If you want to know how to get into the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, this guide explains everything, from GPA expectations to what the admissions committee really looks for.
If you’re just here for the requirements, click here.
Wharton’s undergraduate program does not publish an official acceptance rate. However, as one of the four branches of undergraduate schools at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), Wharton’s acceptance rate is likely lower than UPenn’s 6.5% acceptance rate.
Wharton could fill its class multiple times over with highly qualified applicants. Roughly 20 to 25 students are turned away for every applicant. Being qualified isn’t enough to get accepted. This article will help you demonstrate how to excel as a future Wharton student.
Wharton does not offer an early decision (ED) option. Applicants interested in an early application pathway must apply through UPenn's ED program, but there is no Wharton-specific ED process.
For the Class of 2028 at UPenn, 51% of students were admitted early decision.
It’s extremely difficult to get into Wharton undergrad. Roughly 93.5% of UPenn applicants were rejected in the 2024-2025 admissions cycle.
We based our admissions difficulty scale on each school’s acceptance rate and how selective it is compared to other colleges. The most selective schools rank as the hardest, and the least selective schools rank as the easiest to get into.
Applicants need more than just top grades and test scores. Wharton looks for ambitious, passionate, well-rounded students who excel in team environments. Unlike other business programs, students begin their mix of business and liberal arts and sciences education in their junior year. You must show tangible proof that you’re a business-minded thinker in your essay and the activities section on the Common Application.
Take our interactive quiz below to determine how likely you are to get into Wharton.
Wharton does not publish average GPA, SAT, or ACT scores for its admitted students. To estimate academic benchmarks for Wharton applicants, we analyzed UPenn’s 2023-2024 Common Data Set (CDS), a standardized report colleges use to disclose key admissions data.
In the 2023–2024 admissions cycle, the average GPA of admitted students at the University of Pennsylvania was 3.9. Only 4% of applicants left their GPA blank on the Common Application, making it a key data point in admissions review. If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, you should report it—but to stay competitive, you should aim for a 4.0 or above to stand out in a highly selective pool.
According to UPenn’s CDS, approximately 92% of applicants who reported class rank were in the top 10% of their graduating class. Wharton expects academic excellence at the highest level.
Don't include your class rank on the application if you’re not in the top half of your graduating class. But if you’re near the top half (especially within the top 10%), ensure you include it on the Common Application.
The average ACT score of admitted students at UPenn is 35. Aim for a perfect ACT score of 36 to stand out as a competitive applicant. If you haven't scored a 36, Wharton also looks for how you’ve used your strengths to lead, innovate, or contribute to your community.
The average SAT score of admitted students at UPenn is 1510-1560. Aim for an SAT score of 1560 or higher to exceed UPenn’s average. However, top scores are only one step of the application process; context and impact matter as much as numbers.
Wharton isn't just looking for excellent scores but candidates who can handle an elite academic institution and contribute to the school's business-oriented community.
Wharton is looking for applicants with an interest in business who can inspire positive change and propel economic and social well-being forward. It also looks for demonstrated leadership and advanced preparation in mathematics, especially calculus.
Students must apply to Wharton through the University of Pennsylvania's Office of Undergraduate Admissions. We analyzed the 2023-2024 CDS to find Wharton’s academic and non-academic admissions criteria.
Below is how Wharton weighs academic factors, based on the 2023-2024 CDS
Wharton values the rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, application essay, and recommendations as “Very Important”. Taking AP, IB, honors, and dual enrollment courses and scoring well can help you demonstrate your academic prowess.
But according to Wharton, you must prove you're a business leader and are “driven to bring inspired business solutions to nonprofit, art, science, medical, or traditional business contexts, or wherever innovation and leadership are needed.” Essays and recommendation letters are the key to explaining how you’ve helped a nonprofit or business venture solve problems. You must think as a business leader and learner.
Here are the traits that Wharton looks for in applicants and how to show it in your application.
