FAQs

Yes, as long as you will graduate before courses start, you can apply before graduation. If you are admitted, before matriculating in the fall, you will need to send us a final transcript (or course-by-course evaluation) from your undergraduate school showing your degree received.

“STEM” refers to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, an acronym popularized by the National Science Foundation. Several of our programs are STEM designated. They include the Master of Architecture, Master of Science in Design (Advanced Architectural Design, Environmental Building Design, Historic Preservation, and Robotics and Autonomous Systems), Master of Environmental Building Design, Master of City Planning, Master of Science in Historic Preservation, Master of Landscape Architecture, and Master of Urban Spatial Analytics programs.

No. Our three-and-one-half year Master of Architecture beginning in the summer and three-year Master of Landscape Architecture first professional degree programs do not require a previous background in those fields although you must hold a four-year bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree before entering the program. It is a good idea to take some drawing and/or design studios prior to applying in order to put together a portfolio, which is an essential part of your application. (see Portfolio Requirements)

ARCHITECTURE
The Master of Architecture professional degree does require that you take specific courses before entering the program. If you haven't taken the prerequisites during your undergraduate program, you can take them at any accredited college or university or online. If you have not taken the required courses at the time you are admitted into the Master of Architecture program, you would be admitted on the condition that you successfully complete the prerequisite(s) before entering the program in the fall. For a list of the prerequisites, go here. We strongly recommend that you fulfill as many of these prerequisites as possible before you are admitted. It is difficult to take multiple courses during the summer, especially Physics and History of Architecture.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Before entering the Master of Science in Historic Preservation, students must have proficiency in computer-aided drafting (AutoCAD). Those electing to pursue the concentration in architectural conservation should have at least one college-level course in chemistry or equivalent before beginning the curriculum. Please contact the Chair with any questions.

If you have received college credit for these courses (scored a 4 or 5 on the AP exam) and the credits appear on your undergraduate transcript, we will allow these classes to fulfill the prerequisites.

Recognizing the challenges of teaching, learning, and assessing academic performance during the global COVID-19 pandemic, Penn’s admissions committees for graduate and professional programs will take the significant disruptions of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 into account when reviewing students’ transcripts and other admissions materials as part of their regular practice of performing individualized, holistic reviews of each applicant. In particular, as we review applications now and in the future, we will respect decisions regarding the adoption of Pass/Fail and other grading options during the period of COVID-19 disruptions. An applicant will not be adversely affected in the admissions process if their academic institution implemented a mandatory pass/fail (or similar) system for the term or if the applicant chose to participate in an optional pass/fail (or similar) system for the term. Penn’s longstanding commitment remains to admit graduate and professional student cohorts composed of outstanding individuals who demonstrate the resilience and aptitude to succeed in their academic pursuits.

The deadline for application to be submitted and supporting materials to be received for the M.S. in Architecture and the Ph.D. programs is December 15. The deadline for application and supporting materials for the Master of Architecture, MSD in Advanced Architectural Design, MSD in Environmental Building Design, and MEBD is January 5. The deadline for the MSD in Historic Preservation, MS in Historic Preservation, Master in City Planning, Master of Landscape Architecture, and Master of Urban Spatial Analytics is January 12. The deadline for the MSD in Robotics and Autonomous Systems is January 19. The fee for applications is $80.

There is only one application which can be used by U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and international applicants.

Normally, GRE scores must be received by the Office of Admissions on or before the deadline for the program to which you are applying, and you should allow sufficient time for scores to reach us. Go here for a list of programs that require the GRE.

Your test scores should be sent directly to the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design Office of Admissions. The institution code for Penn, for both the GRE and the TOEFL, is 2926. Be sure to select GRADUATE school. To submit your IELTS scores, please email a copy of your score report or TRF number to admissions@design.upenn.edu. We will verify the scores with IELTS and add the report to your application record; you do not need to have a hard copy sent to our office.

We do not have a cut-off for the GPA or GRE scores although we prefer to see at least a 3.3 or above for the GPA, 160 or above for the verbal GRE, 148 or above for the quantitative section, and 4.5 or above for the analytical writing section. Most departments require a TOEFL score of 100 or higher, a band score of 7.0 for the IELTS Academic, or a total score of 135 for Duolingo. You should note that many other factors are taken into consideration during the admissions process, not just test scores or grades.

We will look at your transcripts and/or course-by-course evaluations individually to assess your performance. You don’t need to fill in the GPA if you attended a school that doesn’t put your GPA on the transcript. If you are submitting a course-by-course evaluation from WES or Educational Perspectives, they will provide us with a GPA. You may use the tools in these sites to help you calculate your GPA:
http://www.wes.org/students/igpacalc.asp (requires payment)
http://www.collegeboard.com/html/academicTracker-howtoconvert.html 

It is possible your Upload File is larger than the specified size. If your file is either too large or has the wrong extension, please downsize the file or change the file extension. 10 MB is the upload limit for transcripts/resume/personal statement/writing samples. Acceptable extensions are .doc, .docx, .gif, .jpg, .pdf, .png, or .tif format.

We are unable to view the portfolios for applications that have not yet been submitted. We recommend submitting your application even though your portfolio looks a little skewed. It's likely that it will look correct on our end. After you submit your application, let us know, and we will double check the appearance of your portfolio.

We only require official transcripts and/or course-by-course evaluations if you are admitted and choose to enroll. For the purposes of submitting your application, you may upload unofficial copies into your application.

All letters of recommendation must be submitted electronically through the application system.

You can submit one additional letter of recommendation for a total of four.

