UPenn Acceptance Rate: Class of 2030 Admissions Statistics

The University of Pennsylvania’s overall acceptance rate for the Class of 2030 stands at 5.84%, with 3,575 students admitted out of 61,264 applicants. This marks a modest rebound from the record low set by the Class of 2029.

ED results for the Class of 2030 were released in December 2025 with over 7,800 students applications. Penn then released Regular Decision results in March 2026, wrapping up the University’s first admissions cycle since reinstating its standardized testing requirement.

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 2030 rose to 5.84%, up from the record low of 4.87% recorded for the Class of 2029. This increase stems primarily from a notable decline in applications, down from over 72,000 to over 61,000, while the number of admitted students remained relatively stable at around 3,500.

UPenn’s overall acceptance rate has dropped by more than half over nine cycles, falling from 9.30% for the Class of 2021 to a record low of 4.87% for the Class of 2029, before ticking back up to 5.84% for the Class of 2030. See how the numbers have shifted over time:

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

Applications peaked at 72,544 for the Class of 2029 before pulling back to 61,264 for the Class of 2030. Meanwhile, the number of students admitted has stayed roughly the same, consistently falling between around 3,300 and 3,800 across all years. With more applicants competing for largely the same number of spots over the long run, the acceptance rate has dropped significantly from 9.30% for the Class of 2021, even with the slight uptick seen in the most recent cycle.

UPenn Early Decisions Acceptance Rate

For the Class of 2030, over 7,800 students applied through the Early Decision Program, down from 9,500 the year prior. However, UPenn did not disclose how many were admitted or the resulting acceptance rate. As a result, no ED acceptance rate is available for the most recent cycle.

The most recent cycle with complete ED data is the Class of 2029, where the ED acceptance rate stood at 18.95%, based on the estimated 1,800 students admitted from a pool of 9,500 applicants, representing 51% of the entire admitted class.

UPenn Early Decision acceptance rate trends

UPenn’s ED acceptance rate has fluctuated over the past nine cycles, falling from a high of 22.03% for the Class of 2021 before recovering to 18.95% for the Class of 2029. Here is the complete picture by class year:

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

ED applications grew from 6,147 for the Class of 2021 to a peak of 9,500 for the Class of 2029, before dipping to approximately 7,800 for the Class of 2030. The Class of 2029 saw a meaningful jump in the ED acceptance rate to 18.95%, up from 14.22% for the Class of 2028, suggesting UPenn leaned more heavily on its ED pool that cycle.

Despite year-to-year variation, ED continues to offer a significant statistical advantage over Regular Decision. For the Class of 2029, the ED rate of 18.95% was substantially higher than the overall acceptance rate of 4.87%, reflecting the boost that binding early commitment typically provides at highly selective universities.

UPenn Regular Decision Acceptance Rate

UPenn’s most recent Regular Decision acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 stands at 2.74%, with 1,730 students admitted from 63,044 applicants, a steep drop from 4.05% for the Class of 2028. For the Class of 2030, Penn released RD results with a total of 53,464 students applied in the Regular Decision round, though UPenn has not released round-specific admission figures.

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 2.74% for the Class of 2029. Here is the trend across all available cycles:

Note: All data are sourced from UPenn’s Common Data Set.

RD applications grew from 34,266 for the Class of 2021 to 63,044 for the Class of 2029, a rise of more than 80%, before declining to 53,464 for the Class of 2030. Over that same period, the number of admitted RD students dropped from 2,403 for the Class of 2021 to 1,730 for the Class of 2029, pushing the rate down sharply from 7.01% to 2.74%. The Class of 2029 marked a particularly significant tightening in the RD pool, likely reflecting UPenn’s heavier reliance on ED admissions that cycle.

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 is actually more competitive than its first-year admissions. The 3.21% transfer acceptance rate is lower than the 5.84% overall first-year rate for the Class of 2030, 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 5.84% for the Class of 2030, with 3,575 students admitted from 61,264 applicants.

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

It is statistically much easier to get in through Early Decision. For the Class of 2029, the ED rate was 18.95% compared to just 2.74% for RD. 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 5.84% first-year rate for the Class of 2030.

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, resulting in a 2.88% rate that is lower than both the overall and transfer rates for the same year.

5. Why does UPenn’s acceptance rate fluctuate?

The rate is driven primarily by application volume relative to class size. The record low of 4.87% for the Class of 2029 was largely the result of a surge to 72,544 applications, while the rebound to 5.84% for the Class of 2030 reflects a meaningful decrease in applications to 61,264, with admitted class size holding roughly steady.

Takeaways

• UPenn’s overall acceptance rate rose to 5.84% for the Class of 2030, up from a record low of 4.87% for the Class of 2029, driven by a decline in applications rather than a meaningful expansion of the admitted class.
• The Class of 2030 was the first admitted under UPenn’s reinstated standardized testing requirement, with ED results released December 18, 2025, and RD results released March 26, 2026.
• Early Decision offers a substantial statistical advantage. For the Class of 2029, the ED rate was 18.95% versus just 2.74% for RD, though ED applicants also tend to be among the strongest in the pool.
• Transfer and waitlist admissions remain even more competitive than first-year admissions, with a 3.21% transfer rate and a 2.88% waitlist rate for the most recent available data, both lower than the overall first-year rate.
• With acceptance rates this low across all pathways, 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.