Early Decision And Regular Decision
For Legacies

Legacies receive maximum consideration when they apply to Penn under the Early Decision Plan.  We encourage all students to carefully consider their options before committing to an Early Decision application.

For all applicants, regardless of legacy status, who have decided that the University of Pennsylvania is their first college choice and who agree to matriculate if accepted, we encourage application under the Early Decision Plan.  Penn's Early Decision Plan is a binding contract and students must attend if they are admitted.  Penn has retained the Early Decision plan because it has attracted some of Penn’s brightest and most enthusiastic student leaders.

Children and grandchildren of alumni receive some preference under this plan in accordance with standard University policy.  This is because an Early Decision application reflects the student's heightened personal commitment to Penn, independent of any family influence.  Legacies are encouraged to apply Early Decision if Penn is their first choice institution.  Prospective legacies must consider many factors, not only admissions statistics, when pondering an Early Decision application.  Applicants should take into account their particular interests, and they must establish how Penn is a good match for them.

While legacies have been admitted at a slightly higher rate, it is important to note that in the last several years about two-thirds of legacy applicants were not admitted to Penn.  If you would like to review statistics we encourage you to visit the Admissions overview.

Students who desire Early Decision and who submit their applications by the November 1 deadline will receive a mid-December decision of Admit, Deny, or Defer.  Those admitted must respond to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions by January 1 since there is a commitment involved.  Those deferred will be reevaluated during Regular Decision and will receive a final decision by early April.  Denied students will not be reconsidered in the same academic year.

IMPORTANT NOTE: A student may apply Early Decision to only one institution. Accordingly, if an applicant for Early Decision to the University of Pennsylvania also applies for Early Decision to another school, the Early Decision application to the University of Pennsylvania will be withdrawn. Further, if any Regular Decision applicant to the University of Pennsylvania is accepted Early Decision under a College Board approved Early Decision plan by any other school, the application to the University of Pennsylvania will be withdrawn.

Legacy status is noted during Regular Decision, but it plays a much smaller role in the face of a very competitive, much larger applicant pool.  During Early Decision, Penn has received roughly 4,000 applications.  In Regular Decision, Penn receives about 19,000 applications.

Unfortunately, there are many Penn families each year who receive a disappointing decision from the Admissions Office.  The Admissions Committee carefully considers every application, and they never reach a decision quickly or easily.  For every application which is not admitted, the Committee carefully considers whether that application should be “deferred” or “denied.”  The Admissions Committee makes an effort to provide a final decision, admit or deny, to all applicants.  A final decision allows a student to move ahead with their future educational plans.
Candidates who are denied admission may not reapply to Penn in the same academic year.

Candidates who are deferred during Early Decision will be reevaluated in the context of the Regular Decision application pool.  Deferred candidates are no longer bound by the Early Decision agreement, and they will receive a final decision, of admit or deny, by early April.

Some Regular Decision candidates may be offered a spot on the “waitlist.” Waitlisted candidates have not been denied, but they have not been admitted either.  The admissions office turns to the wait-list as needed, depending on how many admitted students decide to enroll at Penn.

Please visit What if They Say "No"? to learn more about decisions.

-Early Decision and Financial Aid?-

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While an applicant is very interested in Penn, we as a family are not prepared to commit to any school under early decision due to financial reasons. Is it still best to apply under regular admissions, even though the acceptance odds are less favorable?

ANSWER: If you need to compare financial aid packages from a few different schools before making a commitment to attend one of them, then it sounds like your daughter will need to apply to colleges under non-binding, and non-limiting plans. At Penn, this would mean applying under the Regular Decision timeline. Other colleges may offer “Rolling Admissions.” Others may have a non-binding Early plan – but be sure to read the fine print, to see if there are any restrictions.

You may have already heard some of Penn’s financial aid policies, but in the interest of giving complete info, I’ll mention a few here. Penn is committed to meeting a student’s demonstrated financial need, and the University now does so with loan-free packages. If you have not already done so, you may read more about financial aid on the University website.

I must also acknowledge Penn’s statement that legacies will receive “maximum consideration” when they apply to Penn Early Decision, and I know that can make a lot of families think twice about their decision. We don’t intend to persuade the students or the families. Rather, I believe the statement exists in the sense of full-disclosure: to show our alumni that there is a different dynamic at play during the Early Decision round. The best advice I can give to prospective students is that they should at first ignore this statement and any admissions statistics they might hear. They should proceed to research Penn and their other college options, in order to find a group of colleges that match their particular interests. If, as a result of this research, one college rises to the top of their list, then they might be an Early Decision candidate for that school. Some students reach this point, but due to financial considerations, still must apply Regular Decision. I am sure this is a reality with many families.

For more information about paying for a Penn education, visit Student Financial Services, including SFS's Frequently Asked Questions.