Our system matches up test scores sent electronically through ETS by your application name, birthdate, and gender 24 hours AFTER you submit your application. If there are any discrepancies in this information between your application and your test form, it may result in delays in matching as we will have to manually look up your scores. If you already know there will be a discrepancy, please let us know by email.

If you are applying within two years of your original application, you must submit a new application form, application fee, portfolio (if applicable), letters of recommendation, and uploaded transcripts of any additional academic work completed since the last application was filed. We should be able to use the test scores you originally submitted. If it has been more than two years since you applied, you will need to submit all new forms and supporting material.

We do not allow degree credits to be counted for work completed at another institution; however, you may be considered for advanced standing into the Master of Architecture professional degree program if you have completed the equivalent of our first year of the M.Arch. program in another graduate architecture school. The amount of advanced standing, if any, would be determined by the Admissions Committee during the admissions process.

No, we do not have any sample portfolios. A wide variety of design work and portfolio styles are submitted; there is no one type of correct or successful portfolio. In the case of Architecture and Landscape Architecture applicants, the portfolio is considered a design project in and of itself.

Not all programs require or even allow video interviews; however, some of our programs have optional video or other types of interviews. The Master of Architecture, Master of City Planning, MSD-Advanced Architectural Design. MSD-Environmental Building Design, MFA, MUSA, PhD in City and Regional Planning, and Master of Landscape Architecture programs all encourage their applicants to submit an online interview through the application system. After you submit your application, you will receive an interview invitation. If you don’t receive an invitation after submitting your application to one of these programs, please check your spam mail before contacting us. You will need a webcam and mic to do the interview, which is recorded and reviewed by the Admissions Committee. For best results, we suggest using a computer with hard-wired internet connection, not wifi. While this interview is optional, we do strongly recommend it so that the faculty can get to know you better. If you encounter any technical problems please contact help@applyweb.com.

Other programs may contact you for informal interviews, either through telephone, Skype, in person, or other method in order to learn more about your interests and skills.

Yes. With our online application, you can apply to a dual degree program. To do this, you must apply to the first degree program (preferably the one with the earliest deadline) and submit that application. Once this application is submitted, you can fill out and submit the second application. The application fee for the second program will be waived. Please note that applicants to one of the MSDs (Advanced Architectural Design, Environmental Building Design, or Robotics and Autonomous Systems) may not apply to another MSD program.

Once you are admitted to, and matriculate in, a degree program, you can apply for a certificate program after you arrive in the fall.

The application and supporting material submitted to the Weitzman School become our property and will not be returned to the applicant under any circumstances.

Once you have submitted your application you will have access to a checklist. Please log in to Your ApplyWeb account and click ‘View My Checklist’. This will allow you to see what we have and have not yet received for your application. Please note that it may take a few days for materials such as test scores to be noted as received in the checklist.

Admissions decisions will be available online on March 13 at 12 noon ET. If you are receiving financial aid, you can view and/or download your financial aid letter by clicking on the "Financial Aid" button after admissions decisions are available. Candidates must let us know if they accept our offer of admission by April 15.

Some departments will permit you to defer under certain circumstances; however, you should check with the individual department to determine its policy.

If you are being awarded a scholarship, your financial aid letter will be posted along with your admission letter.

We are often not able to admit all of our qualified applicants into each degree program. We admit a certain number of applicants straight into the degree program, then put some on a wait list. After April 15, when we have heard from the first group, we will start to admit people from the wait list if necessary to attain full enrollment.

Most students live off-campus, either in West Philadelphia (University City) or in downtown Philadelphia (Center City). The University of Pennsylvania does not offer on campus housing, but has compiled off campus housing resources.

Scholarships are given out based on merit. You do not apply for these scholarships; rather, you are considered for them during the admissions review. The exception is the Diversity Scholarship for which you apply in the admissions application. U.S. citizens and permanent residents who wish to be considered for federal loans and/or work-study should file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form no later than February 15.

You will need to keep your statement as brief as possible. Please pay attention to the character counter and limit yourself to a short paragraph.

Yes, international students are eligible for scholarships.

We offer scholarships to our students based on merit, determined by the faculty during the admissions review process. In addition, we offer special Dean's Diversity Scholarships to students whose backgrounds and experiences demonstrate the ability to contribute to increasing socioeconomic and multicultural diversity awareness at the Weitzman School of Design. The Moelis Scholars Program provides financial and other support to students in the field of urban planning, particularly those who intend to pursue careers in public/private development or community and economic development. For more information about scholarships, go here. Our scholarships are renewable for a student's entire career, provided full-time status and good academic standing are maintained in the Weitzman School of Design.

If you are eligible for Federal loans and you show sufficient need, you can apply for loans to cover your tuition, health insurance, and living expenses including room and board.

The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania set the tuition for the upcoming academic year in the spring. It typically increases about 4% each year.

This is a recommended deadline. If you’d like to find out what federal aid you are eligible for at the time that you receive your admission offer, you should aim for this deadline.

Your financial aid letter is SEPARATE from your admissions notification letter. If you are receiving financial aid, you should click on the "Financial Aid" button in your portal.

After you are admitted, you should contact the Chair of your department to request consideration for a teaching assistantship. Some departments offer TAships to entering students, others do not.

There are many resources if you have loan questions. We first suggest visiting Penn's Student Registration and Financial Services (SRFS) Loan FAQ website. Another great resource is the Federal Student Aid website. Finally, you can contact the Graduate and Professional Student Aid team at SRFS by email at graduateaid@pobox.upenn.edu and they can assist you with your questions.