How to Get Into Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania: The Definitive Guide (2026-2027 Cycle)

The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn, often called UPenn or Penn Med) is a private MD school in the University City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1765, it is the nation’s first medical school, and it remains one of the most research-intensive and selective medical schools in the country. The 2026 entering class had a median MCAT of 522 and a median GPA of 3.98.

This guide covers the 2026-2027 application cycle, which is for students who want to start medical school in August 2027. It explains who can apply (including international and DACA applicants), what Penn requires and what it does not, how the IMPaCT curriculum and its three Cores work, what the 2026-27 budget really costs, and how the single March decision date shapes your year. It also walks through all six 2026-2027 secondary prompts with a full illustrative answer and analysis for each, the one-on-one interview, the people who lead the school, and student life in Philadelphia.

Penn admits MD and MD/PhD students through one application process on one campus, and every verified AMCAS applicant receives the supplemental application. That makes the secondary and the interview the places where most of the real competition happens. The sections below are ordered the way you will meet each step, from first research through the decision in March. Figures were checked on October 17, 2026.

Key Takeaways

• Eligibility is broad. Penn applies the same admissions standards to all applicants, including international applicants, and welcomes applications from DACA and undocumented students. You need a bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. or Canadian college before you matriculate. A degree from outside the U.S. or Canada requires one full-time year of science coursework at a U.S. or Canadian school first.
• There are no required courses. Penn uses a competency model: you must show competency in biology, chemistry, physics, biochemistry and mathematics, plus communication and the behavioral sciences, but no specific course list is required.
• The academic bar is very high. The 2026 entering class had a median MCAT of 522 and a median overall GPA of 3.98. There is no published cutoff, and the class range was 510-528 for the MCAT and 3.66-4.00 for GPA. For the 2025 entering class, 800 of 7,097 verified applicants (about 11%) were interviewed.
• Two deadlines matter. AMCAS is due October 15 and the supplemental, $100 fee, MCAT score and letters are due November 15, both at 11:59 p.m. ET. Deadlines are strictly enforced.
• Decisions come on one date. Interviews run from September to January, and Penn releases all MD and MD/PhD admission decisions in March. Only interviewed applicants are considered.
• Cost is high, and aid is real. For 2026-27, tuition is $73,852, tuition and fees are $80,511, and the first-year budget is $117,173 for every student. Penn awards about 35 full-tuition scholarships a year, and 2024 MD graduates left with about $150,000 in educational debt on average.
• Training is flexible. The IMPaCT curriculum moves students into clerkships in January of the second year and gives 24 weeks of open time in Core 3. More than half of each class stays beyond four years for a dual degree, research or global health.
• Next step: submit AMCAS early, line up a committee letter or three faculty letters (one from science), and draft your 3,000-character uncertainty essay before the supplemental arrives.

Key Statistics About Perelman School of Medicine

The snapshot below pulls together the figures most applicants ask about first. Class statistics are for the 2026 entering class, application and interview counts are for the 2025 entering class (the newest cycle with those counts), and cost figures are from Penn’s student budget for the 2026-27 academic year. The table lists the year and source of each figure.

Two points help you read these numbers. First, Penn publishes medians and ranges for the students who enrolled, not for everyone who was offered a seat, so they describe the class that came, not a cutoff. A 3.66 GPA and a 510 MCAT both appear in the 2026 class. Second, Penn has no in-state or out-of-state price. Every MD student pays the same tuition, and the class came from 29 states of legal residence and 67 undergraduate schools.

Applicant and interview counts, and any acceptance rate, should be read carefully wherever you see them. For the 2025 entering class, Penn received 7,097 verified applications and interviewed 800 applicants, so about 11% of applicants reached the interview stage. That interview share is not an acceptance rate. An acceptance rate is offers divided by applicants for the same cycle, and Penn’s offer count is not published. Dividing the 153 matriculants by applicants gives a much smaller number (about 2%) that measures yield, not your odds. Out-of-state applicants made up about 84% of applications and 85% of the 2025 class.

Mission and Educational Priorities

Penn’s medical school states its mission this way: “Our mission is to advance knowledge and improve health through research, patient care, and education in a community that fosters innovation, stimulates critical thinking, embraces equal opportunity, supports lifelong learning, and sustains our legacy of excellence.” The statement appears on the Perelman School of Medicine overview page.

Three parts of that sentence matter for applicants.

Research comes first in the list. Penn is a research school at its core. Penn Medicine reported $1,010,817,000 in total sponsored research and $588,138,132 in NIH awards for fiscal year 2024. Every MD student completes a Scholarly Pursuit, a mentored, hypothesis-driven project of at least 12 weeks, and more than half of each class stays beyond four years for research, a second degree or global health work. You do not need a publication list to be admitted, but you should be able to talk about questions you have asked and how you tried to answer them.

Patient care and education sit beside research. As the nation’s first medical school, with Pennsylvania Hospital (the nation’s first hospital) part of its health system, Penn trains students inside a large academic medical center. Students learn in the Henry A. Jordan M’62 Medical Education Center, which connects to the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and the Smilow Center for Translational Research, so classroom, clinic and lab are steps apart.

The community language is about how people learn together. “Fosters innovation,” “stimulates critical thinking,” “embraces equal opportunity” and “supports lifelong learning” describe a learning culture. In practice that means learning teams in Core 1, the Perelman Houses for peer mentoring, and a “One University” policy that lets medical students take courses in Penn’s other schools at no extra cost.

The admissions mission statement

Penn also publishes a separate admissions mission. It says the school “will select students who are poised and prepared to become future physician leaders in health care,” who will “serve their communities and contribute to society through their clinical, educational, research, health policy, and entrepreneurial efforts.” Graduates “will seek to advance care quality, science and discovery for the benefit of their local communities and the field of medicine more broadly.”

That list of five efforts (clinical, educational, research, health policy and entrepreneurial) is useful when you plan your application. Penn is not looking for one type of future doctor. It is looking for future leaders in any of those lanes, and the curriculum backs that up with dual degrees in business, bioethics, law, public health, health policy and translational research.

History and general information

• Founded: 1765, the first medical school in the United States.
• Campus: one campus in University City, Philadelphia, at 3400 Civic Center Boulevard.
• Enrollment: 800 MD students and 229 MD/PhD students in academic year 2026-27.
• Faculty: 2,389 full-time faculty, including CHOP, for fiscal year 2024.

The school describes itself as “rich in tradition and heritage and at the same time consistently at the forefront of new developments and innovations in medical education and research.” For an applicant, the practical meaning is a school that expects you to use its resources. The curriculum leaves real open time, and students are expected to fill it with something purposeful.

What the mission means for your application

Use the mission as a filter, not a script. A strong Penn application usually shows three things: sustained curiosity (research or another form of inquiry you followed through), real patient contact, and evidence that you work well in teams and communities. Penn’s holistic review criteria, published on its application page, are “personal attributes, life experiences, overcoming obstacles and academic strength.” Your secondary answers are where those four criteria become concrete.

Accreditation and Institutional Identity

The Perelman School of Medicine’s MD program is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the accrediting body for MD programs in the United States and Canada. Penn’s LCME accreditation page states that the school “has received full accreditation, with a follow-up review in 2026.” LCME accreditation is what makes graduates eligible for the USMLE, ACGME residencies and state licensure. It is a quality-assurance standard, not a ranking.

Name and structure. The school’s formal name is the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. It and the University of Pennsylvania Health System together make up Penn Medicine. The dean of the medical school is also the university’s executive vice president for the health system, so school and hospitals operate under one leader.

One campus. Penn has a single MD campus. Students do not choose between regional campuses. Clinical training happens at Penn hospitals in and around Philadelphia, with five major teaching hospitals within walking distance of the school.

MD versus other programs. The MD and the MD/PhD (the Medical Scientist Training Program) use the same AMCAS application, but you must pick one, and you cannot be considered for both. Penn’s PhD, master’s and certificate programs, residencies and continuing education programs are separate and have their own applications.

Why this matters. A fully accredited, single-campus school with one health system means that the training sites, faculty and resources described in this guide are the ones every student uses. That is different from schools where your experience depends on a campus assignment.

Medical Programs and Affiliations

Penn’s medical school offers a wide range of programs that prepare students for careers across clinical practice and biomedical research. Some are degree paths you apply to through AMCAS, some are options you choose after you arrive, and some are for people at other stages of training. Knowing which is which keeps your application focused.

Doctor of Medicine (MD) program

The four-year MD runs on the IMPaCT curriculum (Integrating Medicine Patient Care Transitions), described in the next section. It integrates basic sciences and clinical experience from day one and emphasizes patient-centered care, teamwork and self-directed learning. In 2026, 129 of the 154 entering students were in the MD program.

MD/PhD: the Penn Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

The Penn Medical Scientist Training Program trains physician-scientists who earn both degrees. Twenty-five MD/PhD students entered in 2026, and 229 were enrolled in academic year 2026-27. The program director is Dr. Skip Brass. MD/PhD applicants apply through AMCAS, choose MD/PhD as their one program (changes are allowed until October 1), and interview with a graduate group on the same dates as the medical school interview. MD/PhD students pay five years of tuition: two at the MD rate and three at the PhD rate. Program length depends on the PhD and is set by the MSTP.

PhD programs

For people who want careers in independent research without the MD, Penn’s biomedical graduate groups offer PhDs in the biomedical sciences. Students combine coursework with lab research. These are separate graduate applications, not part of AMCAS.

Dual degrees for MD students

Penn’s curriculum makes room for a second degree. Most MD/master’s programs take five years, with most of the master’s work done in the year between the third and fourth years of medical school. The formal programs are:

• MD/MBA with the Wharton School (Master of Business Administration)
• MD/MBE (Master of Bioethics)
• MD/ML (Master in Law and Health)
• MD/MPH (Master of Public Health)
• MD/MSHP (Master of Science in Health Policy Research)
• MD/MSTR (Master in Translational Research)

Students can also arrange other combinations, such as MD/MSCE (clinical epidemiology), MD/MSME (medical ethics), MD/MSE (engineering), MD/MSEd (higher education), MD/MSNS (nutritional science) and MD/JD. For the MD/JD, students pay seven semesters of MD tuition and five semesters of Penn JD tuition. Several MD/master’s programs reduce total MD tuition to seven semesters when three are paid to the other Penn program.

You may mark a master’s interest on AMCAS, but it is not required. Students apply for a master’s degree after they matriculate, usually around the second year. The MD/MBA program is a good example of how this works: students apply to Wharton in Round 1 of their third year with a GMAT or GRE, complete the MBA over five total years, and the MBA counts as the Scholarly Pursuit requirement.

Areas of concentration

Students can also earn a transcript notation in a concentration with little extra cost, all within the four-year MD. Each involves seminars or courses, an internship or capstone and scholarly work, and completion appears on the transcript and the MSPE (the dean’s letter for residency). The current areas are Academic Surgery, Bridging the Gaps, Clinical Informatics, Clinical Neuroscience, Community Health IMPaCT, Global Health, Healthcare Management, Entrepreneurship and Technology (H-MET), Leadership in Healthcare Improvement and Safety, the Measey Primary Care Pathway, Medical Education, Medical Humanities, Palliative Care (CARE-7), Public Health in Medicine, Spirituality and Health, and Women’s Health. In the 2026 graduating class of 159, 61 graduated with the MD only; the rest added one or more areas of concentration, a second degree or both.

Master’s and certificate programs

Penn’s medical school runs master’s and certificate programs for people outside the MD, in areas such as translational research and clinical research, overseen by an associate dean for master’s and certificate programs. These programs are for students seeking advanced training in a specific field and are separate from MD admissions.

Visiting students

Penn offers visiting rotations for medical students enrolled at other accredited schools, giving them access to Penn’s clinical and research resources for an elective. Penn’s own fourth-year students use the same system in reverse when they do away rotations.

Continuing medical and interprofessional education

Penn offers continuing medical education (CME) and interprofessional education programs that help physicians and other health professionals keep up with new practice. Interprofessional learning also shows up in the MD program, because Penn’s single campus includes nursing, dental medicine, law and social work.

Biomedical postdoctoral programs

The school trains postdoctoral fellows who have completed a PhD, with advanced research training and career development across biomedical fields.

Graduate medical education

Penn Medicine runs residency and fellowship programs across a wide range of specialties, from internal medicine and pediatrics to surgical subspecialties. More than 1,900 residents and fellows train at Penn. Medical students work beside them on every clerkship.

