University of Pennsylvania

Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, or UPenn, is a private Ivy League university that ranks among the leading research universities in the United States. Globally, UPenn has consistently placed in the top 20 universities based on the list provided by reputable publications, such as Academic Ranking of World Universities, Times Higher Education, and QS World University Rankings. As a testament to the institution’s dedication to producing notable graduates, UPenn is the proud alma mater of distinguished public figures, including presidents of the United States, Supreme Court justices, state representatives, business magnates, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners.

UPenn’s academic programs revolve around the liberal arts and sciences, which are offered in both undergraduate and graduate levels. The university’s programs are divided among 12 research-oriented schools that focus on a wide range of disciplines, including communication, engineering and applied sciences, arts and sciences, dental medicine, nursing, law, medicine, design, and others. Among its distinguished alumni are Martin Luther King Jr., former U.S. President William H. Harrison, Warren Buffet, Elon Musk, and more.

The university’s history goes as far back as 1740, which makes it one of the universities established before the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Founded by Benjamin Franklin himself, UPenn started as a colonial college that aimed to break the tradition of educating students only for Christian ministry. Franklin’s academic program leaned more toward liberal arts and sciences, which, at the time, was deemed too radical and greatly opposed by those who would rather stick to traditional ways. Franklin’s persistence, however, won in the end as UPenn became the first academic institution to be officially declared as a university in 1749.

Over the years, UPenn has made significant contributions to the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, and economics. Among these notable contributions were from Nobel Laureates, such as Otto Fritz Meyerhoff, a research professor who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiological Chemistry in 1922, making him the first Nobel Laureate from UPenn. Another is John Robert Schrieffer who was the first UPenn faculty to receive a Nobel Prize for his work in the theory of superconductivity. In 2019, Gregg L. Semenza received a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of cells’ adaptation to oxygen availability.

With UPenn’s impressive track record in producing innovative research, it strives to continuously produce new knowledge in the fields of science, medicine, business, technology, and others.