Penn announced early decision admissions for the Class of 2030 — the first application cycle since the University restored its standardized testing requirement.
According to the announcement, over 7,800 students applied to Penn through the Early Decision Program this year, a decrease from last year’s total of 9,500 applications. The results were released on Dec. 18 at 7 p.m.
Penn did not disclose the acceptance rate for early decision applicants, continuing its decision to withhold detailed admissions results since 2022.
“To the newest members of the Class of 2030: congratulations,” Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule wrote in the Thursday announcement. “The Penn community is ready to cheer you on, lift you up, and grow alongside you. We are grateful that you have chosen Penn, and we cannot wait to welcome you to campus.”
Penn’s newest admits represent over 60 countries and 49 U.S. states, along with Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Class of 2030’s admissions cycle was the University’s first with a test-mandatory application since 2020, when Penn’s test-optional policy was first implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Penn’s reinstatement of mandatory SAT or ACT score reporting earlier this year came as several peer institutions — including Harvard University, Brown University, Yale University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — restored testing requirements. Following Penn’s February announcement, the University became the sixth Ivy League institution to mandate reporting test scores again.
The 2025-26 admissions cycle also marks the end of Penn’s non-evaluative alumni conversations, which previously allowed applicants to connect with a member of the Penn Alumni Ambassador Program. Soule announced the removal of the conversations on July 16 following an earlier move away from alumni interviews during the 2023-24 cycle.
The early decision results come after Penn welcomed 112 students to the Class of 2030 through the QuestBridge National College Match, which allows low-income students to apply early to selective institutions free of charge. This year’s QuestBridge cohort includes 83 first-generation college students.
According to a Sept. 5 admissions report, 21% of last year’s admitted class — the Class of 2029 — are first-generation students, and 24% are from historically underrepresented backgrounds in higher education. At the time, Soule told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the admissions trends reflect the University’s broader intentions for future classes at Penn.
Students who intend to apply to the University through the regular decision path have until Jan. 5, 2026 to submit their application. They will be notified of their results in the spring.