Other educational programs and pipeline programs

Penn lists additional educational programs for learners outside medical school. For high school students, the school’s pre-med programs page lists the PhysicianTrack Program, the Educational Pipeline Program (in which Penn Med students mentor high school students from underrepresented backgrounds) and the Provost’s Summer Mentorship Program, a four-week campus program for rising 10th and 11th graders. Two pre-medical programs for college students connect directly to MD admissions:

• Penn Access Summer Scholars (PASS): two consecutive summers of mentored research on Penn’s campus, after the sophomore and junior years, for students from 10 partner institutions such as Howard University, Morehouse College, Spelman College, Princeton University and Bryn Mawr College, plus the STEMM Prep program. Students who complete PASS are eligible for linkage admission to the Perelman School of Medicine. Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible.
• Johnson Scholars Program: a four-year enrichment program for Penn undergraduates whose life or family experiences may make a medical career harder to reach, with mentoring, advising and milestones each year. The application deadline is September 1.

If you are a first- or second-year college student, programs like these, along with medical internships for undergraduates, are a good way to build research and patient contact before you apply.

Clinical specialties

Students train across the full range of clinical specialties at Penn Medicine, including anesthesiology and critical care, cardiovascular medicine, dermatology, emergency medicine, endocrinology, family medicine, gastroenterology, neurology, neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopaedic surgery, otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, pathology and laboratory medicine, pediatrics, plastic surgery, psychiatry, radiation oncology, radiology, surgery and urology. That breadth is why Penn graduates match across so many fields, as the 2026 outcomes in the rotations section show.

Clinical affiliations

Students train in the University of Pennsylvania Health System. Penn’s teaching facilities page lists the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (including the Clifton Center for Medical Breakthroughs pavilion), Pennsylvania Hospital, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Hospital and Penn Medicine Princeton Health, plus specialty centers and community practices. The clinical rotations section covers each site in detail.

Curriculum Overview

Penn’s MD curriculum is called IMPaCT, short for Integrating Medicine Patient Care Transitions. Its three Cores “integrate basic sciences and clinical experience from day one,” and the school describes the design with three words: integrated, innovative and individualized. The goal is a physician who learns on a team, uses evidence well and keeps learning after graduation. Details are on Penn’s IMPaCT curriculum page.

How IMPaCT is organized

Core 1: Principles (August, Year 1 to December, Year 2)

Core 1 teaches the science of medicine in integrated blocks, each built around an organ system. Each block moves through normal development, normal structure and function, pathophysiology, therapeutics and disease management, epidemiology and evidence-based medicine, prevention, imaging and lab diagnostics, and differential diagnosis, with patient panels to tie it to real cases.

• Clinical anatomy links directly to radiologic imaging, ultrasound and physical exam findings, and includes a virtual reality component.
• Ultrasound is a three-semester curriculum in acquiring, reading and applying ultrasound images.
• Small groups use learning teams so students and faculty stay engaged.
• Clinical sessions start right away: taking histories and doing physical exams, building relationships with patients across cultures and genders, developing differential diagnosis skills and exploring health systems science. Teaching uses seminars, workshops, case discussions, and standardized and virtual patients.
• Electives in Core 1 currently include Humanism, Arts and Medicine, Narrative Medicine, Nutrition, Leadership, Advocacy, and Writing for Publication. Language skills such as medical Spanish and medical Mandarin are offered through student-run groups.
• Open time: three afternoons each week are unscheduled. Students use them to work in community clinics, take classes outside medicine, do research, play sports, keep up hobbies or rest.
• Clerkship Prep: the final week of Core 1 prepares students for the clinical year.

Core 1 is graded pass/fail.

Core 2: Clerkships (January, Year 2 to December, Year 3)

Penn moves students onto the wards early. Core 2 is four 12-week blocks of required clerkships:

• Block A: Obstetrics and Gynecology (6 weeks) and Pediatrics (6 weeks)
• Block B: Family Medicine (4 weeks) and Internal Medicine (8 weeks)
• Block C: Surgery (8 weeks) and Specialty Services: orthopedics, otolaryngology, ophthalmology and anesthesiology (4 weeks)
• Block D: Neurology (4 weeks), Psychiatry (4 weeks) and Emergency Medicine (4 weeks)

Clerkships teach the management of acute and chronic illness across all ages, in inpatient and outpatient settings. Clinical therapeutics, advanced communication, patient safety, structural and social determinants of health, and interprofessional teamwork run through every clerkship. Doctoring 2 is a monthly series using near-peer mentoring, narrative medicine and long-term faculty preceptors to help students process the clerkship year. The Health Systems and Clinical Skills Practicum is a seven-session course on health systems science and clinical skills. Computerized simulation mannequins and standardized and virtual patients add practice beyond real patients, and weekly didactics reinforce the evidence behind each clerkship. Five major teaching hospitals are within walking distance of the school. Core 2 is graded Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail.

Core 3: Individualize your education (January, Year 3 to May, Year 4)

Core 3 is where the Penn curriculum becomes personal. It includes:

• 24 weeks of flexible time for an area of concentration, a dual degree, research, short-term projects in global health, preventive, community or public health medicine, or health policy, USMLE preparation, career planning or personal life.
• A required 4-week inpatient sub-internship in internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine or family medicine, with more responsibility for patient care.
• Four advanced Penn clinical electives (16 weeks) and two more electives (8 weeks), which can be Penn electives, U.S. away rotations or research.
• Scholarly Pursuit: at least 12 weeks with a faculty mentor designing and carrying out a research project in the lab, clinic or community, ending with a formal paper. An MD/PhD, an MD/master’s or a research year also fulfills it.
• Measey Specialty Transition Pathways (STeP) to Residency: individualized coaching after residency applications, ending with specialty-specific boot camps.
• Bioethics: a one-week course.
• USMLE Step 1 and Step 2, with the option to take Step 1 before Core 2.

Professionalism, humanism and program objectives

Penn’s medical education program objectives, updated January 1, 2025, are organized in six domains: Professionalism, Medical Knowledge, Patient Care and Procedural Skills, Practice-Based Learning and Improvement, Interpersonal and Communication Skills, and Systems-Based Practice. The objectives say Penn students will graduate “prepared to participate in improving the infrastructure and social constructs that impact the health of patients to promote health equity.” Population and community health topics are built into the Systems-Based Practice domain rather than listed separately. Each objective has a milestone for the end of Core 1, the end of Core 2 and graduation, which is how students are assessed as they move through the curriculum.

Across all three Cores, structured experiences in bioethics, humanism, professionalism and the doctor-patient relationship run alongside the science. The White Coat Ceremony, the Student Clinician’s Ceremony and graduation are required, and every graduate publicly recites the Declaration of Geneva.

Experiential learning and simulation

Penn leans on hands-on practice. The Penn Medicine Clinical Simulation Center includes six human patient simulators set in realistic hospital rooms (including a labor and delivery room and an emergency department), task and virtual reality trainers, and 12 exam rooms for standardized patient training. Students use it in every Core.

Graduation requirements

To graduate, Penn students must pass USMLE Step 1 (taken by June 30 of the third year) and Step 2 (taken by November 15 of the graduating year and passed by February 1 before the rank list), take the Clinical Skills Inventory exam after Core 2, hold ACLS certification, and complete four weeks of direct patient contact in or after September of the final year. MD/PhD students follow a modified elective requirement. Penn’s graduation requirements page lists every credit.

What this means for applicants

Three features of IMPaCT should shape what you write. The early clerkship start means you will be on the wards about 17 months after you arrive, so real patient experience before medical school helps. The open afternoons and 24 flexible weeks reward applicants who already know how to use unstructured time. And the Scholarly Pursuit means every student does research, so show you can ask a question and follow it.

Admissions Requirements and Application Process

Penn’s medical school plays a role in health care needs both locally and globally, and its admissions process looks for students who will lead in clinical care, education, research, health policy or entrepreneurship. Read the mission and consider whether Penn fits your goals before you apply. This section covers every requirement for the 2026-2027 cycle, what is required versus typical, and the full timeline.

Who can apply

• Degree: a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science from an accredited college or university in the United States (including territories) or Canada, completed before matriculation.
• Degrees from outside the U.S. or Canada: if your bachelor’s degree is from another country, you must complete one full-time year of BCPM coursework (biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physics and math, as AMCAS classifies them) at a U.S. or Canadian school before applying. Canadian degrees are exempt and may apply directly.
• International applicants: Penn accepts international students, and the admissions standards are the same for all applicants. Non-U.S. citizens are not eligible for federal loans and must show they can pay tuition and fees through school scholarships or personal funds.
• DACA and undocumented applicants: Penn welcomes applications from DACA and undocumented students. Accepted DACA students are eligible for need- and merit-based scholarships but not for federal Title IV loans.
• Transfer: Penn has no transfer admissions program.
• MD or MD/PhD: you must choose one. You can change your choice until October 1, but you cannot be considered for both.

Academic competencies instead of required courses

Penn has no required course list. Its FAQ is direct: “No specific courses are required; however, competency in biology, chemistry, physics, biochemistry, and mathematics must be demonstrated.” The general academic competencies page describes five areas:

• English language fluency and communication: writing, speaking and reading, organizing and delivering presentations, reading and appraising technical content critically, and strong interpersonal skills. Fluency in other languages is a valued asset.
• Biology: the diversity of life, molecular and cellular structure, life cycles and metabolism, and how biological information is stored and transferred.
• Chemistry: the molecular basis of life, equilibria and thermodynamics, acid-base balance, ionization and redox reactions, molecular structure and organic architecture, and reaction rates, binding constants and mechanisms.
• Physics and mathematics: the quantitative framework for biology, including algebra, statistics, units and measurement, and reading graphs and data.
• Behavioral disciplines: the social, cultural and behavioral factors that shape individual decisions and community health, which can come from courses such as history, philosophy, ethics, anthropology, political science, economics, sociology and psychology.

Coordinate with your pre-health advisor on how your coursework shows these competencies. Strong applicants typically demonstrate them through courses such as biochemistry, genetics, human anatomy, human physiology, statistics, organic chemistry, physics and the social sciences, and through upper-division science work. Those are common ways to show competency, not a checklist Penn requires.

Coursework policies

• Community college credit is considered case by case. The committee looks at your reasons (cost, scheduling, geography) and whether you also took upper-division courses at a four-year school or post-baccalaureate program.
• Course age: if your last BCPM course was more than five years ago, Penn recommends refresher coursework. Higher-level courses count; you do not need to repeat introductory work.
• AP and IB credit is accepted if it appears on your transcript. Penn encourages you to take the next course in the sequence.
• Pass/fail courses: Penn welcomes applicants from every grading system. If your school offered the choice of letter grades and you elected pass/fail for a prerequisite-type course, Penn requires a written explanation of that decision.

Experience

Penn does not set a minimum number of clinical, service or research hours. Its review weighs “personal attributes, life experiences, overcoming obstacles and academic strength,” and its competencies page lists lived experience, scientific inquiry, critical thinking, career motivation, interpersonal skills, cultural competence and service orientation as factors. The 2026 entering class shows what that looks like in practice: 72% had experiences after college before starting medical school, and 19% majored in something other than science. Plan for sustained patient contact, service and research, and be ready to reflect on them. Structured pre-med internships can add hands-on clinical work if your current experience is mostly classroom or lab based.

MCAT

You must take the MCAT within three years of applying. For fall 2027 entry, that means a test date between January 2023 and September 2026. September of the application year is the latest score Penn accepts. You can submit the supplemental and fee before your MCAT score arrives, and Penn recommends sending all other materials while you wait. There is no minimum MCAT or GPA cutoff. For reference, the 2025 entering class ranged from 3.25 to 4.00 in GPA and 513 to 528 on the MCAT, and the 2026 entering class ranged from 3.66 to 4.00 and 510 to 528.

Situational judgment tests

Penn’s list of application components is the verified AMCAS application, the supplemental application, letters, the MCAT score and the fee. Penn does not list CASPer, PREview or another situational judgment test as a requirement.

Letters of recommendation

All letters go through AMCAS. You have two options:

1. A composite or committee letter from a pre-health advisor or career services office, with or without individual letters attached, or
2. At least three letters from faculty members who know you well, at least one from a science faculty member whose course you took.

Penn has no maximum number of letters, but AMCAS allows up to 10 through its Letter Writer Application. Letters must be signed and on official letterhead. Academic letters are essential and must come from any school where you are enrolled or completed a program or degree. If you have been out of school for a while, you still need academic references, including one in science; Penn notes you may need to take new science coursework to get one. Reapplicants must resubmit required letters. Your letter requirement is not complete until every letter you listed in AMCAS has arrived.

Primary and supplemental applications

Apply through AMCAS. The AMCAS deadline is October 15, 11:59 p.m. ET. Every verified applicant receives Penn’s supplemental application, which costs $100 (waived for applicants approved for the AAMC Fee Assistance Program). The supplemental, fee, MCAT score and all required letters are due by November 15, 11:59 p.m. ET, and Penn says “deadlines are strictly enforced in all phases of the process.” You can upload updates or extra letters at any time through the online status page. For the 2027 cycle, AMCAS accepted submissions for verification from May 28 and began sending applications to schools on June 26. Penn encourages early applications so AMCAS verification and letters arrive in time. If you want a refresher on how primary and secondary services differ, see our guide to the differences between the MD and DO application services.

