Penn (Perelman)

Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA · Private · MD

Median MCAT: 522
Median GPA: 3.98
Class size: 154
Tuition: $73,852 (per year)
Out-of-state applicants: Welcome

Deadlines

AMCAS deadline: Oct. 15, 2026
Early Decision Program: Aug. 1, 2026
Secondary deadline: Nov. 15, 2026

Essays

Community and motivation (1,000 characters)

How would your life experiences contribute to the Perelman and Penn community, and how do they inform your decision to pursue a medical education?

Ambiguity (3,000 characters)

We all periodically have to make decisions under challenging circumstances. Physicians and physician-scientists sometimes need to proceed and act with limited information. Please describe a time when you faced a situation that was ambiguous, confusing, or uncertain, and how you navigated the matter despite lacking all of the necessary information.

Why Penn (1,000 characters)

Please share your reasons for applying to the Perelman School of Medicine.

Time off (700 characters)

Have you taken or are you planning to take time off between college graduation and medical school matriculation? If yes, please describe your activities during this time.

Global activities (1,000 characters)

Have you participated in any global activities outside of the U.S. prior to submitting your AMCAS application?

Economic hardship (1,000 characters)

Have you or your family experienced economic hardships, regardless of current income status?

Editor's notes

Everyone gets the supplemental, so receiving it means nothing. The real deadline is Nov. 15, 2026, and Penn won't treat your letters as complete until every writer you listed in AMCAS has delivered. Designate only the letters you know are coming.
Penn's early decision has strict entry rules. You have to match the previous class's average GPA and MCAT (medians of 3.98 and 522 for the 2026 class) and consult the office before June 1. If you don't clear both bars, regular admission with an early, complete file is the right plan.
Weight your time toward the 3,000-character ambiguity essay. It's three times longer than anything else in the supplemental and it's the only place Penn sees how you think under pressure.
Don't rule Penn out on price before you see an offer. The budget runs $117,173 for year one, but about 35 full-tuition Twenty-First Century Scholars awards go out each year and every admitted student is considered.