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Transferring to Penn: your chances, deadlines and credits

2027 application cycle. Last updated . By The founders of Stairly

Penn transfer acceptance rate

Penn's transfer acceptance rate for fall 2025 was 3.1%. 113 transfer students enrolled. The first-year rate the same year was 4.9%.

Source: Official school data report, section D, 2025-2026

Transfer applicants, fall 2025
  • Applied5,144
  • Admitted162
  • Enrolled113
Share admitted, same year
  • Transfer applicants3.1%
  • First-year applicants4.9%

The Common Data Set is the official data report colleges publish each year.

Transfer and first-year applicants are different groups. Use the first-year rate as context only.

A rate this low tells you how few seats exist. It says nothing about you. No GPA makes this safe.

What Penn looks for

You apply to one Penn school: the College of Arts and Sciences, Penn Engineering, Nursing, Wharton or Penn LPS. Each school has its own requirements.

Source: Penn transfer requirements and deadlines, 2026-2027

The school you pick sets how far along you can be. The College takes second- and third-year transfers with up to two years of credit. Engineering and Wharton typically take one year of credit and enter you as a second-year. Nursing takes up to two years of credit, but every admit enters as a second-year.

Source: Penn transfer eligibility and credit guidelines, 2026-2027

Our read: If you are finishing your second year, the College is the school the page describes as taking third-year transfers. For Wharton or Engineering, expect to be placed as a second-year, whatever you have finished.

You need at least one full year of transferable coursework, 8 semester courses or the equivalent, done by the spring term before you enroll. Penn says it does not admit midyear.

Source: Penn transfer eligibility and credit guidelines, 2026-2027

You need one letter from a professor, with an optional second letter. Choose recent college instructors, ideally in your intended area of study. A counselor recommendation is not required.

Source: Penn transfer requirements and deadlines, 2026-2027

If you plan to enter as a second-year, professors report your current course grades on a mid-term report form you send through the Penn Portal.

Source: Penn transfer requirements and deadlines, 2026-2027

What GPA do you need?

Penn gives no GPA line on these pages.

Source: Penn transfer requirements and deadlines, 2026-2027; Penn transfer eligibility and credit guidelines, 2026-2027

Our read: No GPA makes this safe. With no published line, your course choices and grades in your intended area will carry the file.

Transfer essays and supplements

Our read: Penn asks for all four. The transfer essay carries the reasons for leaving. Keep them forward-looking and say what Penn gives you that you cannot get now.

Our read: The fourth essay is written for the one Penn school you chose. Name courses and programs from that school, not the university in general.

Our read: The thank-you note is not a second transfer essay. Pick one person and one specific thing they did, and keep it short.

Your grades are mostly set. Your essay is not. Get a free review against the six things a transfer essay has to do.

AI models process your essay. See how we handle it.

Transfer requirements

Penn requires an essay, recommendation letters, SAT or ACT scores, college transcripts and a minimum number of college credits.

  • EssayRequired

    4 prompts are quoted in the essay section.

    Source, 2026-2027

  • Recommendation lettersRequired

    One letter from a professor, with an optional second letter.

    Source, 2026-2027

  • SAT or ACT scoresRequired

    SAT or ACT scores are required, from tests taken within the past 5 years. Applicants facing hardship can submit a waiver through the application. Last test dates accepted are February 2027 (ACT) and March 2027 (SAT).

    Source, 2026-2027

  • College transcriptsRequired

    Official transcripts from all high schools and colleges attended.

    Source, 2026-2027

  • Minimum credits before you applyRequired

    At least one full year of transferable academic course work (8 semester courses or equivalent from a non-semester system) should be completed by the spring term prior to enrollment.

    Source, 2026-2027

SAT or ACT is required, from tests taken within the past 5 years. Applicants facing hardship can request a waiver in the application.

Source: Penn transfer requirements and deadlines, 2026-2027

Apply with the Common App or the Coalition Application. Penn treats both equally. Submit only one, and do not mix materials across them. The fee is $75, with a fee waiver for significant financial burden.

Source: Penn transfer requirements and deadlines, 2026-2027

A school official must complete the College Report. You cannot submit it yourself. Pass/fail or credit/no credit courses must show a C or better, shown by a revealed grade, a professor's written evaluation or your school's policy.

