to 4.05% for RD, more than three times higher. However, ED applicants also tend to be among the most prepared and committed candidates in the pool.

3. How hard is it to transfer to UPenn?

It is very difficult. For Fall 2024, only 145 out of 4,521 applicants were admitted, a 3.21% transfer rate, which is actually lower than the 5.40% first-year rate for the Class of 2028.

4. What are my chances of getting off UPenn’s waitlist?

Slim. For the Class of 2028, only 66 out of 2,288 confirmed waitlisted applicants were admitted, a 2.88% rate that’s lower than both the overall and transfer rates for the same year.

5. Why is UPenn’s acceptance rate so low?

Applications have grown by nearly 80% over eight cycles, from 40,413 for the Class of 2021 to 72,544 for the Class of 2029, while admitted class sizes have stayed largely the same.

Takeaways

• UPenn’s acceptance rate has nearly halved over eight cycles, falling from 9.30% for the Class of 2021 to a record low of 4.87% for the Class of 2029.
• Early Decision offers a clear statistical advantage. For the Class of 2028, the ED rate was 14.22% versus 4.05% for RD, more than three times higher, though ED applicants also tend to be among the strongest in the pool.
• Transfer and waitlist admissions are even more competitive than first-year admissions, with a 3.21% transfer rate and a 2.88% waitlist rate for the Class of 2028, both lower than the overall first-year rate.
• UPenn publishes round-specific data through its Common Data Set, giving applicants more transparency when benchmarking early versus regular decision odds.
• With acceptance rates this low, every part of your application needs to count. Working with a college admissions expert can help you identify what sets you apart and make sure your application reflects your strongest possible case.