by our College Data Analytics TeamA lot of students are not billed the advertised price of a school. Instead, they will be provided a financial aid package that will include a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study. The sum total of attendance at University of Pennsylvania can sound overwhelming, but bear in mind that many students get some type of financial aid.
What financing options does UPenn offer you, and what will you qualify for? Keep scrolling for more information. Keep scrolling to learn just how much financial aid will be open to you.
Your financial aid package, which may contain grants and scholarships, will be determined on your financial need. Use the information below to understand how much financial assistance you may get from University of Pennsylvania.
Financial aid, in the form of loans, grants, work-study, and scholarships, is one way colleges reduce the cost of attendance so most students can actually afford to attend. However, some types of aid are more desirable than others, and some students will receive more than others.
For incoming first-year students at University of Pennsylvania, 63% of new full-time first-years were awarded at least some aid some 1531 students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 51% | $65,458 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 51% | $62,120 |
| Federal Pell grants | 20% | $6,405 |
| State/local grants | 6% | $4,850 |
| Federal student loans | 9% | $5,060 |
Because grants and scholarships do not have to be repaid, they are the most sought-after type of financial aid. Across the undergraduate body at UPenn, approximately 52% of undergraduates were awarded grant or scholarship aid averaging $53,735 (across roughly 6050 awardees).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 52% | $53,735 |
| Federal Pell grants | 17% | $6,072 |
| Federal student loans | 10% | $7,120 |
Among title-IV aid recipients living on campus, grant and scholarship aid averaged $60,329.
How much a family pays depends heavily on income, because most aid is awarded on the basis of financial need.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $2,886 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $11,105 |
| Over $75,000 | $50,568 |
These figures reflect what title-IV aid recipients pay after grant and scholarship aid is applied.
After grants and scholarships come off the published price, what remains is the net price — the best estimate of true out-of-pocket cost.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $28,699 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $31,229 |
For a customized cost estimate, visit UPenn’s net price tool: npc.collegeboard.org/student/app/upenn.
The median student at UPenn graduates with $14,000 in federal student debt.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $14,000 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $15,715 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $166.61/mo |
Under a standard ten-year plan, the median graduate’s monthly payment lands near the figure above.
The numbers below show the full range, not just the middle of the distribution. The percentiles below describe the cumulative federal debt distribution for borrowers at UPenn.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,500 |
| 25th percentile | $6,500 |
| 75th percentile | $21,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $29,450 |
Outcomes differ by income bracket, by first-generation status, and by whether a student is financially dependent.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,500 |
| Middle income | $13,167 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Median Debt
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,750 |
Dependent vs Independent Students
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $13,115 |
| Independent students | $22,000 |
The figure below distills the debt data into a single burden category for UPenn.
The Stafford program is the federal direct-loan vehicle most undergraduates use. The annual Stafford volume below reflects program activity at UPenn:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 36425 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $1,442,061,946 |
If you are a veteran or active-duty service member, the GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the primary federal programs you can use at this school.
Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 164 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $3,837,256 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $23,398 |
DoD program volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 0 |
| Total DoD amount | $0 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.