Source: Penn transfer requirements and deadlines, 2026-2027

Penn does not grant credit for dual-enrollment courses. If you are still in high school, or finishing senior year alongside college, apply as a first-year. A bachelor's degree holder cannot transfer to an undergraduate school.

Source: Penn transfer eligibility and credit guidelines, 2026-2027

Transfer deadlines for fall 2027

For fall 2027 entry, the application deadline is March 15, 2027.

Source: University of Pennsylvania transfer information, 2026-2027

  • You send or do something
  • The school answers
  1. January

    January 5, 2027

    Application opens

    Source, 2026-2027
  2. February

    February 2027

    Last accepted ACT date

    Source, 2026-2027
  3. March

    March 15, 2027

    Application deadline

    Source, 2026-2027

  4. March 2027

    Last accepted SAT date

    Source, 2026-2027

The application opens January 5, 2027 and is due March 15, 2027. The last accepted test dates are February 2027 for the ACT and March 2027 for the SAT. Penn admits for fall only.

Source: Penn transfer requirements and deadlines, 2026-2027; Penn transfer eligibility and credit guidelines, 2026-2027

Our read: The mid-term report is the item that sneaks up on people. It needs your professors to act, so ask them early in the spring term.

Will your credits transfer?

Up to 16 course units can count. Each course needs a C or better.

  • Most credits that can transfer

    Up to 16 course units

    Maximum of 16 course units from a two-year or four-year college, from the 2025-26 Common Data Set (p. 15). Penn counts course units, not semester credits.

    Source, 2025-2026

  • What can transfer

    C or better

    Credit requires a C or better, in an academic course at a regionally accredited college, similar in content and hours to Penn's, with at least 40 contact hours each term. Final decisions are made by Penn departments after enrollment.

    Source, 2026-2027

  • What you must finish there

    At least half of all courses, and at least half of the courses for the major, should be completed at Penn.

    Source, 2026-2027

After admission you get a preliminary estimate in the Penn Applicant Portal. It is not final and does not include your spring grades. Final decisions come from each department after you enroll, when you submit every course through XCAT with its syllabus and an official transcript with spring grades.

Source: Penn transfer eligibility and credit guidelines, 2026-2027

Credit generally needs a regionally accredited school, a C or higher, a match to a Penn course in content and credit hours, and at least 40 contact hours per term. Online courses, especially asynchronous ones with no live meetings, are less likely to transfer, and some departments do not accept them. Summer coursework right before enrollment typically does not count.

Source: Penn transfer eligibility and credit guidelines, 2026-2027

Transferred credits show on your record, but their grades are not on the transcript or in your Penn GPA. Penn requires two years of enrollment, with at least half your courses and half your major courses done at Penn.

Source: Penn transfer eligibility and credit guidelines, 2026-2027

Our read: Keep every syllabus. Pick live, in-person sections for courses you need to count. Do not plan on a summer class before enrollment counting.

Build a full list

Financial aid at Penn needs a separate application, and Penn provides checklists by applicant type.

Source: Penn transfer requirements and deadlines, 2026-2027

Our read: You pick one Penn school, so choose the one whose credit rules match how far along you are. You cannot hedge across schools.

If you leave after one term, Penn says you may apply to the first-year class the following August.

Source: Penn transfer eligibility and credit guidelines, 2026-2027

  • Apply to schools across more than one tier. Do not build the list around one long shot.
  • Keep your grades up this term. Most transfer readers see your latest work.
  • Decide now what you do if every answer is no. Staying and finishing strong is a real plan.

Questions students ask

Do I need the SAT or ACT?

Yes, from the past 5 years. A hardship waiver is available in the application.

Source: Penn transfer requirements and deadlines, 2026-2027

Do I need a counselor recommendation?

No. You need one professor letter, and a second is optional.

Source: Penn transfer requirements and deadlines, 2026-2027

Can I start in the spring?

No. All admitted students start in the fall.

Source: Penn transfer eligibility and credit guidelines, 2026-2027

How long would I be at Penn?

Penn has a two-year enrollment requirement. At least half your total courses must be taken at Penn.

Source: Penn transfer eligibility and credit guidelines, 2026-2027

Sources

Numbers come from official reports, read by our tools and checked. Notes were drafted with AI tools from the official pages linked beside them. A person has not reviewed this guide yet. Admission decisions belong to each college, and no one can promise one.

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