Post-Baccalaureate Undergraduate Studies Program

Application Deadlines

Summer Admission: May 1, March 15 for international applicants
Fall Admission: August 15, July 1 for international applicants
Spring Admission:  December 1, November 1 for international applicants

* All applications materials must be received in our office by the application deadline.

Application

Applications may only be submitted through our online application system. To begin a new online application, click here. An application must contain all of the following in order to be considered complete:

• Completed application
• Current resume
• Non-refundable application fee of $70.00 (Make checks payable to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania.)
• Application essays
• Official transcripts from each post-secondary school attended
• Score reports for at least one standardized test, if applicable

Application Essays

Please respond to each of the following questions.  If you are submitting your essays online, please upload them together in one document. Number your essays clearly and begin each essay on a separate page. Responses should not exceed four pages in length for all the questions combined.

1. Have you ever been placed on probation, dismissed or suspended from any college or university for reasons pertaining to academic integrity? If yes, please include any facts that you believe bear on the significance of this circumstance.
2. Describe your educational history and background, making sure to address whether your records and transcripts accurately reflect your academic ability. Explain fully if you have ever withdrawn, taken a leave of absence, or been dropped by any school, college, or university.
3. Write a brief essay describing your academic and personal goals and explain how these will be furthered by study at Penn in general and at CGS in particular. Feel free to discuss a specific academic topic you have enjoyed studying and explain why it is of interest to you.
4. Describe any non-academic experiences that you feel strengthen your application such as employment, travel, community affairs, volunteer work, publications, etc.

Letters of Recommendation

Letters of Recommendations are not required for the Post-Baccalaureate Undergraduate Studies program. However, you may submit up to three letters of recommendation to support your application. List the names and titles of individuals whom you have asked to submit letters in support of your application. These may be individuals with whom you have had a close professional or academic association and who know of your desire to enroll in the College of General Studies. Recommendations may be submitted online or by mail. For online recommendations, please follow the instructions in the Recommendations section of the online application. For paper recommendations, please print a copy of the University of Pennsylvania’s College of General Studies Official Recommendation Form and supply a copy to each recommender.

Standardized Test Scores

Standardized test scores are not required. However, you may opt to submit standardized test scores such as the GRE. International applicants whose first language is not English must submit TOEFL scores. Use ETS code 2986 when requesting TOEFL scores. Applicants who have completed post-secondary work in an institution where the instruction was in English do not have to submit TOEFL scores.