Every first-year Wharton student must complete rigorous microeconomics, statistics, and calculus courses. The admissions committee looks for students who’ve already proven they can handle high analytical depth in high school.
Wharton also wants exceptional writers. In a recent interview with Araash Ahuja, a rising second-year student at Wharton, he highlighted the importance of writing at Wharton.
“All Penn first years must take a writing seminar class, so choose a topic that fascinates you.”
Wharton places a significant emphasis on the essay, which is reflected directly in the CDS and indirectly in Ahuja’s statement. Don’t write your Wharton essay at the last minute. Instead, edit, revise, and write multiple drafts of how you plan to improve the world through business.
Wharton offers strong faculty access, with one professor or instructor for every eight students. The smaller ratio makes it easier for students to participate in small-group business labs, leadership seminars, and close mentorship. Mention how you’ll thrive in this close-knit setting in your essays.
The table below outlines the non-academic factors that Wharton looks for in successful applicants.
Wharton’s student body comprises class presidents, musicians, newspaper and yearbook editors, valedictorians, artists, star athletes, debate champions, pageant queens, and entrepreneurs. This diversity of backgrounds shows that no single profile defines a successful applicant. Instead, Wharton prioritizes character and personal qualities, the only “Very Important” factor in the CDS. Use your essays and letters of recommendation to demonstrate leadership, resilience, curiosity, and initiative.
Wharton promotes deep engagement in entrepreneurship, global initiatives, and leadership ventures. In other words, depth matters far more than breadth. Sustained leadership, especially in business-related extracurriculars, outweighs participation in 10 unrelated clubs because it shows you’re dedicated to improving the world through business.
If your Common App Activities section includes achievements tied to entrepreneurship, investment, or economic initiatives, you’re a good fit for Wharton.
The ideal Wharton undergrad applicant:
Wharton undergrads’ website consistently emphasizes two key themes: business and calculus. To align your application with Wharton’s priorities, demonstrate a strong business mindset through entrepreneurial initiatives and highlight your quantitative readiness by excelling in AP Calculus.
Here’s a breakdown of Wharton undergrads’ core application requirements.
Follow these expert tips to improve your chances of getting into Wharton undergrad.
Here are more Wharton-specific tips to help you get accepted.
Wharton admissions officers look for a combination of initiative, impact, and business skills. If you’ve monetized a hobby, helped build an e-commerce shop, or were involved in scaling a family business, mention these experiences in your essay. Since the interview isn’t required, avoid sharing any vital information exclusively in the alumni conversations.
Even running a profitable summer lawn care service shows real-world economic thinking. Start a venture. Monetize a passion project. Secure a part-time job at a family-owned restaurant.
Wharton’s supplemental essays are an excellent opportunity to show why you’re a great candidate.
Wharton wants leaders with long-term ambition. Use your essay to tie your experiences to a future in business, finance, social impact, or innovation.
Dr. Nick J. Accrocco, a former admissions officer at UPenn, said it best in a webinar with Quad Education:
“A good essay can cure the sick—it cannot raise the dead.”
Translation: The essay won’t save an unqualified applicant, but it can make you stand out if the rest of your application is average.
The strongest essays we’ve seen connect leadership with reflection: what you did, why it mattered, and how it changed your perspective.
Avoid generic business tropes like increasing sales numbers. Instead, show emotional intelligence, vision, and resilience. For example, did you pitch a failing idea, regroup, and rebuild it into something that worked? That story will increase your chances of standing out.
In 2025, Wharton announced a new undergrad concentration and a specialized MBA track in Artificial Intelligence for Business. Dean Erika James highlighted the importance of AI at Wharton:
“At Wharton, we are simultaneously focused on harnessing AI’s transformative potential while also understanding and addressing its risks. Artificial Intelligence for Business represents a bold step forward in our mission to prepare the next generation to responsibly lead in an AI-driven world.”