Early Decision Program

Penn’s Early Decision Program (EDP) is “extremely selective and very limited in scope.” To be considered, you must meet the average GPA and MCAT of the previous entering class, have valid reasons for wanting Penn specifically, and consult with the Office of Admissions before June 1, sending a CV or resume, undergraduate transcript and MCAT score report. Approved EDP applicants submit AMCAS by August 1 and complete every item (verified AMCAS, supplemental, fee and letters) by August 15. EDP decisions are released October 1.

Interviews and decisions

Interviews are by invitation only and take place between September and January. They are one-on-one interviews with faculty and students on dates set by the Office of Admissions. MD/PhD interviews are scheduled by graduate group alongside the medical school interviews. Only interviewed applicants are considered for admission. Penn releases decisions for both the MD and MD/PhD programs on a single date in March.

That single date changes your strategy. Penn does not fill seats as the season goes on, so an early interview does not mean an early decision. It does mean you should submit early so your file is complete and eligible for the full range of interview dates, and you should plan your other schools knowing Penn’s answer will come in March. Our guide to what rolling admissions mean for medical school applications explains how schools that admit on a rolling schedule differ.

After you are accepted

Accepted applicants have three deadlines. By April 30 at 11:59 p.m. ET, you select Plan to Enroll in the AMCAS Choose Your Medical School tool, pay a $100 advance deposit and certify the acceptance statement. By June 1 at 11:59 p.m. ET, you must select Commit to Enroll. Penn hosts Penn Preview for all accepted students in April, and orientation begins in August. The $100 deposit is refundable and is applied to tuition. Accepted students must complete a criminal background check, and requests to defer entrance are considered case by case (five admitted applicants deferred in the 2025 entering class).

Campus visits

Penn does not offer a visit program or tours. Information sessions for prospective students are held virtually each summer and recorded; the 2026 session took place on July 6. Penn also runs “A Day in the Life,” a pre-medical conference for prospective students.

2026-2027 admissions timeline

Working backward from those dates, most strong applicants take the MCAT by spring of the application year, request letters by early spring, and use the summer before applying for clinical work or research. If you are still building hours, pre-med summer internships fit naturally into that pre-application summer.

Important dates for financial aid

The FAFSA becomes available each fall, and Penn’s timeline asks interviewed candidates to file it between February and July of the admission year, using Penn’s federal school code 003378. The FAFSA covers federal loans only. Need-based scholarships require the CSS Profile with parent information, due by the recommended deadline of March 21. The next section covers costs and aid in detail.

Tuition, Cost of Attendance and Financial Aid

Penn is one of the more expensive medical schools in the country, but its scholarship program is large. This section uses Penn’s official student budget for the 2026-27 academic year. Penn charges the same tuition to every MD student; there is no in-state or out-of-state price. You can compare Penn with other high-cost schools in our list of the most expensive medical schools in the United States.

2026-27 student budget

Living expenses are built from monthly amounts: room $2,024, board $665, books and supplies $157, personal $226 and transportation $128. Health insurance is listed at $4,662 and marked “pending,” so the final figure may change. Adding the four yearly totals gives $476,292 at 2026-27 rates. That sum is our calculation, not a figure Penn publishes, and it will rise if tuition increases in later years.

Tuition rules that affect your total

All MD students pay eight semesters of tuition, even if they take longer to finish. Students enrolled for more than eight semesters (because of a research year, a dual degree or academic difficulty) still pay only eight. MD/PhD students pay five years of tuition: two at the MD rate and three at the PhD rate. Several dual-degree programs (MD/MBA, MD/MPH, MD/MSCE, MD/MSHP, MD/MSME and MD/MTR) pay seven MD semesters when three are paid to the other Penn program, and the MD/JD pays seven MD and five Penn JD semesters. Penn’s tuition policy page links the current tuition memo.

Scholarly awards: Twenty-First Century Scholars

Penn awards approximately 35 full-tuition MD scholarships each year. Every accepted student is considered automatically, and awards are announced in April. Selection criteria are outstanding academic performance and achievement, a broad range of intellectual interests, demonstrated leadership, commitment to interests outside academic work, and unique life experiences that may contribute to a medical career. A full-tuition award covers the $73,852 tuition line, which leaves fees, insurance and living costs of about $43,000 for the first year at 2026-27 rates.

Need-based scholarships

Penn awards need-based scholarships and grants using financial information from you, your parents and, if you are married, your spouse. To apply:

• FAFSA: for federal loans only (no parent information needed). Penn’s code is 003378.
• CSS Profile: Perelman’s code is 2951.
• Documents, uploaded through Penn’s online document portal: parents’ federal tax returns with all pages and schedules, parents’ W-2s, your and your spouse’s (if applicable) tax returns and W-2s, and student or parent tax waivers if needed.
• Recommended deadline: March 21.

Penn will not evaluate an aid application without the required parent or spouse information, even though all graduate students are “independent” under federal rules. The school counts an expected parental contribution, but students may be able to replace it with an additional loan. If your parents are divorced, separated or unmarried, Penn requires information and tax returns for both custodial and biological parents, and it may ask for more.

Processing, need analysis and your award

Completed aid applications take about two to three weeks to package. Need analysis subtracts what you and your family can contribute from the student budget; the gap is your financial need, and the Financial Aid Office builds a package of scholarships and loans to meet it and sends an award letter. Students receive a four-year need-based scholarship award, and increases are rare. If your or your family’s finances change significantly during medical school, you can appeal for more funding, which depends on what is available at the time.

Changes in your financial circumstances

Report changes to the Financial Aid Office as soon as they happen. Changes in your, your spouse’s or your parents’ employment, a spouse’s or child’s college plans, and changes in marital status can all affect your award. Continuing students applying for aid for the first time, or asking for reconsideration, must file all the documents above. Those awards are announced in the summer.

Loans and debt

Penn’s aid packages combine school scholarships with federal Direct Unsubsidized and Direct Grad PLUS loans, which carry fixed interest rates. Federal graduate loan rules changed for 2026-27, so confirm current federal loan limits with Penn’s financial aid office before you plan. The average educational debt of MD students graduating in 2024 was about $150,000. Many loans depend on credit history; Penn advises aid applicants to check their credit report and fix problems before matriculation, because school funds cannot replace a loan denied for poor credit.

Penn’s financial services office is led by Director Michael M. Sabara. It is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Building 421 (215-573-3423).

DACA students

Accepted DACA students are eligible for need- and merit-based scholarships. They should submit the CSS Profile and supporting documents for need-based aid; merit awards need no separate application. DACA students are not eligible for federal Title IV loans, but private loans may be available with a creditworthy co-signer. Penn points DACA and undocumented students to scholarship lists from Immigrants Rising (graduate scholarships and fellowships), scholarship opportunities from the Latino Medical Student Association, and the Pre-Health Dreamers community, a network of more than 1,000 health career-focused undocumented students. DACA recipients are also eligible for the AAMC Fee Assistance Program.

International students

Non-U.S. citizens are not eligible for federal loans and must show they can pay tuition and fees through school scholarships or personal funds. Plan for this early, since the full four-year budget is close to half a million dollars at current rates.

Who is eligible for the AAMC Fee Assistance Program?

The AAMC Fee Assistance Program (FAP) lowers the cost of applying, and FAP approval also waives Penn’s $100 supplemental fee. For the 2026 FAP, the AAMC’s eligibility page says you must:

• have a U.S.-based home address;
• have a 2025 total family income equal to or less than 400% of the 2025 national poverty level for your family size, for each household on your application;
• be preparing to apply to medical school; and
• not already be accepted to or enrolled in a medical school, a medical school graduate, or preparing to apply for residency.

Address rules: you must document a current permanent U.S. address in your full name. Identification must be unexpired, and other documents must be issued within 60 days of your application.

Parent information: if you are under 26 when you apply, FAP requires your parents’ financial information regardless of your marital status, tax filing status, where your parents live or whether they are willing to provide it. If your parents are deceased, no further information is needed.

Poverty guidelines: FAP approval is tied to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services poverty guidelines. Check the AAMC’s current FAP Essentials before you apply, because thresholds and income years change each cycle. For details on Penn’s own aid, see Penn’s financial aid pages or contact Student Registration and Financial Services through the Financial Aid contact page.

Campus Facilities and Student Life

Penn’s medical school sits on the University of Pennsylvania’s main campus in West Philadelphia, a mix of historic buildings and new clinical towers. Medical students share one campus with Penn’s undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, which shapes daily life as much as the curriculum does.

Setting and key facilities

• Henry A. Jordan M’62 Medical Education Center: the home of the medical school, at 3400 Civic Center Boulevard. Penn calls it “among the first medical education centers in the nation to integrate learning space with active clinical and research facilities.” It sits where the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and the Smilow Center for Translational Research connect, and its design supports small-group learning, collaboration and study. Student lounges and study spaces are in the building.
• Penn Medicine Clinical Simulation Center: six human patient simulators in realistic hospital rooms (including labor and delivery and an emergency department), task and virtual reality trainers, and 12 standardized patient exam rooms.
• Anatomy and imaging: clinical anatomy is taught alongside radiologic imaging, ultrasound and virtual reality, so the anatomy lab connects to the scanner and the bedside.
• The Measey Surgical Suite for surgical skills training.
• The Clifton Center for Medical Breakthroughs pavilion at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, a new inpatient tower where students rotate.
• One University: medical students can take courses in Penn’s other schools at no additional cost, and the single campus supports interprofessional training with dentistry, nursing, law and social work.

Penn’s teaching facilities page lists each site.

Housing for Penn Med students

Most Penn medical students rent apartments or row houses near campus or in Center City. Students tend to cluster in four areas within walking, biking or short transit distance of the medical campus:

• Graduate Hospital: a largely residential neighborhood south of Center City with a mix of row homes and newer buildings. South Street, lined with restaurants and bars, runs along its edge. Students like the quiet residential feel and easy reach of the city, though grocery options closer in can be pricier.
• Fitler Square: a small, quiet neighborhood near the Schuylkill River, with parks, the river trail and good restaurants. It is part of a larger area that includes Devil’s Pocket and Grays Ferry, and it offers a short walk or bike across the river to campus.
• Spruce Hill: in West Philadelphia next to University City, with row homes, smaller apartment buildings and lower rents than Center City. It has a neighborhood feel, local markets and restaurants, and the shortest commute to the medical campus.
• Rittenhouse Square: in Center City, known for high-rise buildings, dining, shopping and nightlife, with strong public transit. It is the most expensive of the four.

Housing types. Students live in everything from small row-house apartments (two to nine units) to large managed buildings, and from studios to shared three- or four-bedroom houses. Living with roommates is the most common way to keep rent near the $2,024-a-month room allowance in Penn’s 2026-27 budget. Some students live with a spouse or partner, and some have pets, so check pet policies early.

Buildings to compare. Large apartment complexes near campus and Center City include Naval Square, 2400 Chestnut, The Left Bank, 1213 Walnut, Vue32, Locust Point, Westover Apartments and Riverwest Condominiums. They differ in amenities, management and price, so compare current rents against the budget before signing.

Commuting and lifestyle. Most students walk or bike to the Jordan Center, and others use SEPTA buses, trolleys and the Penn shuttles. Proximity matters more than square footage during Core 2, when clerkship days start early and some sites are outside the city.

Student organizations and activities

Penn’s Medical Student Government (MSG) reports that it is home to more than 90 active student groups, and its 2026-27 list of active groups includes community clinics, affinity groups, specialty interest groups, arts groups and recreation clubs. Penn’s student life page also highlights MSG, the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA), intramural sports through Penn Campus Recreation and the annual student production, Spoof. Below are the groups on the current list, with each group’s stated purpose in brief.

Student-run clinics and community health

• University City Hospitality Coalition (UCHC): a student-run free clinic for people experiencing homelessness in University City and West Philadelphia, with weekly clinics plus specialty clinics in ophthalmology, PM&R and dermatology.
• Unity Health Clinic: a weekly clinic inside St. Edmond’s Church in South Philadelphia, staffed by volunteer physicians, nurse practitioners and trainees from Penn, Villanova and Temple, offering free primary and preventive care.
• Q-munity Wellness Clinic (QWC): improves access to mental health care, behavioral health care and social needs resources for LGBTQ+ people.
• Homeless Outreach Project (HOP): walks the city handing out supplies, sharing resources and building relationships with unhoused Philadelphians.
• Homeless Health Initiative (HHI): CHOP’s program providing free medical and dental care and health education to women and children in emergency housing shelters.
• Refugee Health Interest Group (RHIG): education, advocacy and volunteer work with Philadelphia’s refugee population, including clinic shadowing.
• Health Science Exploration: teaches science and health to fifth and sixth graders at Benjamin B. Comegys Elementary School in West Philadelphia.
• Skin Health Education and Prevention (SHEP): students teach skin health and prevention in Philadelphia elementary and middle schools and community sites.
• Sight Savers / Ophthalmology Interest Group: free vision screenings across Philadelphia, focused on finding suspected glaucoma and referring patients to Penn ophthalmologists.
• Mindful Movements: weekly mindfulness and movement sessions for youth residents of the HopePHL shelter.
• Conscious Closet: collects and redistributes clothing to patients in need while reducing waste.
• Community Health Alliance / Giving a Boost (GAB): free premedical advising that pairs Penn Med students with first-generation and underrepresented Penn undergraduates.
• The UpLIFT Project: mentoring and advising for first-generation and low-income students applying to medical school.
• PSOM Votes: supports Penn Med Votes, which promotes voter registration and helps hospitalized patients file emergency absentee ballots.

