University of Pennsylvania
A private Ivy League research university in West Philadelphia with 12 schools and 190 research centres, spanning education, research, business and computing since 1751.
The University of Pennsylvania is a private Ivy League research university in West Philadelphia, founded on Benjamin Franklin's vision of practical, interdisciplinary learning. Its origins lie in the Academy and Charitable School in the Province of Pennsylvania, which opened in 1751 under 24 trustees and became America's first university. The institution now comprises 12 schools on a 299-acre campus and 190 research centres and institutes, offering undergraduate and graduate education across professional disciplines.
Penn's record spans several fields. The Wharton School, established in 1881, was the world's first collegiate business school. ENIAC, the world's first electronic general-purpose digital computer, was created at Penn in 1946. The university's technical and scholarly domains include interdisciplinary research, digital computing, business education and management science, and public service and civic leadership.
Current initiatives include the Penn Integrates Knowledge Professorships, which support interdisciplinary scholarship across academic boundaries, and the President's Engagement Prizes, which fund work translating education into impact for communities worldwide. The culture emphasises open-minded curiosity, inventiveness and the practical application of knowledge, with an emphasis on leadership in business, government and public service.
Roles at Penn span its schools, research centres and institutes, with institutional activity based in West Philadelphia and global reach through engagement initiatives.