The University of Pennsylvania was founded in 1740 in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin as the Academy and Charitable School in the Province of Pennsylvania, making it one of the nine colonial colleges established before the American Revolution. It became the first institution in the United States to be named a university in 1779 and admitted its first classes in various forms through the eighteenth century. The university grew significantly in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries with the establishment of professional schools including the Wharton School in 1881 as the world's first collegiate business school, contributions to wartime research, and expansions in medicine, law, and engineering, while maintaining a focus on practical education, innovation, and civic engagement.
The University of Pennsylvania's main campus is located in the West Philadelphia neighborhood, covering approximately 299 acres with over 222 buildings excluding hospital facilities. It features a mix of historic Collegiate Gothic architecture in the core area including College Hall, the Fisher Fine Arts Library, and Locust Walk as the central pedestrian pathway, along with modern additions such as the Amy Gutmann Hall for data science and various research centers. The urban campus includes residential quadrangles, athletic facilities, museums like the Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and integration with surrounding Philadelphia neighborhoods through public transport and walkability.
The University of Pennsylvania is governed by a Board of Trustees responsible for overall policy, finances, and strategic direction as a private nonprofit institution. The current President is J. Larry Jameson, who has served in the role since March 2025 following an interim period from December 2023, with his term extending through June 2027. The university operates with significant autonomy, supported by an endowment valued at approximately twenty-four point eight billion dollars as of fiscal year 2025, and includes a Provost as chief academic officer along with deans leading its schools and divisions.
The University of Pennsylvania is organized into four undergraduate schools including the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Science, School of Nursing, and the Wharton School, along with twelve graduate and professional schools covering business, law, medicine, education, design, veterinary medicine, and others. It emphasizes interdisciplinary education, research, and practical application through programs such as the Core Curriculum for undergraduates and extensive research opportunities. The university consistently ranks among the world's top institutions, placing fifteenth in the QS World University Rankings 2026, fourteenth in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026, and seventh in the US News National Universities 2026, with particular strengths in business, medicine, law, engineering, and social sciences, along with affiliations to numerous Nobel laureates and high research output.
The University of Pennsylvania enrolls approximately twenty-three thousand students, including around ten thousand undergraduates and the remainder in graduate and professional programs, with a diverse and international community. Most undergraduates live in on-campus housing during their first years, organized into residential houses and College Houses that provide community, dining, and programming. Student life includes over four hundred student organizations covering academic, cultural, performing arts, service, and political interests, along with traditions such as campus events, Greek life with fraternities and sororities, NCAA Division I athletics in the Ivy League, and access to Philadelphia's cultural, historical, and professional opportunities in an urban setting focused on intellectual engagement and extracurricular involvement.
Professors at University of Pennsylvania
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