Affinity and identity groups

• Access Penn Med: a community for students with disabilities or chronic illnesses, who live “the duality of being both a patient and a physician-in-training.”
• Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA): addresses health challenges in Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities.
• Black Student Surgical Society: mentorship and development for Black students interested in surgery.
• Caritas: fellowship exploring how Catholic thought shapes life and practice as a physician.
• Elizabeth Blackwell Society: inspires, empowers and connects women in medicine.
• First Generation, Low Income (FGLI): builds community among first-generation and low-income students, mentors undergraduates and helps recruit students from these backgrounds.
• Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA): for students interested in health issues affecting the Latino community.
• Penn Latino Surgical Alliance: mentorship and advocacy for Latino and underrepresented students interested in surgery.
• Maimonides Society: Jewish life on campus, with Shabbat dinners, holiday events and talks on faith in medicine.
• Muslims in Medicine: a network of Muslim students, trainees and friends that works with the Penn Muslim Student Association.
• Penn Med Christian Fellowship: weekly community and spiritual growth for Christian students and anyone interested.
• Penn Med Pride: educates classmates on LGBTQ+ identities and health and builds community among LGBTQ+ students.
• South Asian Medical Student Association (SAMoSA): unites and celebrates the South Asian community at Perelman and addresses related health disparities.
• Student National Medical Association (SNMA): supports underrepresented minority students, serves underserved communities and works to increase the number of culturally competent physicians.

Penn’s student life page also lists Penn Med Veterans and Students Opposing Racism in Medicine (StORM) among its student interest groups.

Specialty and career interest groups

Anesthesia Interest Group; Association of Women Surgeons; Cardiology Interest Group; Cardiothoracic Surgery Interest Group; Clyde F. Barker Vascular Surgery Interest Group; Cope Interventional Radiology Interest Group; Cornfeld Pediatric Society (a bridge to CHOP for shadowing, grand rounds and volunteering); Dermatology Interest Group; Emergency Medicine Interest Group; Endocrinology Interest Group; Family Medicine Interest Group; Gastroenterology and Hepatology Interest Group; Global Health Interest Group; Global Oncology Interest Group; GrANDMAS (Geriatrics, Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease in Medicine and Society); Infectious Disease Interest Group; Langfitt Neurosurgical Society; Leo Leung Orthopaedic Society; Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group; NEPHRON (nephrology); Ob/Gyn Interest Group (with a labor and delivery shadowing program); Oncology Interest Group; Palliative Care Student Interest Group; Penn Global Surgery Group; Penn Rare Disease Interest Group; Plastic Surgery Interest Group; Radiology Interest Group; SONO Ultrasound Interest Group (extra scanning practice beyond the ultrasound curriculum); Strecker Psychiatry Interest Group (which also works on mental health access); Student Interest Group in Neurology (SIGN); Transplant Surgery Interest Group; and the William Pepper Medical Society for internal medicine.

Advocacy, policy, ethics and innovation

• Medical Students for Choice: works to destigmatize abortion provision, improve reproductive health training and support student advocacy.
• Healthcare Sustainability Group: improves sustainability at the school through curriculum, advocacy and research.
• Language Access Alliance: advocates for patients who prefer a language other than English, through hospital initiatives and teaching content.
• Social Medicine Interest Group: studies how social, political and economic structures drive health.
• NAMI Perelman Chapter: the campus branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, focused on education and reducing stigma.
• Medical Ethics Interest Group: discussion of ethics principles with an emphasis on real clinical experience.
• Penn Med One Health Club: connects human, animal and environmental health.
• PAMED / AMA chapter: studies and advocates for health policy at the local, state and federal level.
• PennHealthX: an endowed, student-led group founded in 2013 for students interested in health care management, entrepreneurship and technology.
• Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Society (AIMS): learning, research and cross-school projects on AI in medicine.
• Translational Immunology Learners (TILs): connects basic immunology with clinical application.
• Medical Education Club: near-peer teaching, mentoring and workshops for future medical educators.

Arts, languages and humanities

• Medical Spanish: an elective for non-native speakers to build medical vocabulary and communicate with Spanish-speaking patients.
• Medical Mandarin: medical terminology, culture and communication for caring for Mandarin-speaking patients.
• Medical French: a learning community for French and Haitian Creole that connects students with Francophone and Creole-speaking patients.
• apenndx: a publication founded in 2019 by Penn medical students that spans the humanities and sciences.
• Medical Humanities Council: oversees arts and humanities programming, speakers and showcases at the school.
• Fine Arts in Medicine: art-making sessions and events that link art, community and medicine.
• Cards for Courage: hand-drawn cards for patients, art teaching for children and community connection.
• Patient Stories Collective: pairs students with patients and caregivers to help them reflect on and tell their experiences of illness.
• Penn Med Symphony Orchestra: a full symphony orchestra of graduate and professional students, trainees, faculty and staff.
• Penn Med Book Club and Spoof, the annual comedy show that turns medical school into “two blissful hours” of sketches and songs.

Wellness and recreation

Exercise is Medicine promotes exercise and wellness access on the medical campus, Nourish teaches practical nutrition for patient care, and the Penn Med Golf Club offers recreation and community. Many students also join intramural sports and fitness programs through Penn Campus Recreation.

If you speak Spanish or want to build medical Spanish before matriculation, a medical internship in Peru is one way to practice clinical Spanish in a supervised setting.

Perelman Houses

Penn founded the Perelman Houses in 2013 to connect students across class years and create smaller communities within the school. Each house has four Advisory Deans and two or three Master Clinicians. Houses run peer-to-peer advising, hospital tours, study skills sessions, group outings, orientation lunches and the House Cup competition. House Council members are chosen during the first year by the outgoing council.

Diversity, inclusion and community

Penn’s Office of Academic Success, Community Engagement, Networking and Development (ASCEND) supports student success and community engagement, and it recognizes the school’s cultural affinity groups. Support for LGBTQ+ students comes through Penn Med Pride, the Q-munity Wellness Clinic and the university’s LGBT Center. The University of Pennsylvania does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected class in admissions, financial aid or educational programs.

Wellness and support services

• Student affairs and wellness: the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Wellness oversees student progression, supports students with academic or personal needs, and runs programming on professionalism, self-care and wellness.
• Academic advising and coaching: the Office of Student Success and Professional Development runs Advisory Deans, peer mentoring, academic resilience support and coaching.
• Career and residency advising: an Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Residency Planning advises all students on residency applications.
• Mental health services: Penn Student Health and Counseling offers confidential counseling for all Penn students, and the school lists confidential resources for medical students.
• Financial aid counseling: the financial services office helps students plan budgets and loans.

Recreation and leisure

Penn Campus Recreation runs fitness centers, group exercise classes, pools and intramural sports for all Penn students. Off campus, the Schuylkill River Trail, Fairmount Park and Wissahickon Valley Park offer running, biking and hiking, and Philadelphia has a busy calendar of cultural festivals, concerts and pro sports. Day trips to New York, Washington, D.C., the Jersey Shore and the Pocono Mountains are easy by train or car.

Community engagement

Penn says that service is “the cornerstone of our mission.” Students get involved through the student-run clinics above, Bridging the Gaps summer community health internships, the Community Health IMPaCT area of concentration, and Penn Medicine CAREs grants, which support faculty, students and staff who volunteer in community programs. Penn Medicine reports 1,230 CAREs grants awarded since 2012. These experiences let students apply what they learn while building lasting relationships with Philadelphia communities.

Clinical Rotations and Research Opportunities

Penn students do almost all of their required clinical training inside Penn Medicine, with core clerkships starting in January of the second year. This section covers where you train, how research works and where graduates match.

Clinical training sites

Penn has long-standing relationships with major health care providers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, which gives students a wide range of patients and settings. Penn Medicine’s hospitals and partners include:

• Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP): Penn’s flagship academic medical center, including the Clifton Center for Medical Breakthroughs pavilion, where students see complex, specialized care.
• Penn Presbyterian Medical Center: a West Philadelphia hospital known for cardiology, orthopedics and trauma care.
• Pennsylvania Hospital: founded in 1751 as the nation’s first hospital, now offering specialty services including women’s health and orthopedics.
• Chester County Hospital: a community hospital serving suburban Chester County.
• Lancaster General Hospital (Lancaster General Health): a comprehensive health system serving Lancaster County.
• Penn Medicine Princeton Health: a New Jersey hospital offering surgery, maternity care and behavioral health, and a community hospital setting for training.
• Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP): one of the country’s leading children’s hospitals. Its Department of Pediatrics is shared with Penn’s medical school, pediatric clinical experiences are listed at CHOP, and many Penn faculty, including several medical education deans, practice there.
• Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center (Philadelphia VA): the VA medical center is affiliated with Penn’s medical school and trains more than 200 medical students each year, with experience in primary care, mental health and specialty care for veterans. See the Philadelphia VA’s about page.

Penn Medicine’s 2025 Facts and Figures also lists Doylestown Health among its hospitals, plus specialty centers such as the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and Penn Home Care and Hospice, and community practices across the region. Five major teaching hospitals are within walking distance of the school, so most Core 2 days start a short walk from where you study. Some electives and community rotations use suburban and New Jersey sites, so plan for occasional travel.

Core rotations

Every student completes the same required clerkships in Core 2: obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, family medicine, internal medicine, surgery, specialty services (orthopedics, otolaryngology, ophthalmology and anesthesiology), neurology, psychiatry and emergency medicine. In Core 3 you add a sub-internship in internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine or family medicine, 24 weeks of advanced electives and four weeks of direct patient contact in your final year. Up to one month of required electives can be an away rotation once you have done two months of away rotations, and Penn’s Botswana elective also counts toward the final-year patient contact requirement.

Research at Penn

Research is central to Penn’s medical education. Penn Medicine reported $1,010,817,000 in total sponsored research, 4,409 clinical studies, $588,138,132 in NIH awards and 90 patents in fiscal year 2024. If you want to see how Penn compares with other research-heavy schools, see our ranking of the top medical schools by NIH research funding. Penn lists among its research firsts CAR T cell therapy for cancer, the Nobel Prize-winning mRNA technology behind vaccines, and the nation’s first gene therapy approved for a genetic disease.

Medical students can join research from the first year, often in Core 1’s open afternoons or the summer after first year. Every student completes a Scholarly Pursuit: a focused, mentored, full-time project around a specific hypothesis. It can be fulfilled in one of three ways: a three-month project with a faculty mentor, a year-long project after Core 2, or a second degree earned after matriculation.

Year-out fellowships. For students who want a full research year, Penn offers a “year-out” sabbatical with funding from sources such as society fellowships and grants, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, an Anatomic Pathology Fellowship at Penn, CHOP Orthopedics Clinical Research, and the FOCUS on Health and Leadership for Women Fellowship.

The research and fellowship database. Penn’s Research and Fellowship Opportunities database lists short-term and year-out projects, funded through Penn and through outside organizations, across clinical, basic science, translational and global research. Current listings include:

• Funded through Penn: the Plastic, Reconstructive and Oral Surgery Clinical Research Fellowships at CHOP (12-month paid fellowships in craniofacial, hand and cleft research); the Penn Medicine CMIO Predoctoral Applied Health Informatics Fellowship; the Research Fellowship in Neurotology at Penn; the Health Disparities Research Fellowship in Dermatology; the Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Research Program; the Berkman Summer Internship in Palliative Care for MS2 students; the Measey Primary Care Pathway MS1 Summer Research Fellowship; the Penn Lung Rescue Summer Research Fellowship in ECMO and respiratory failure; the CSTL Summer Biomedical Leadership Fellowship; the Early Cutaneous Research Experiences (ECuRE) program; the Renee C. Fox Research Fellowship Award in Health Equity for a year-out project after the clerkships; the Penn Orthopaedic Student Scholar Presentation Award; the Penn GAPSA Professional Student Travel Grant; and the Darryl J. Powell Memorial Fund, which supports Penn Med student projects on sickle cell disease, public health and racial disparities.
• Funded through outside organizations: the Humana Healthcare Research Summer Internship; the Association of Academic Physiatrists Rehabilitation Research Experience for Medical Students (RREMS); the AAHCI Student Leadership Initiative; the CMS Internship Program; the University of Colorado Pediatric and Adult Congenital Urology Medical Student Research Fellowship; the MD Anderson Summer in Oncology at Anderson Research (SOAR) program; the Penn State PROMISE oncology research program; the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE); the Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) program; the Physician-Scientist Support Foundation Medical Scholars Research Fellowship; the University of Virginia Urology Research Fellowship; and the ASN Kidney TREKS program.
• Travel awards: support for presenting at national meetings from groups such as the American Head and Neck Society, Society for Vascular Surgery, Society of Interventional Radiology, Society for the History of Navy Medicine, No Stomach For Cancer, Cedars-Sinai Neurosurgery, ASRM, ASM, ASIP-APSA, ARO, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Heart Association, ACPM, ACOG, the American Academy of Neurology, AAHM, AAFP and AACAP.

