University of Pennsylvania

Campus Life

Room & Board

• Penn's 11 College Houses are hubs of intellectual, social, and recreational activity. 
• Students may choose from more than 40 residential programs supporting interests in everything from world cinema to modern languages to music to entrepreneurship. 
• About a quarter of students are members of a residential fraternity or sorority.
• 99% of freshmen live on campus. 64% of undergraduates live on campus.
• View layouts of Penn student housing.
• Penn has 8 retail and residential dining locations and a long tradition of food carts. Philadelphia also boasts a great restaurant scene, with Iron Chef-run eateries and everything from Afghani to Eritrean to Italian food.
• View the complete list of the dining options at Penn.

Student Life

• Read Penn's student newspaper, The Daily Pennsylvanian.
• Read about the hundreds of student groups and organizations at Penn.
• Check out Penn's Special Learning Hubs that bridge the academic and social spheres and provide resources and meeting space for likeminded students.
• Learn about athletics and recreation at Penn.
• Learn about Penn's arts and culture.
• Each year, roughly 9,700 of Penn's 10,000 undergradutes are involved in service of all kinds via the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, Civic House, and The Fox Leadership Program.
• Penn offers special learning hubs such as the Kelly Writers House, Platt Performing Arts House, the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, Civic House and Weiss Tech House where students can bridge the social and academic spheres and meet likeminded students.
• Learn more about Penn's cultural organizations: The Greenfield Intercultural Center, La Casa Latina, LGBT Center, Makuu: the Black Cultural Center; Pan-Asian American Community House and the Penn Women's Center.
• Sustainability is a major topic at Penn. ECO-reps raise awareness of environmental issues through the Colleges.

Interesting Facts

• Penn traces it origins to 1740, claims Ben Franklin as its founder and is recognized as America's first university.
• In 1994, Penn president Judith Rodin became the first woman to be inaugurated President of an Ivy League institution.
• In 2007, current Penn President Amy Gutmann was the first Ivy League signatory to the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, required Penn to develop a long-range plan for carbon neutrality.
• Penn has a set of governing principles called The Penn Compact. It embraces three principles deeply rooted in Penn's history: increased access to education; integrated knowledge; and community and global engagement.
• Learn about Penn's numerous campus traditions.