General FAQ

LPS students represent a broad range of academically excellent and highly motivated professionals and pre-professionals who seek an Ivy League education that engages their minds, advances their careers, and inspires them to make an impact on society. LPS students come from Philadelphia and its suburbs, from across the United States, and around the world. Some are enrolled in degree programs at the graduate or undergraduate level. Others are taking courses in our post-baccalaureate programs or as visiting guest students. Some pursue their studies on a full-time basis; others study part-time. Our students include Penn employees and alumni, working professionals, adults returning to complete their bachelor’s degree or gain entrance to graduation and professional schools, retirees, and high school students.  Please see profiles of some of our students on our homepage.

Opportunities include undergraduate (B.A., B.F.A.) and graduate (master's) degree programs; post-baccalaureate pre-health, classical studies, and general studies programs; non-degree and non-credit programs; programs for high school students; and online courses. A large number of international students take part in our English Language Programs or study as international guest students in LPS undergraduate courses. LPS also runs the Summer Sessions at the University of Pennsylvania.

The College of Liberal and Professional Studies offers two undergraduate degrees— the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA, in association with Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts). LPS also offers six master's degrees:

• Master of Environmental Studies
• Master of Science in Applied Geosciences
• Master of Liberal Arts
• Master of Applied Positive Psychology
• Master of Medical Physics

For more detailed information on LP degree policies and programs, please visit the links to the individual degrees listed on the left hand side. And don't hesitate to contact us if your questions are not answered on this website.

Credit earned through the College of Liberal and Professional Studies is full University of Pennsylvania academic credit, awarded in course units (c.u.s). One course unit at Penn is usually equivalent to a three credit-hour course at other colleges and universities. LPS credit is transferable to most other academic institutions according to their policies. Credit students at LPS earn a University of Pennsylvania transcript, obtainable by contacting the University Registrar.

You can register for courses after you have been formally admitted to a degree or non-degree program at LPS. You will register online through Penn InTouch at https://sentry.isc.upenn.edu/intouch. Instructions for using Penn InTouch are provided in the LPS Course Guide. You may also contact LPS staff for assistance and information about registration:  lps@sas.upenn.edu.

Yes, if space is available in the course. Note that there is a tuition difference between daytime undergraduate and LPS evening courses.  Please see our tuition tables for details.

Yes. LPS students may take a full-time load (a minimum of 4 course units/CUs for undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students and a minimum of 3 CUs for graduate students). Undergraduate students under 21 are limited to half-time study (2 CUs).LPS students are eligible for full or partial refunds if they drop a course within the LPS deadlines. A complete schedule for each semester, including deadlines, may be found on the first two pages of the current LPS Course Guide.

Absolutely. LPS students fulfill the same requirements, earn the same degree, receive the same diploma, and in many cases study with the same professors as traditional, day school undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences.

For several reasons. LPS was founded over a century ago as the School of Arts and Sciences' outreach division, and has a commitment to keeping tuition costs down for part-time students and to making Penn more accessible to the Philadelphia community. There is also less financial aid available for part-time students, an issue LPS seeks to address through lower tuition costs and specialized scholarships for part-time students. In addition, LPS hires individual instructors from Penn and elsewhere to teach its courses and so does not have the financial obligation and overhead, of supporting entire departments.

LPS students are eligible for full or partial refunds if they drop a course within the LPS deadlines. A complete schedule for each semester, including deadlines, may be found in the Academic Calendar on the website and on the first two pages of the current LPS Course Guide.

Penn.Pay is an electronic billing service that enables you to receive your Penn Monthly Student Account Billing Statements online, as well as providing an option to pay them electronically. During the months of July and August, paper statements are mailed to newly admitted Penn students; continuing students receive electronic billing only. Effective with September's bill, paper bills are discontinued, and Penn.Pay becomes the only way to receive your student account billing statements. The statements provided by Penn.Pay are in the same format as the paper statements, and you are notified by email each time a new statement becomes available.  For a current billing schedule, please visit this page of the SFS website: http://www.sfs.upenn.edu/billing/billing-schedule.htm. Penn.Pay can be accessed from the Penn Student Portal at:  http://medley.isc-seo.upenn.edu/penn_portal/view.php.

Payment may be made in person to the University Cashier at the Franklin Building, 3451 Walnut Street, by mail, through wire transfer, or online through Penn.Pay. Bills should be paid in full by the due date to avoid a late penalty. The bill includes your charges for tuition, fees, room, board, and other expenses from a variety of offices across Penn in a central billing statement. It may show both actual and "temporary credits" from a variety of sources. If you have questions about any transaction on your bill, please contact the office responsible for the transaction.  For complete information about how to pay your bill, please see the SFS website:  http://www.sfs.upenn.edu/billing/paying-your-bill.htm