In 2021, the transfer acceptance rate at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) dropped to a record low. Of the more than 3,500 applicants who applied to transfer, only around 165, or 5%, of students were accepted. While the drop did signify a record, it was part of an ongoing trend and not an anomaly — so we don’t expect to see a rise in the future. It’s only going to be increasingly difficult to get into Penn as a transfer, and Penn isn’t unique in that. The Penn transfer acceptance rate is twice that of fellow Ivy League members Harvard and Princeton. As a result, “Penn is the second-most popular Ivy League school for transfer students after Cornell, reflected by its higher admissions rate and large applicant pool.”
If you’re set on trying to transfer to Penn, it’s important to know that they only accept students who will start in the fall (as compared to Cornell, which accepts some students to start in the spring), and students need to pick the undergraduate college they’ll be attending to before they show up on campus. Penn has four undergraduate colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences, Penn Engineering, the School of Nursing, and the Wharton School, and picking the right school to apply to as a transfer is critical as selecting the wrong school would seriously threaten your chances of acceptance. The schools also have different eligibility criteria and policies. For example, Wharton and the School of Engineering only accept students in their second-year — not juniors.
Once you’ve picked the undergraduate school you’ll be applying to, it’s time to tackle the essays. Transfer-specific essays are not ‘normal’ college essays, and are definitely not the same as the ones you wrote for your first go-around applying to college.
Throughout your Penn essays, it’s important to keep in mind that colleges have become increasingly fixated on attracting students aware of their privilege and who are genuinely grateful for the opportunities they’ve been given and the relationships in their lives. You’ll need to write about why your current school isn’t working for you, but it’s crucial that you are also respectful. Your critiques may be accurate, but insulting your current professors and fellow students reflects poorly on you, so it’s crucial that you edit your emotions out of that particular part of your essay.
Every year, we review hundreds of transfer essays that trash on the current school. It’s distracting, it’s rude, and it only serves to make the student look bad. We understand why students start with these essays, though. They’re frustrated, they want something different, and they’re trying to make that abundantly clear. But these need to be the first drafts, not the final submissions.
As you articulate what you’re not getting at your current school, you need to be equally clear on why Penn is the place you need to be to pursue your academic, community, and career goals.
Penn is practical and pragmatic, and they look for students who share those traits. They want to see a direct line between your academic interests, your extracurricular pursuits, and your future career goals. This means you’ll have to research more than just which undergraduate college is right for you. If you’re going to successfully pitch yourself as a future Penn student, you need to help the application readers envision what your life will be like once you’re on campus. And don’t just Google “clubs at Penn.” Find specific programs, groups, activities, and opportunities that align with your interests, and then focus on just one or two that make the most sense for you. If you start to get frustrated, don’t pick the wildest thing because you think it’ll make you look cool. Activities don’t make you look more interesting if they don’t make any sense for you.
As you finish the first drafts of your essays, remember that while the SAT or ACT is optional sending amazing scores will absolutely help your chances of acceptance. Mediocre scores, or even just mildly impressive scores, aren’t worth sending.
Applying to transfer into the Ivy League is a strenuous process with pretty shoddy odds. If you’re going to try to get into Penn, it’s important to start your essays early, to communicate with your current professors to ensure that you’ll have outstanding recommendations, and to articulate exactly why Penn is the place you need to be.
If you’re overwhelmed by the idea of navigating the transfer process, and want your best chance possible of getting into Penn, send us an email. We help students like you defy transfer statistics to find their dream school.