How to Apply to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania: The BS in Economics and 19+ Concentrations, with Requirements and Timelines for Chinese and Canadian High School Students and Transfer Students

At the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), undergraduate business is taught at the Wharton School. Penn applicants choose one of four undergraduate schools, so to study business you apply directly to Wharton. Every Wharton undergraduate graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Economics. Here is what you need to know for fall 2027 entry, based on Penn’s official information, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver students), and transfer students.

1. What Wharton undergraduates study

• Degree: a four-year, full-time BS in Economics of 37 course units, with about 24% of courses taken outside Wharton.
• Structure: the FAQ describes about 23 business courses, 9 liberal arts and sciences courses and 5 unrestricted electives. The 11 business fundamentals cover accounting; business economics and public policy; finance; legal studies and business ethics; management; marketing; operations, information and decisions; and statistics. Business courses start in the first year, including the gateway course Wharton 1010.
• Language requirement: two semesters (or the equivalent) of a language other than English; native speakers can test out, and some AP/IB language scores can count.
• Concentrations: every student completes at least one four-course concentration and can change or add one at any time. Wharton lists 19+ options, including Accounting, Artificial Intelligence for Business, Behavioral Economics, Business Analytics, Business Economics and Public Policy, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Finance, Health Care Management and Policy, Legal Studies and Business Ethics, Management, Marketing, Operations, Information and Decisions, Real Estate and Statistics, plus individualized concentrations. Several, including Finance, Business Analytics and Statistics, are STEM-designated.
• Coordinated dual degrees: Management and Technology (M&T, with Engineering), Huntsman International Studies and Business (with the College), Nursing and Health Care Management (with Nursing) and Vagelos Life Sciences and Management (with the College). Check the box on Question 2 of Penn’s supplement and complete Form 1C; applicants not admitted to a dual degree are still considered for the single-degree school they choose. About one-third of Wharton students graduate with a dual degree.
• Other figures: the FAQ says international students make up about 22% of Wharton undergraduates and about 23% study abroad, usually for one semester.

2. What Wharton looks for

• Penn Admissions makes all decisions; Wharton has no fixed grade or test cut-offs and does not interview.
• Penn Admissions hopes to see an interest in using business to advance economic and social well-being, and strong preparation in mathematics, including exposure to calculus in high school.
• Essays: besides the Common App essay, one of Penn’s short answers is specific to your school; explain why Penn and why Wharton.

3. Deadlines and materials

• Early Decision (ED): due 1 November 2026, decisions in December. ED is binding: if admitted you must enrol, and you, a parent and your counselor sign an ED agreement.
• Regular Decision (RD): due 5 January 2027, decisions in April.
• Platform: the Common App or Coalition Application (one only); the fee is US$75.
• Recommendations: one from your counselor and one from a teacher in a core subject, plus an optional third.
• Transcripts: official transcripts for all high school years plus the School Report; a mid-year report once first-semester Grade 12 grades are out (by 15 February for deferred ED applicants). Non-English documents need certified translations.
• SAT or ACT (required):
  • no minimum score and no preference between tests; Penn superscores, and ACT Science is not required;
  • you can self-report and send official scores if admitted;
  • last test dates: the October 2026 ACT or November 2026 SAT for ED, and December 2026 for RD;
  • applicants facing hardship can submit a testing waiver, but anyone who has tested must submit scores.

4. Students at high schools in China

• Same process as US applicants: Penn reads applications by the location of your high school, not your citizenship.
• No fixed course list or minimum scores: Penn uses comprehensive review and looks for you to take advantage of rigorous courses available at your school.
• Transcripts: records for every grade level in your school’s structure, including three-year high schools; no third-party evaluation or GPA recalculation.
• External exams: Penn usually decides before many national exam results are released. In A-Level, IB and similar programmes, have your school send predicted results; final results are required before you enrol.
• Mathematics: Wharton looks for strong maths preparation including exposure to calculus; in A-level or IB, advanced maths courses show this.
• English: see section 6.