Wharton cares about AI and its related business advancement. If you have experience with AI tools improving business ventures, highlight that in your essay. Frame that experience not just as technical competence, but as a reflection of your initiative, creativity, and leadership, especially since Penn marks Character/Personal Qualities as Very Important on the CDS.
For example, you might describe how you used AI tools to analyze customer demographics at your family’s restaurant, then propose data-driven menu changes based on traffic patterns, like offering regional dishes on nights when those demographics were most present. That story shows business thinking, applied tech, and a willingness to learn how AI can help business.
Wharton prefers students with a heavy course load, especially in AP Calculus and AP Microeconomics. You can also take a self-paced online learning program at Wharton to impress the admissions officers. These courses are geared toward older students, but if you at least show interest in them, such as completing one module and reporting that on your essay, it shows you’re committed to learning business at Wharton.
Wharton's curriculum includes economics, math, and writing in the first undergraduate year. If you haven’t already handled high-level math or worked with data models, admissions officers may wonder if you’re ready to take on intensive courses.
Taking multivariable calculus or even pursuing business-related massive open online courses (MOOCs), such as Wharton’s financial accounting course on Coursera, shows you’re academically prepared for Wharton’s first-year curriculum.
Paid internships, shadowing CEOs, or working on real-world consulting projects (even independently) show maturity and initiative. But your business experience doesn’t have to be grandiose, as Wharton only marks work experience as “Considered” in the admissions process. Your part-time job can provide a strong example of a moment demonstrating your maturity and initiative, which is perfect material for your essay.
Wharton is not looking for students with the most impressive job titles. It’s looking for applicants who can extract business lessons from any experience.
We’ve seen strong candidates write about delivering pizzas and learning about logistics, customer retention, and revenue modelling through tips. Admissions officers want to know if you can connect your work to a bigger business insight.
According to the August 2024 UPenn admissions data, the early decision acceptance rate was 51%, compared to just 3.67% for regular decision. That’s nearly a 14x increase in acceptance odds.
While Wharton doesn’t offer a standalone ED process, applying ED to UPenn gives you a statistically significant advantage, especially if you’re a strong candidate with a straightforward business-driven narrative.
Just make sure you’re fully committed because early decision is binding. You should only use ED if UPenn is unquestionably your top choice.
For more UPenn admissions counseling, team up with our experts. They know precisely what it takes to position you as a top Wharton undergrad candidate.
All Wharton undergraduate students will receive a Bachelor of Science in Economics upon graduation.
About 25% of Wharton students take advantage of study-abroad opportunities. UPenn sponsors over 100 programs, so there are many opportunities to find the right program. In addition, Wharton sponsors more than 30 programs that enable students to take business and arts and sciences courses.
Yes, Wharton grants course credit and waivers for high scores on AP and IB exams. A score of 5 on AP exams (e.g., Microeconomics, Statistics, Computer Science) or 6–7 on IB Higher Level exams (e.g., Economics, Physics) can fulfill foundational Wharton requirements such as economics, statistics, or computer science. These credits are applied through UPenn’s External Exam Credit policy and can exempt students from entry-level courses.
In your first year at Wharton, you’ll take economics, math, and statistics courses. Your junior and senior college years will be about fulfilling concentration requirements, deciding which minor to study, travelling abroad, and completing a capstone requirement.
No, you don’t need to know exactly what to do in your four years before enrolling at Wharton. You have time to determine what concentrations interest you, whether you want to pursue a minor or study abroad. Wharton encourages students to explore their interests and research opportunities in their first year.
Wharton undergrad is an excellent choice to pursue a business-centered curriculum. Wharton isn’t just looking for top students but academic and business leaders. Whether you’re interested in AI in business, startups, or economics, Wharton will undoubtedly provide you with an excellent education.
Book a free consultation today with a member of our team to get accepted to Wharton undergrad. After a 30-minute call, we’ll match you with the perfect admissions counselor to help you highlight your strengths and improve your weaknesses.