Listings change every year, so check deadlines in the database itself.

Global health

Penn’s Center for Global Health, led by Vice Dean and Director of Global Health Glen N. Gaulton, PhD, runs an experiential approach to global health service. Penn lists international partnerships in Botswana, Guatemala, India and the Dominican Republic, with research and clinical experiences from one month to a year. Medical student options include the Botswana Clinical Elective through the Botswana-UPenn Partnership and work with Clínica de Familia La Romana in the Dominican Republic. The Global Health area of concentration is a certificate program requiring two field experiences of at least six weeks, a public health course and a global health scholarly project. Penn also offers global health electives during Core 3’s flexible time. Through these programs students see different health systems up close and build the cultural skills that matter in any city.

Community health and student-led clinical opportunities

Penn describes service as “the cornerstone of our mission,” and its Office of ASCEND coordinates community engagement. Options include student-run clinics such as UCHC and Unity Health Clinic, the Community Health IMPaCT area of concentration for working with low-income patients, and Bridging the Gaps, which since 1990 has placed health and social service trainees in a seven-week summer Community Health Internship Program with organizations serving under-resourced communities. These projects let students give care and education to local populations while learning public health in practice.

Primary care pathways

The Measey Primary Care Pathway prepares students for family medicine, general internal medicine, outpatient pediatrics and geriatrics through mentoring, clinical experience, research, courses and community engagement. Students may apply in their first, second or third year.

Match and residency outcomes

Penn’s 159 graduates in 2026 matched across a wide range of specialties: 33.1% in primary care fields, 36.4% in surgical fields and 30.5% in other fields. The largest single specialties were internal medicine (18.6%), pediatrics (10.6%), psychiatry (8%), anesthesiology (6.7%), dermatology (6.6%) and integrated plastic surgery (6%). Neurology and diagnostic radiology each drew 5.3%, and obstetrics and gynecology and otolaryngology each drew 4%. Graduates go on to residency programs at Penn and at hospitals across the country.

Notable Alumni, Faculty, Leadership and Admissions Staff

These profiles cover the people who run Penn’s medical school and admissions, faculty whose work defines Penn research, and graduates of the medical school. Titles were checked against Penn’s leadership, admissions and faculty pages on October 17, 2026. None of these people speaks for an individual admissions decision, and naming them here does not mean they mentor applicants.

School leadership

Jonathan A. Epstein, MD, Dean. Dr. Epstein is Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine, Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System, and the Robert G. Dunlop Professor. Because one person leads both the school and the health system, Penn Medicine runs education, research and clinical care as a single organization. For applicants, that structure is the reason classrooms, labs and hospitals sit side by side on Civic Center Boulevard and why students can move between them so easily.

Lisa M. Bellini, MD, Executive Vice Dean. Dr. Bellini is Executive Vice Dean of the school, Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs for the University of Pennsylvania Health System and a Professor of Medicine. Her role spans the academic side of Penn Medicine across the school and its hospitals.

Jennifer R. Kogan, MD, Vice Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education. Dr. Kogan leads the MD program and holds the William Maul Measey President’s Distinguished Professorship in Medical Education. She is a Penn medical school graduate; in her welcome to students she writes, “My own journey began here as a Penn medical student, and I have never left.” She oversees the IMPaCT curriculum and the team of associate deans who run each part of it.

Glen N. Gaulton, PhD, Vice Dean and Director of Global Health. Dr. Gaulton, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, directs Penn’s Center for Global Health, which manages the school’s partnerships in Botswana, Guatemala, India and the Dominican Republic and supports the Global Health area of concentration. If global health is central to your application, his center is the part of Penn your plans would run through.

Admissions and student affairs staff

Neha Vapiwala, MD, Associate Dean for UME Admissions. Dr. Vapiwala guides the Admissions Committee in selecting applicants. Penn says she “oversees recruitment and interview days and sets strategic priorities for admissions criteria and processes.” She is a radiation oncologist, Vice Chair for Education in Radiation Oncology and a graduate of Penn’s medical school. Her welcome letter to applicants stresses innovation and preparing students “to become tomorrow’s leaders in whatever career path they choose,” which matches the admissions mission’s list of clinical, educational, research, policy and entrepreneurial paths.

DaCarla Albright, MD, Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Wellness. Dr. Albright oversees student progression, supports students with academic or personal needs, oversees residency planning and runs programs on professionalism, self-care and wellness. She is one of the first deans admitted students work with.

Horace DeLisser, MD, Associate Dean for Student Engagement, Networking, and Enrichment. Dr. DeLisser supports school initiatives in wellness, humanism and community engagement, collaborates with Admissions on recruitment, and develops and oversees pipeline programs such as PASS and the Johnson Scholars Program.

Other UME deans. Nadia Bennett, MD, MSEd, oversees the clinical and health systems sciences curriculum; Dennis Dlugos, MD, MSCE, oversees the basic science curriculum; Jessica Dine, MD, MHSP, leads evaluation and assessment; Stacey R. Rose, MD, MSEd, leads student success and professional development, including Advisory Deans and coaching; and Prithvi Sankar, MD, leads residency planning.

Michael M. Sabara, Director of Financial Services. Mr. Sabara directs the medical school’s financial services office, which handles need-based scholarships, loans and award letters. Admitted students work with his office on the CSS Profile and parent information.

Skip Brass, MD, PhD, Director of the Penn MSTP. Dr. Brass directs the Medical Scientist Training Program and welcomes MD/PhD applicants on the program’s site. If you are applying MD/PhD, the MSTP’s own pages are where program-specific expectations are posted.

Faculty

Drew Weissman, MD, PhD. Dr. Weissman is the Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research, Director of Vaccine Research in the Infectious Diseases Division and Director of the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation. His lab studies RNA and innate immune biology and applies the findings to vaccines and gene therapy. He shared the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Katalin Karikó for discoveries about nucleoside base modifications that enabled effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19. His work shows the bench-to-patient research that Penn students can join through the Scholarly Pursuit.

Carl H. June, MD. Dr. June is the Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies and Director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Penn. In 2011 his team reported treating patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia using their own genetically engineered T cells, the work behind CAR T cell therapy. Penn lists CAR T therapy among its research firsts.

Notable alumni

Penn’s medical alumni include Nobel laureates, public health leaders and physicians who opened doors for others. Class years follow Penn’s style (M’64 means a Penn MD in 1964).

Arlene P. Bennett, MD (ED’60, M’64). Dr. Bennett was the first African American woman to graduate from Penn’s medical school. She completed a rotating internship at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and spent 10 years in general pediatrics before training in psychiatry. She became a board-certified psychiatrist in solo practice, serving underserved patients. Her path, from pediatrics to psychiatry, is a reminder that a medical career can change direction.

Michael S. Brown, MD (C’62, M’66). Dr. Brown shared the 1985 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering the LDL receptor and how the body regulates cholesterol. He built his career at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Stanley B. Prusiner, MD (M’68). Dr. Prusiner received the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering prions. He is a Professor of Neurology at UCSF and directs its Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases. He earned both his undergraduate and medical degrees at Penn.

Gregg L. Semenza, MD, PhD (M’82, GR’84). Dr. Semenza earned his MD and PhD at Penn and shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries on how cells sense and adapt to oxygen. He is a Professor of Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins.

Rajiv J. Shah, MD (M’01). Dr. Shah has been President of The Rockefeller Foundation since 2017 and previously served as Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. His career shows the health policy and leadership lane named in Penn’s admissions mission.

Vanessa Northington Gamble, MD, PhD (M’78). Dr. Gamble is University Professor of Medical Humanities at George Washington University. A physician and historian of medicine, she chaired the Tuskegee Syphilis Study Legacy Committee.

Penn Medicine alumni award honorees. Penn’s alumni awards (the Distinguished Graduate Award, the Alumni Service Award and the Young Alumni Service Award) recognize graduates across many paths. Honorees include:

• Lainie Friedman Ross, MD, PhD (M’86): a pediatrician and bioethicist who is the Dean’s Professor and inaugural Chair of the Department of Health Humanities and Bioethics at the University of Rochester. Her research covers ethical and policy issues in organ transplantation, pediatrics, genetics, research ethics and health care disparities. (Distinguished Graduate Award)
• Stacy L. Pineles, MD (M’04, FEL’10): a Professor of Ophthalmology at UCLA’s Stein Eye Institute and its residency program director, specializing in pediatric and neuro-ophthalmology. She studies strabismus surgery outcomes and was named chair-elect of the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group in 2022. (Alumni Service Award)
• Marketa M. Wills, MD, MBA (M’99, WG’06): CEO and Medical Director of the American Psychiatric Association, known for work on clinical quality, health care efficiency and equity. (Alumni Service Award)
• Brooks R. Lanham, MD (M’15, WG’16): an attending physician in the Section of Hospital Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Penn, with interests in health care administration, strategy and business development. (Young Alumni Service Award)

These alumni reflect the range of careers Penn trains for: lab science, global policy, ethics, academic surgery and medicine, and health system leadership.

Admissions Statistics and Class Profile

Penn publishes a detailed entering class profile each year. The figures below are for the 2026 entering class (students who started in August 2026), from Penn’s 2026-27 Total Enrollment and Entering Class Profile.

MCAT scores

The MCAT range for the class was 510 to 528. CARS is Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills; CPBS is Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems; PSBB is Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behavior; BBFL is Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems.

GPA

The GPA range was 3.66 to 4.00. In the 2025 entering class, Penn reported a GPA range of 3.25 to 4.00 and an MCAT range of 513 to 528, which shows that the low end of the range moves from year to year.

Class composition

• Age: average 24, range 20 to 29.
• Majors: 19% were non-science majors.
• Path to medicine: 72% had experiences after college before matriculating.
• Geography: students came from 29 states of legal residence and 67 undergraduate schools.
• Total enrollment: 800 MD students and 229 MD/PhD students in academic year 2026-27.

Applicants, interviews and acceptance rate

For the 2025 entering class, 800 of 7,097 verified applicants were interviewed, about 11.3%. Pennsylvania residents were interviewed at about the same rate (66 of 580, about 11.4%) as out-of-state applicants (705 of 5,988, about 11.8%), which fits a private school with no in-state preference. International applicants were interviewed at a lower rate (29 of 529, about 5.5%). Twenty-one students entered the MD/PhD program that year, and no one matriculated through the Early Decision Program. In the most recent reported cycle, 15 acceptance offers went to applicants on the waitlist, which the Executive Committee on Admissions reviews competitively.

Penn’s offer count is not published, so no true acceptance rate is available. When you see a Penn “acceptance rate” elsewhere, check what it divides. Offers divided by applicants is an acceptance rate. Matriculants divided by applicants (153 of 7,097, about 2.2%) is a matriculation ratio and always looks lower. The interview share above is the most useful published measure of how hard the first screen is.

Accepted applicants and matriculant background

Accepted applicants for the 2025 entering class had a median MCAT of 522 (mean 521.8) and a median total GPA of 3.98 (mean 3.95), with a median science GPA of 3.98. Their median section scores were 131 in Chemical and Physical Foundations, 129 in Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills, 131 in Biological and Biochemical Foundations and 131 in Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations. Those figures match the medians of the 2026 entering class almost exactly, so the target has been stable.

The 2025 first-year class reported these AMCAS experiences: research or lab work 99%, physician shadowing or clinical observation 97%, medical or clinical volunteering 90%, community service 87% and paid clinical work 48%. Twelve percent held a graduate degree, 75% were science or math majors, 16% reported disadvantaged status and 15% came from medically underserved areas. Research is close to universal in the class, and paid clinical work is common but far from required.

What the profile tells you

The medians show how strong the typical admitted student’s numbers are: a 522 MCAT sits near the top of the national score distribution, and a 3.98 median GPA means most of the class has very few grades below an A. The ranges show that Penn does admit students below those medians, so a 512 MCAT or a 3.7 GPA is not an automatic no, especially with a strong upward trend, research and clinical depth. And the 72% figure is the most useful number for planning. Most of the class took time after college, so a gap year spent on research or clinical work is normal, not a weakness. Pre-med gap year programs are one way to add structured clinical experience during that time.