5. Students at Canadian high schools

• Materials and deadlines are the same as above. Penn does not list province-specific course or grade requirements, including for BC, and uses comprehensive review.
• Students taught in English for at least three years are usually exempt from English tests (section 6).
• Financial aid: Canadian citizens and permanent residents complete Penn’s Financial Aid Application for Canadian Citizens with student and parent Canadian tax returns. Penn’s international aid policy applies to students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the US, Canada or Mexico.

6. English requirements

• Exempt if English is your native language, or English has been your primary language of instruction for at least three years (high school, college or both) by the time you enrol.
• Otherwise submit TOEFL, IELTS Academic or Duolingo. Penn says competitive applicants tend to have:
  • new TOEFL (1–6) 5 or above, with consistent sections; old TOEFL (0–120) 100 or above;
  • IELTS 7 or above overall;
  • Duolingo 130 or above.
• For the 2026-2027 cycle, only tests taken on or after 1 April 2025 and sent directly by the testing agency are accepted; no self-reported scores, IELTS Indicator, IELTS One Skill Retake or TOEFL MyBest. Penn’s TOEFL code is 2926.

7. Costs and financial aid

• 2026-2027 cost of attendance (on campus, US$): tuition 65,670, fees 8,308, housing 13,644, food 6,960, books 1,412, transportation 1,080, personal 2,008, total 99,082. Students must live on campus with a meal plan for their first two years.
• International aid:
  • for international applicants (not citizens or permanent residents of the US, Canada or Mexico) admission is need-aware;
  • admitted aid recipients have 100% of demonstrated need met;
  • you must apply for aid when you apply for admission; requests after admission, or in later years, are not considered;
  • aid is need-based only, with no merit awards.
• Aid deadlines: 6 November 2026 for ED, 1 February 2027 for RD.

8. Transferring to Wharton

• Timing: the fall 2027 transfer application opens on 5 January 2027 and is due 15 March 2027; fall entry only.
• Year of entry: Wharton typically admits only students with one year of credit, as second-year students.
• Academic preparation:
  • demonstrated quantitative strength, with at least one calculus course in the first year of university; pre-college maths and test scores may be considered, and you may need another calculus course after credit evaluation;
  • study of both macroeconomics and microeconomics, through university courses, scores of 5 on both AP Macro and AP Micro, or 6 or 7 on IB HL Economics;
  • completing Wharton’s language requirement before enrolling is recommended.
• Concentration: you indicate an intended concentration when you apply.
• Penn-wide transfer rules: at least one full year (eight semester courses) by the spring before enrolling; no bachelor’s degree holders; at least half of all courses taken at Penn; SAT or ACT (or a waiver) required; transferable courses need a C or higher, with final credit decided by departments after you enrol.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Apply to Wharton (or a Wharton dual-degree programme) by 1 November 2026 (ED) or 5 January 2027 (RD)
• Build strong maths, ideally including calculus; the SAT or ACT is required
• New TOEFL 5 / IELTS 7 / Duolingo 130 or above, taken on or after 1 April 2025 and sent by the testing agency
• If you need aid, apply with your admission application: 6 November (ED) or 1 February (RD)

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• Same deadlines and testing; three years of English-medium study usually waives English tests
• For aid, use the Canadian citizens’ application and tax returns

Transfer students:

• Complete one year of college and apply by 15 March 2027 for second-year entry to Wharton
• Take calculus and both micro- and macroeconomics in your first year; choose an intended concentration

Sources: University of Pennsylvania, Penn Admissions: The Wharton School; Wharton curriculum; Wharton concentrations; Wharton undergraduate FAQ; First-year applicants; First-year application requirements; Testing; International applicants FAQ; International application guidelines; Transfer requirements and deadlines; Transfer eligibility and credit; Transferring to Wharton; International financial aid; International aid FAQ; Undergraduate cost of attendance. Information is for fall 2027 entry. Check Penn for the latest details.