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University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania

Important Facts

  • Student Enrollment:

    24876

  • Faculty:

    5376

  • Sponsored Projects:

    NA

  • Male to Female Ratio:

    49/51

  • Alumni :

    NA

  • Increase in Admission:

    4%

  • Applicant Count:

    31663

  • International Students:

    20%

  • Establishment:

    1740

Contact

  • University Offices:
    3451 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
  • Telephone:
    (215) 898-5000
  • Fax:
    NA
  • website

The University of Pennsylvania also called Penn is located in Philadelphia and is an Ivy League private university. In the year 1740, it was agreed upon by a group of people from Philadelphia to build a preaching hall in remembrance of evangelist George Whitefield who delivered sermons, open air. In 1743, the idea of the establishment of an academy struck one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, Benjamin Franklin. He asked Rev. Richard Peters to supervise the establishment but he denied. Though the idea went to the backburner, six years later he circulated a flyer titled ‘Proposals relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania. This laid the foundation of the university in the year 1855.

It is one of the founding members among 14 of the Association of American Universities. It was the pioneer of the multidisciplinary model with multiple schools of theology, medicine, and classics. The university was the vanguard of many other important innovations such as the first student union organization (1896, Houston Hall), first North American school of medicine (1975, Perelman School of Medicine) and first business school (1881, Wharton School of Business).

In 2014/15, the university had 24876 students and 5376 faculty members. The first computer (ENIAC- Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) took its first form here in 1946. Other major discoveries and inventions include dialysis machine, Rubella and Hepatitis B vaccines, PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans and discovery of many genes responsible for various diseases. Many noted alumni of Penn include Mark Pincus, Donald Trump, Warren Buffet, Elon Musk and Charles Addams.