Admission requirements recap

• Experience: no minimum hour count; physician shadowing is recommended, not required; Penn weighs the depth of clinical, service, research and life experience in a holistic review.
• Letters: a committee letter or at least three faculty letters, one from science; no school maximum (up to 10 through AMCAS).
• Coursework: no required courses; you must demonstrate competency in biology, chemistry, physics, biochemistry and mathematics, plus communication and behavioral science.

Tips and Strategies for Admission

Applying to Penn takes a thoughtful plan because nearly every applicant has strong numbers. These tips turn Penn’s published priorities into practical steps.

1. Reflect on your motivations for medicine

Be clear about why you want to be a physician, and ground it in experiences that moved you toward medicine. Penn’s revised life-experiences prompt asks directly how your experiences “inform your decision to pursue a medical education,” so the reflection has to be specific. Think about moments that changed your direction and connect them to Penn’s admissions mission of future leaders in clinical care, education, research, health policy or entrepreneurship.

2. Show academic strength, and own your challenges

A strong GPA and MCAT are necessary, but Penn’s review criteria include “overcoming obstacles.” If you had a rough semester, a family crisis or a slow start, address it briefly and show the upward trend. Penn’s FAQ notes that community college work, older coursework and pass/fail choices are all judged in context, so explain context where it matters, especially if you chose pass/fail when letter grades were available, which Penn requires you to explain in writing.

3. Choose depth over breadth in activities

Quality matters more than quantity. Penn’s open afternoons and flexible Core 3 reward people who use unstructured time well, so show sustained commitments with growing responsibility: a clinic where you moved from volunteer to coordinator, a lab where you went from washing glassware to owning a project, a community program you helped build. If you are a Penn undergraduate, campus groups and pathway programs such as the Johnson Scholars Program are real opportunities to build leadership.

4. Get real clinical experience

You need to know what patient care looks like day to day. Shadowing, clinical jobs (scribe, EMT, medical assistant, research coordinator), hospice and free clinic volunteering and clinical internships for pre-med students all help, as long as you can describe what you did and what you learned. Our guide on how to effectively shadow a doctor covers how to get more out of shadowing.

5. Do research and be ready to talk about it

Every Penn student completes a Scholarly Pursuit, and the school’s identity is built on research. You do not need publications, but you should be able to explain a question you worked on, your role, what went wrong and what you would do next. Physician-scientist applicants should expect deep research questions.

6. Highlight what makes your background distinct

Your experiences, perspectives and history shape the kind of physician you will be. Penn values students from many backgrounds and paths, including the 19% of the 2026 class who majored outside science. Reflect on how your background shaped your goals and how it would add to learning teams and the Penn community.

7. Plan around the single March decision

Because Penn releases all decisions in March, do not wait on Penn to decide your other applications. Submit AMCAS early (the window opens in late May), complete the supplemental soon after it arrives, and have letters in AMCAS before the supplemental is done. A complete file early gives you the widest choice of interview dates between September and January.

8. Write a strong personal statement and avoid primary application errors

The personal statement is still the core of your story. See our comparison of a compelling vs. average medical school personal statement and our list of the 10 most common mistakes to avoid on your AMCAS application before you submit.

9. Prepare thoughtfully for the supplemental

Use the supplemental to add new information, not repeat your primary. Make each answer fit Penn specifically, using programs you can connect to your own record. Draft the 3,000-character uncertainty essay early, because it is the longest and most reflective answer on the form.

10. Get structured feedback

A second reader who knows medical admissions can catch vague answers and weak structure. IMA’s medical school admissions consulting services offer that kind of review for primaries, supplementals and interviews.

Additional resources

These IMA articles are useful as you build a Penn application:

• How to Effectively Shadow a Doctor: Dos and Don’ts of Physician Shadowing: practical advice on getting the most from shadowing.
• Compelling vs. Average Medical School Personal Statement: what separates a statement that stands out.
• What Does Rolling Admissions Mean for Medical School Applications?: how rolling schools differ from Penn’s single decision date.
• 10 Most Common Mistakes to Avoid on Your AMCAS Application: the most frequent primary application errors.
• How to Write a Medical School Thank You Note in a Few Easy Steps: a step-by-step guide for after your interview.

Secondary Application Questions, Example Responses and Analysis

Every verified AMCAS applicant receives Penn’s supplemental application, so there is no pre-screen before the secondary. The supplemental costs $100 (waived with AMCAS Fee Assistance) and is due with your MCAT score and letters by November 15 at 11:59 p.m. ET. You can submit it before your MCAT score arrives.

Penn does not post its secondary questions on its public website. The six prompts below are the 2026-2027 wording, with their character limits. Before you submit, compare each one with the version in your applicant portal and follow the portal’s wording and limits if anything differs.

Character limits include spaces and line breaks. Write in a plain text editor and check the count before you paste, because rich text from a word processor can add hidden characters.

A pass/fail explanation may still appear. Penn’s FAQ says any applicant who could have kept letter grades but chose pass/fail for prerequisite-type courses “will be required to provide a written explanation regarding the decision to elect P/F.” If your portal shows a pass/fail question, answer it in a few factual sentences: the term, the course, what options your school offered, and why you chose pass/fail (for example, a family illness or a full-time job that term). Keep it brief and avoid sounding defensive.

MD/PhD applicants: Penn’s MSTP has not published its MD/PhD supplemental questions for the 2026-2027 cycle. Expect research-focused items in your portal, answer the version you are given, and have a clear list of your research experiences, dates and outputs ready before the supplemental opens.

Each example below is original and written for teaching. They are not real applicant essays and should not be copied. Use them to see structure, specificity and length, then write from your own experience.

1. Time off between college and medical school (700 characters)

Prompt: “Have you taken or are you planning to take time off between college graduation and medical school matriculation? If yes, please describe your activities during this time.”

Who answers: applicants who have taken or plan to take time off. Penn’s 2026 class makes this normal: 72% had experiences after college before medical school.

What it asks: what you are doing (or will do) between graduation and August 2027, in concrete terms. The limit grew to 700 characters this cycle, which leaves room for roles, duties and one sentence on what is next.

Approach: start with “Yes,” name each role with dates, describe what you actually do, give one result, and say how you will spend the remaining months. If you are still planning a gap year, structured pre-med internships abroad or a full-time clinical job are both easy to describe this way.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (662 characters):

Yes. After graduating in May 2025, I started a two-year job as a clinical research coordinator in a hospital heart failure program. I screen patients for trial eligibility, go through consent forms with them and collect follow-up data in clinic and by phone. Two evenings a week I volunteer as a Spanish-English interpreter at a free clinic, where I take vital signs and help patients complete intake forms. This year I helped a nurse practitioner rewrite the clinic’s medication list form so it works in both languages. I will keep both roles until I matriculate, and I am taking an evening biostatistics course so I am ready for research during medical school.

Why it works: It answers yes first, then gives dates, a job title and real duties (screening, consent, follow-up), so the reader sees responsibility instead of a title alone. The free clinic sentence adds hands-on patient contact and a language skill. The form project shows initiative with a concrete outcome. The last sentence covers the “planning to” half of the prompt by saying what happens between now and matriculation.

Mistakes to avoid: a vague “I am taking a gap year to grow”; listing activities without duties; apologizing for the time off; copying your AMCAS activity descriptions word for word.

2. Global activities outside the U.S. (1,000 characters)

Prompt: “Have you participated in any global activities outside of the U.S. prior to submitting your AMCAS application?”

Who answers: applicants with global activities before they submitted AMCAS. If you have none, say no; this is not a weakness.

What it asks: what you did abroad and what it taught you. “Global activities” is broad: clinical internships, research, study abroad, service, work or growing up in another country can all count.

Approach: name where, how long, who supervised you and what you did. Then give one moment that changed your thinking, and connect it to something real at Penn, such as the Global Health area of concentration or the Botswana partnership. Be honest about your role and stay inside your scope of training.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (961 characters):

Yes. The summer after my junior year, I spent four weeks in a supervised clinical internship at a rural health center in Kenya. Working under a Kenyan clinical officer and two nurses, I took vital signs, recorded intake histories through an interpreter and helped with triage on market days, when the clinic saw more than 80 patients. One morning a woman arrived with a blood pressure of 190/110 and no prior diagnosis. Starting treatment was simple. Follow-up was not: the nearest pharmacy was two hours away by bus. Watching the team plan her care around that distance changed what I mean by a treatment plan. Earlier, I had spent two weeks in a university Spanish immersion program in Oaxaca, Mexico. Both trips taught me that language, distance and cost shape care as much as a diagnosis does. At Penn I hope to build on them through the Global Health area of concentration and, if possible, a clinical elective through the school’s partnership in Botswana.

Why it works: It opens with yes and names place, length, supervisors and tasks (vital signs, intake, triage), which keeps the role honest. One patient story shows reflection: the hard part was follow-up, not diagnosis. The second, shorter trip is included because the prompt asks about any global activity. The close ties the lesson to two verified Penn programs without promising access to either.

Mistakes to avoid: “voluntourism” language; claiming you diagnosed or treated patients beyond your training; using patients as props; listing countries without saying what you learned.

3. Life experiences, the Penn community and your decision to pursue medicine (1,000 characters)

Prompt: “How would your life experiences contribute to the Perelman and Penn community, and how do they inform your decision to pursue a medical education?”

Who answers: all applicants.

What it asks: two things. First, what you would bring to Perelman and the wider Penn community. Second, how the same experiences led you to medicine. Many applicants answer only the first half; the second half is equally important.

Approach: choose one or two experiences that shaped you. Describe the habits or perspective they built, then name where you would use them at Penn (a learning team, a house, a student-run clinic, an affinity group). Then connect the same experience to your reason for becoming a doctor in one clear scene or sentence.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (893 characters):

My younger brother has autism and does not speak. For most of my childhood, I explained his signals to teachers, bus drivers and, more than once, emergency room staff. That role taught me to watch closely, to describe what I see without guessing what it means, and to slow a room down when others rush. At Perelman, I would bring those habits to my Core 1 learning team, where good case work depends on someone noticing what others miss, and I would join Access Penn Med to help classmates think about patients who communicate differently. Those same years are why I chose medicine. In the ER, I watched one resident kneel to my brother’s eye level and wait until he calmed before touching him. Nobody else had asked me how he showed pain. She did. I want to be the physician who asks that question, and I want my training to teach me how to ask it of every family standing beside a stretcher.

Why it works: It answers both halves. For the contribution, it gives one specific experience, the concrete habits it built and two real places at Penn where those habits would be used (Core 1 learning teams and Access Penn Med). For the decision to pursue medicine, the emergency room scene shows the moment the experience became a reason to be a physician, and the last two sentences say that reason directly.

Mistakes to avoid: answering only the contribution half; listing identity labels without showing what you would do; writing a generic essay that could go to any school; repeating your personal statement.

4. Acting under uncertainty (3,000 characters)

Prompt: “We all periodically have to make decisions under challenging circumstances. Physicians and physician-scientists sometimes need to proceed and act with limited information. Please describe a time when you faced a situation that was ambiguous, confusing, or uncertain, and how you navigated the matter despite lacking all of the necessary information.”

Who answers: all applicants. This is the longest answer on the form.

What it asks: a real situation where you lacked key information, what you did anyway, and how you thought about it. Penn wants to see judgment: how you separate what you know from what you do not, how you act within your role, when you ask for help and how you communicate uncertainty.

Approach: spend the first paragraph on the situation and why it was uncertain. Spend most of the essay on your actions and reasoning, step by step. Include the people involved and how you communicated. End with what happened, what you changed afterward and the method you took away. Clinical, research, workplace, family and community situations can all work, as long as the uncertainty was real and you had to act.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (2,990 characters):

Last winter I was the only research coordinator on site when a participant in our heart failure study came in for his 12-week visit and told me two stories that did not fit together. Mr. D., a retired bus mechanic in his seventies, said he had stopped taking the study pill a week earlier because it made him dizzy. A few minutes later he said he had taken it that morning. His pill count was off by three tablets, which matched neither answer. His blood pressure was 92/58, lower than at any earlier visit, yet he was steady on his feet and joking about the parking garage.

I did not have the information I needed. I did not know whether he was taking the drug, whether the low reading came from the drug, from dehydration or from something else, or whether his mixed answers meant confusion or just a long morning. The principal investigator was in a procedure, the study nurse was out sick, and the protocol said dizziness had to be reported but not what to do in the next twenty minutes.

So I separated what I knew from what I did not. I knew his numbers and his words. I did not know the cause, and deciding it was not my job. I focused on the decisions that were mine: keeping him safe, getting the right person involved and recording exactly what happened. I asked him to stay seated, gave him water and repeated his vitals after ten minutes. They had not changed. I paged the covering cardiology fellow, gave her the facts in the order she needed them, and said plainly which parts were uncertain: “He has given me two different answers about his last dose.” She asked me to hold his next dose until she could see him, which she did within the hour.

The hardest moment came while we waited. Mr. D. was tired of sitting, and he asked me straight out whether the study drug was hurting him. I wanted to reassure him. Instead I told him the truth: I did not know yet, a doctor was coming to find out, and stopping to check was the safe choice. He was quiet for a moment. Then he told me that his wife usually set out his pills and had been in the hospital that week. That one detail, which no form had asked for, explained the pill count.

The fellow adjusted his plan, and the team set him up with a pill organizer and a call to his daughter. We reported the event as the protocol required. Afterward I suggested adding one question to our visit script: “Who usually helps you with your medications?” The investigator agreed, and we now ask it at every visit.

That morning gave me a way of working when information is missing. Name what you know and what you do not. Act on the part that is yours and hand off the rest quickly and clearly. Tell patients the truth about uncertainty instead of offering comfort you cannot back up. And keep listening, because the missing piece is often something the patient knows and no one has asked. I will face much harder versions of that morning as a physician, and I want to practice them in learning teams, in simulation and at the bedside.

Why it works: The first paragraph sets up the uncertainty with facts that conflict, and the second states exactly what was unknown. The middle shows a method, not just an outcome: separate known from unknown, act within your role, escalate with a clear handoff, keep the patient safe and document. The honest answer to the patient addresses the prompt’s “act with limited information” at a human level, and the new detail shows how listening can fill an information gap. The protocol change proves the lesson stuck, and the final paragraph turns the story into an approach a physician or physician-scientist would use.

Mistakes to avoid: a story where the uncertainty is fake or solved in one line; making yourself the hero who overrides clinicians; skipping the step-by-step actions; ending without a lesson; using all 3,000 characters on background.

5. Economic hardship (1,000 characters)

Prompt: “Have you or your family experienced economic hardships, regardless of current income status?”

Who answers: applicants whose family has experienced economic hardship, now or in the past. “Regardless of current income status” means you should answer yes if hardship was real, even if your family is stable now.

What it asks: what happened, how it affected you and your education, and, briefly, what you took from it.

Approach: state the facts plainly (cause, how long, what changed at home, work hours). Then spend the second half on impact and what you learned, without self-pity. This answer is context for the committee; it does not need a dramatic arc.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (888 characters):

Yes. When I was fourteen, my father lost his job as a machinist when his plant closed. For almost two years our family of five lived on my mother’s pay as a home health aide. We moved into my grandmother’s two-bedroom apartment and enrolled in Medicaid for the first time. At sixteen I started bagging groceries 20 hours a week, and through college I worked as a pharmacy technician to cover books and part of my rent. My father is working again, but my parents are still paying off debt from those years and cannot help with medical school costs. Those years shaped how I study and how I see patients. I learned to plan every week tightly, because work hours were fixed and exams were not. I also learned that a missed appointment or an unfilled prescription usually has a reason the chart does not show. At the pharmacy counter, I now ask about cost before a patient has to bring it up.

Why it works: It states the facts plainly: cause, length, housing change, Medicaid and work hours. “Regardless of current income status” is handled by noting that the father works again while the effects continue. The second half shows impact without self-pity: time management and a patient-care habit that grew out of the experience.

Mistakes to avoid: inflating ordinary tight budgets; a sad story with no reflection; skipping the question because your family’s income is fine now; using the space to argue for financial aid.

6. Reasons for applying to Perelman (1,000 characters)

Prompt: “Please share your reasons for applying to the Perelman School of Medicine.”

Who answers: all applicants.

What it asks: why Penn, specifically. A strong answer names features of Penn that match your goals and your record, and shows you understand how the school works.

Approach: lead with your goal in one sentence. Then give three or four Penn-specific reasons, each tied to something you have done or want to do. Good material includes the open afternoons in Core 1, the 24 flexible weeks in Core 3, a specific area of concentration or dual degree, One University courses, the Perelman Houses, Bridging the Gaps or a student-run clinic. Use only programs you can connect to your own story.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (913 characters):

I want to train at Perelman because its curriculum fits the physician I hope to become: a general internist who also studies how care is delivered. The three open afternoons each week in Core 1 would let me keep working in a community clinic from my first semester, and the Measey Primary Care Pathway would connect me with primary care mentors early. My research job showed me how much I enjoy asking why patients struggle to follow a plan. The Scholarly Pursuit, and possibly an MD/MSHP, would let me study that question with real training in methods. Penn’s single campus matters to me too. Through One University I could take a course at the School of Social Policy and Practice, and through Bridging the Gaps I could work alongside Philadelphia social service partners. Finally, I learn best in small groups where I teach and am taught by peers, and the learning teams and Perelman Houses are built for that.

Why it works: It leads with a clear career goal, then gives four Penn-specific reasons, each tied to the applicant’s experience: Core 1’s open afternoons, the Measey Primary Care Pathway, the Scholarly Pursuit and MD/MSHP, and One University plus Bridging the Gaps. Every program named is on Penn’s official pages. The last reason links learning style to learning teams and the Perelman Houses.

Mistakes to avoid: rankings and “world-class research” with no detail; naming programs you cannot connect to yourself; promising to join everything; reusing a “why us” essay with the school name swapped.

General supplemental tips for Penn

• Turn the supplemental around within about two weeks of receiving it, so your file is complete early in the interview season.
• Do not repeat AMCAS. Each answer should add a new fact, story or reflection.
• Keep the conditional questions honest. Answer “no” when the answer is no.
• Read your answers aloud for clarity, then check every character count against the limit in the portal.

Interview Format and Preparation

What Penn confirms

• Invitation only. Interviews are granted by invitation, after the Committee on Admissions reviews your complete file. Reviews for interview decisions run from August to January.
• Timing. Interviews take place between September and January, and invitations are released over the same months.
• Format. Penn holds one-on-one interviews with faculty and students on dates the Office of Admissions sets: two individual interviews, one with a faculty member and one with a student. This is a traditional interview format, not the multiple mini interview (MMI). Regional interviews are not offered, and video interviews are available.
• Interview day. The day includes an orientation, time with current students, a financial aid discussion and a look at the curriculum.
• Odds at this stage. For the 2025 entering class, Penn interviewed 800 applicants and enrolled 153 first-year students.
• MD/PhD. MD/PhD interviews are scheduled by graduate group alongside the medical school interviews.
• Decision. Only interviewed applicants are considered, and all decisions come out on one date in March.

Video interviews are available for the 2026-2027 cycle. Your invitation will give the format, the schedule and any technology requirements. Read it closely and confirm the logistics as soon as it arrives.

What to expect in a one-on-one interview

In a one-on-one format, you will have a real conversation with each interviewer, usually about your application, your reasons for medicine and Penn, and how you think. Expect a faculty interview and a student interview. Interviewers may or may not have read your full file, so be ready to tell your story from the start and to go deep on anything in your AMCAS or supplemental.

How to prepare

1. Know your file cold. Reread your AMCAS, your most meaningful experiences and all six supplemental answers. Anything you wrote is fair game, especially your uncertainty essay.
2. Prepare your “why Penn” in your own words. Connect two or three specific Penn features (IMPaCT’s early clerkships, the Scholarly Pursuit, an area of concentration, a dual degree, a student-run clinic) to your goals. Avoid reciting the website.
3. Practice judgment questions. Penn’s uncertainty prompt signals interest in how you reason when the answer is not clear. Practice talking through an ethical or practical dilemma: what you know, what you would ask, what you would do first and who you would involve.
4. Be ready to discuss research. Know your question, methods, results, your specific role and what you would do next. MD/PhD applicants should expect detailed research discussion with graduate group faculty.
5. Prepare questions. Ask the student interviewer about houses, open afternoons, clerkship sites or how classmates use Core 3. Ask faculty about their work or teaching.
6. Practice out loud. Mock interviews with an advisor or a structured service help you tighten long answers. IMA’s medical school admissions consulting includes interview practice.
7. Follow up. A short, specific thank-you note after the interview is a courtesy, not a requirement. Our guide on how to write a medical school thank you note walks through it.

After the interview

Because Penn decides everyone in March, there is a long wait after a fall interview. You can add letters or updates to your application through the online status page at any time. Use updates for real news (a publication, a new role, a completed degree), not to repeat interest every few weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the mission of the Perelman School of Medicine?

Penn states that its mission “is to advance knowledge and improve health through research, patient care, and education in a community that fosters innovation, stimulates critical thinking, embraces equal opportunity, supports lifelong learning, and sustains our legacy of excellence.” In practice, that means research is central (every student completes a Scholarly Pursuit), patient care starts early (clerkships begin in January of the second year), and learning happens in teams. Penn’s separate admissions mission adds that it selects future “physician leaders in health care” who will contribute through clinical, educational, research, health policy or entrepreneurial work. Use that list to frame your own goals.

What are the admission requirements for Perelman School of Medicine?

You need a bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. or Canadian college before matriculation, an MCAT taken between January 2023 and September 2026 (for fall 2027 entry), a verified AMCAS application, Penn’s supplemental with the $100 fee, and letters (a committee letter or at least three faculty letters, one from science). Penn has no required course list; you must show competency in biology, chemistry, physics, biochemistry and mathematics, plus communication and behavioral science. There is no minimum number of experience hours. If your degree is from outside the U.S. or Canada, you must first complete a full-time year of science coursework at a U.S. or Canadian school.

What is the average GPA and MCAT score for accepted students?

For the 2026 entering class, the median MCAT was 522 (mean 521.4) and the median overall GPA was 3.98 (mean 3.96). Median science GPA was 3.98. The class ranged from 510 to 528 on the MCAT and from 3.66 to 4.00 in GPA. These are figures for students who enrolled, and Penn has no minimum cutoff. For all accepted applicants in the 2025 entering class, the median MCAT was 522 (mean 521.8) and the median GPA was 3.98 (mean 3.95). If your numbers are below the medians, strong research, clinical depth and a clear upward trend matter even more.

How many people apply to Penn’s medical school, and how many are interviewed?

For the 2025 entering class, Penn received 7,097 verified applications and interviewed 800 applicants, about 11%. Of those applications, 580 came from Pennsylvania residents, 5,988 from out-of-state applicants and 529 from international applicants. The class that enrolled had 153 first-year students. Penn’s offer count is not published, so there is no true acceptance rate; the interview share is the clearest measure of how selective the first screen is.

What is the deadline for submitting applications?

The AMCAS application is due October 15 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Penn’s supplemental application, the $100 fee, your MCAT score and all required letters are due November 15 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Interviews run from September to January, and decisions come out in March. Penn enforces deadlines strictly, so plan to submit well before them.

Does Perelman School of Medicine offer a pre-matriculation program?

Penn does not list a pre-matriculation program for admitted students. Its pre-medical programs are for students who have not yet applied: the Penn Access Summer Scholars (PASS) program, which can lead to linkage admission for students from partner schools, and the Johnson Scholars Program for Penn undergraduates. Admitted students attend Penn Preview in April and orientation in August, and the last week of Core 1 includes a clerkship prep week.

What is the structure of the medical curriculum at UPenn?

Penn uses the IMPaCT curriculum in three Cores. Core 1 (August of Year 1 to December of Year 2) teaches integrated basic and clinical science, pass/fail, with three open afternoons a week. Core 2 (January of Year 2 to December of Year 3) is four 12-week blocks of required clerkships graded Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail. Core 3 (January of Year 3 to May of Year 4) includes 24 weeks of flexible time, a sub-internship, electives, the Scholarly Pursuit and residency preparation.

When do students begin interacting with patients?

From the start. Core 1 includes clinical sessions on taking histories and doing physical exams from the first year, along with standardized and virtual patients, and many students use the open afternoons to work in student-run clinics. Full-time clinical work begins in January of the second year, when Core 2 clerkships start.

What types of clinical rotations are available?

In Core 2 every student completes obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, family medicine, internal medicine, surgery, specialty services (orthopedics, otolaryngology, ophthalmology and anesthesiology), neurology, psychiatry and emergency medicine. In Core 3 students add a sub-internship in internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine or family medicine and 24 weeks of electives, which can include away rotations, research and global health electives. Training takes place across Penn Medicine hospitals, CHOP and the Philadelphia VA.

What kind of research opportunities are available for students?

Many. Students can start research in the first year, every student completes a Scholarly Pursuit of at least 12 weeks, and more than half of each class stays beyond four years for research, dual degrees or global health. Penn Medicine reported more than $1 billion in total sponsored research and $588 million in NIH awards in fiscal year 2024, and the school runs a database of funded summer, year-out and travel opportunities.

What financial aid options are available?

Penn offers merit and need-based scholarships plus federal loans. About 35 accepted students each year receive full-tuition Twenty-First Century Scholars awards, and every accepted student is considered automatically. Need-based scholarships require the CSS Profile with parent information (recommended deadline March 21), and the FAFSA is used for federal loans. The financial aid office provides one-on-one counseling on budgets and borrowing.

What is the cost of attendance for in-state and out-of-state students?

Penn charges the same amount to every student, regardless of state. For 2026-27, tuition is $73,852, tuition and fees are $80,511, and the total cost of attendance is $117,173 for each of the first two years, $121,773 for the third year and $120,173 for the fourth. Those totals include health insurance ($4,662, marked pending) and living expenses.

What percentage of students receive financial aid?

In academic year 2024-25, 82% of Penn medical students received financial aid. Penn also awards about 35 full-tuition scholarships each year and a four-year need-based scholarship award for students who qualify, and its 2024 MD graduates left with an average educational debt of about $150,000. Ask the financial services office for current figures if this affects your decision.

What is the average graduate indebtedness for UPenn medical students?

The average educational debt of Penn MD students graduating in 2024 was about $150,000. That is the newest figure Penn publishes. Debt depends heavily on scholarships, family resources and how long you stay; students who add a dual degree may pay seven or eight semesters of MD tuition plus the other program’s tuition.

What support services are available to students?

Penn offers academic advising and coaching through the Office of Student Success and Professional Development, wellness support through the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Wellness, residency advising, confidential counseling through Penn Student Health and Counseling, and financial aid counseling. The Perelman Houses add peer mentoring, with four Advisory Deans per house.

Are there opportunities for global health experiences?

Yes. Penn’s Center for Global Health lists partnerships in Botswana, Guatemala, India and the Dominican Republic, with experiences from one month to a year. Students can take the Botswana Clinical Elective, pursue the Global Health area of concentration (two field experiences of six weeks or more, a course and a scholarly project) or use Core 3’s flexible time for global health work. If you want global clinical experience before medical school, look for programs where you work under supervision and can describe your role honestly; pre-health internships abroad are one option.

What is the campus like?

Penn’s medical school is on the University of Pennsylvania’s single campus in West Philadelphia. Students learn in the Henry A. Jordan M’62 Medical Education Center, which connects to the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and the Smilow Center for Translational Research, and train in the Penn Medicine Clinical Simulation Center. Five major teaching hospitals are within walking distance, and medical students can take courses in Penn’s other schools at no extra cost.

What housing options are available for students?

Most students rent apartments or row houses off campus. The most common neighborhoods are Graduate Hospital, Fitler Square, Spruce Hill and Rittenhouse Square, and many students share with roommates to stay near the $2,024-per-month room allowance in Penn’s 2026-27 budget. Large buildings near campus and Center City are also common choices. Visit or research neighborhoods before signing a lease, and factor in commuting during clerkships.

What student organizations and activities are available?

Penn’s Medical Student Government reports more than 90 active student groups. They include student-run clinics such as the University City Hospitality Coalition and Unity Health Clinic, affinity groups, more than 30 specialty interest groups, language groups (Medical Spanish, Medical Mandarin and Medical French), arts and humanities groups, the Penn Med Symphony Orchestra and the annual Spoof show. Students also join intramural sports through Penn Campus Recreation.

What is the dress code for clinical settings?

Penn’s dress code asks students to be clean, neat and appropriately dressed, to follow each clinical site’s dress code, and to wear a name badge identifying them as medical students at all times. Students are expected to wear professional attire and white coats when appropriate, and closed-toe shoes are required in clinical settings.

How does UPenn promote diversity and inclusion?

Penn’s admissions process is holistic, weighing personal attributes, life experiences, overcoming obstacles and academic strength. The school welcomes international, DACA and undocumented applicants, runs pathway programs (PASS and Johnson Scholars), and supports a wide set of affinity groups, from Access Penn Med and FGLI to SNMA, LMSA, APAMSA and Penn Med Pride. The Office of ASCEND supports student success and community engagement, and the university’s nondiscrimination policy covers admissions, aid and programs.

Does Penn accept international students?

Yes. Penn applies the same admissions standards to all applicants. International students are not eligible for federal loans and must show they can pay tuition and fees through school scholarships or personal funds. If your bachelor’s degree is from outside the U.S. or Canada, you must complete a full-time year of BCPM coursework at a U.S. or Canadian institution before applying. Canadian degrees are exempt.

Does Penn have an Early Decision Program?

Yes, but it is extremely selective and small. You must meet the previous class’s average GPA and MCAT, have valid reasons for wanting Penn, and consult with the Office of Admissions before June 1. Approved candidates submit AMCAS by August 1, complete all materials by August 15, and hear by October 1. If you are not sure Penn is your clear first choice, apply in the regular cycle.

Can I apply to both the MD and MD/PhD programs?

No. You must choose one program on your application, and you can change your choice until October 1. Penn does not consider applicants for both programs. If you choose MD, you can still do substantial research through the Scholarly Pursuit, a research year or a master’s such as the MD/MSTR.

Can I visit Penn’s medical school before applying?

Penn does not offer tours or a visit program. It holds a virtual information session each summer (the 2026 session was on July 6) and posts the recording on its prospective student resources page. Penn also hosts “A Day in the Life,” a pre-medical conference for prospective students.

Does Penn require CASPer or PREview?

No. Penn does not use AAMC PREview scores and requires no additional assessments such as CASPer. A complete application is the verified AMCAS, the supplemental, required letters, the MCAT score and the fee.

Is a gap year normal for Penn applicants?

Yes. In the 2026 entering class, 72% of students had experiences after college before starting medical school, and the average age was 24. Penn’s supplemental asks directly about time off, so treat a gap year as part of your story: describe your roles, responsibilities and what you learned.

Related Medical School Guides

If you are applying to Penn, these guides cover schools that applicants often consider alongside it. The reasons are about geography, pathway or applicant fit, not equal selectivity.

• Penn Perelman School of Medicine: admissions statistics and program overview: a companion overview of Penn’s MD program, statistics and campus.
• Temple Lewis Katz School of Medicine: another Philadelphia MD school, a few miles north in North Philadelphia, with a strong urban and community health focus.
• Jefferson Sidney Kimmel Medical College: a large Center City Philadelphia MD school, useful if you want to stay in the city and compare a different curriculum.
• Drexel University College of Medicine: a Philadelphia MD school with a large class, a good option to compare on mission and clinical sites.
• Penn State College of Medicine: Pennsylvania’s public-university MD school in Hershey, a different setting and cost picture for state applicants.
• Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine: a northeastern Pennsylvania MD school built around community-based training, worth comparing if regional and primary care training appeals to you.
• Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School: a nearby New Jersey MD school, relevant for New Jersey residents and anyone weighing Penn Medicine Princeton Health’s region.

More medical school guides to compare

If you are building a balanced list or still deciding where Penn fits, these guides cover other MD and DO schools across the country:

• NYU Grossman School of Medicine (NYU Langone Health)
• Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
• Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS)
• University of Kentucky College of Medicine
• Creighton University School of Medicine
• University of Nebraska College of Medicine
• Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
• Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
• Wayne State University School of Medicine
• NYU Grossman School of Medicine (NYU Manhattan)
• Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine
• University of Massachusetts T.H. Chan School of Medicine
• Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
• Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Tufts University School of Medicine
• University of Louisville School of Medicine
• Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
• University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine
• University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
• Carle Illinois College of Medicine
• Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
• Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University
• Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
• Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center
• Central Michigan University College of Medicine
• Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
• University of Minnesota Medical School
• Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
• Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
• University of Oklahoma College of Medicine
• Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
• Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
• Georgetown University Medical School
• Yale School of Medicine

Browse the full list of medical school guides for every school we cover.

How International Medical Aid Can Help

Penn’s mission puts research, patient care and community at the center, and its supplemental asks about global activities, time off and how you act when information is missing. International Medical Aid (IMA) supports pre-health students building those kinds of experiences. IMA is not affiliated with Penn, and participating in an IMA program does not give anyone an admissions advantage at Penn or any other school.

Clinical internships abroad

IMA runs supervised medical internships abroad in Kenya and other sites for pre-health students. Interns work alongside local clinicians and take vital signs, do patient intake and triage, and help with direct patient care under supervision. That is hands-on clinical work, the kind you can describe concretely in Penn’s global activities and time-off questions. You can compare IMA’s healthcare internships abroad by site and discipline, or go straight to internships for pre-med students if you are on the MD path.

Global health and cultural perspective

Working in a health system with fewer resources shows you how distance, cost and language shape care, the same lessons Penn’s Global Health area of concentration and community programs build on. Interns adapt to new settings, solve practical problems with limited resources and learn to communicate across cultures. Many applicants find these experiences help them write and talk about uncertainty, teamwork and patient-centered care with specific examples rather than general claims.

Admissions consulting

IMA’s medical school admissions consulting services help applicants plan their school list, present their experiences clearly and prepare for interviews. For Penn, that can mean structuring a 3,000-character uncertainty essay, making sure your “why Perelman” answer uses programs that match your record, and practicing one-on-one interviews. Advisors help you frame your experiences in your own voice; they do not write essays for you.

Next step

If you need more patient contact before applying to Penn, review IMA’s internship sites and dates, and plan the experience for a summer or gap year so you can reflect on it in your application.

Final Thoughts and Sources

The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, often called Penn Med, UPenn Medical School or Penn Perelman, is one of the most competitive medical schools in the country. Its 2026 entering class had a median MCAT of 522 and a median GPA of 3.98. But Penn’s process is clearer than many: no required course list, no hour minimum, no in-state preference, the same standards for international applicants, a supplemental for every verified applicant and a single decision date in March.

The applicants who stand out pair strong academics with sustained patient contact, real research and a clear picture of how they will use Penn’s flexible curriculum. Applicants interested in research careers should also look closely at the MD/PhD through the MSTP, which is highly selective in its own right. For students considering Penn as undergraduates, Penn’s pre-health advising, the Johnson Scholars Program and the PASS linkage program at partner schools are useful pathways to know.

Your next steps: confirm your MCAT date falls inside the January 2023 to September 2026 window, arrange a committee letter or three faculty letters, submit AMCAS early, and start drafting the uncertainty essay now. Then plan your interview preparation for the September to January season.

Sources

All pages were checked on October 17, 2026. Class statistics are for the 2026 entering class; costs are for the 2026-27 academic year.

• Perelman School of Medicine, MD Admissions homepage (2027 applicants; 2026 entering class at a glance; 2026 MD+ outcomes).
• Penn PSOM, Application Procedure (AMCAS, supplemental, letters, MCAT window, interviews, EDP, foreign degrees, transfer).
• Penn PSOM, 2026-2027 Admissions Timeline.
• Penn PSOM, Admissions FAQ (prerequisites, course policies, pass/fail, international and DACA applicants, visits).
• Penn PSOM, 2026-27 Total Enrollment and Entering Class Profile (linked in the class profile section).
• Penn PSOM, General Academic Competencies and Admissions Mission Statement (linked in the requirements section).
• Penn PSOM, Student Budget for Academic Year 2026-2027; Tuition policy page.
• Penn PSOM, How To Apply For Aid and Financial Aid Overview (scholarships, need-based aid, 2024 graduate debt).
• Penn PSOM, IMPaCT Curriculum, Core 1, Core 2, Core 3 and Graduation Requirements pages; Medical Education Program Objectives (updated January 1, 2025).
• Penn PSOM, Dual Degrees and Areas of Concentration; Special Study and Research; MD/MBA program; Scholarly Pursuit.
• Penn PSOM, Teaching Facilities; Student Life; 2026 Post-Graduate Outcomes; Pre-Medical Enrichment Programs; Dress Code policy.
• Penn PSOM, overview (mission statement), Office of the Dean leadership page, Undergraduate Medical Education Leadership Team page, LCME accreditation page.
• Penn Medicine, Facts and Figures 2025 (FY24 data).
• AAMC Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR), Perelman School of Medicine profile, 2026 edition, accessed October 18, 2026 (2025 entering class applications, interviews, matriculants by residency, accepted-applicant MCAT and GPA, premedical experiences, interview format, waitlist, deposit, deferral and assessment policies; percent of students receiving aid, AY 2024-25).
• Penn Medical Student Government, 2026-2027 list of active student groups (via pennmsg.com).
• Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, About Us (affiliation and medical student training).
• AAMC, Fee Assistance Program eligibility (2026 FAP).
• Secondary prompt wording: 2026-2027 current-cycle compilations and applicant reports; check your portal for the official text.
• Faculty and alumni: Penn faculty pages for Drew Weissman and Carl June; Penn Medicine provider profile for Neha Vapiwala; UCSF, UCLA Health, CHOP, the American Psychiatric Association and The Rockefeller Foundation for current alumni roles; Penn Medicine alumni pages.

Data verified October 17, 2026.