Admission Information
Interested in applying to the Penn MPH program? Please submit all application materials through the public health common application portal, SOPHAS. Applications are reviewed by the Penn MPH Admission Committee on a rolling basis and assessed holistically, considering applicants’ coursework and grades, references, personal statements, and previous public health or relevant experiences including jobs, fellowships, or internships.
Application Deadlines
The 2025 SOPHAS Cycle is open! The Admission Committee convenes on November 1 to begin a rolling review of applications. Applicants will receive an admission decision 6-8 weeks after their application is verified by SOPHAS. The committee encourages those interested in scholarships to submit by a priority deadline of February 1, 2025. International applicants should apply by February 1 to ensure timely processing of their visa and I-20s can be processed in a timely fashion. Applications received after June 1, 2025 will not be reviewed.
Required Application Materials
1. Verified SOPHAS Application:
Complete the SOPHAS application for the Penn MPH Program track of your choosing. The Admission Committee evaluates all tracks with the same criteria, so please apply under one track only. Matriculating students have the flexibility to finalize their track at a later time. Please note, this includes an application fee charged directly by SOPHAS, not the Penn MPH Program. For questions about a fee waiver, please reach out directly to SOPHAS support. Once SOPHAS verifies the application, the Admission Committee proceeds with review.
2. English Language Proficiency:
For applicants whose first language is not English or do not have a degree conferred by an English language institution, please submit a TOEFL or IELTS. The Admission Committee will only review applicants with a minimum TOEFL score of 100 or a minimum IELTS score of 7.0. Both TOEFL and IELTS scores can be submitted directly to SOPHAS. SOPHAS provides helpful instructions on how to submit your TOEFL scores here (use code 5688) and IELTS scores here.
3. Transcripts:
Submit official transcripts of previously-completed degrees to SOPHAS. WES transcript evaluations are required for degrees conferred by non-US institutions.
4. Resume:
Submit an up-to-date resume or curriculum vitae.
5. Personal Statement:
Submit a brief personal statement that (1) demonstrates an understanding of public health and explains the nature of your interest in the field, (2) addresses how Penn’s MPH program will prepare you for a successful career in public health, and (3) how your personal or lived experiences will help shape the Penn MPH community and influence your training goals. This statement should be about 1-2 pages, single-spaced.
6. Three Letters of Recommendation:
Submit at least three letters of recommendation from individuals who can attest to some combination of your suitability for graduate study, interest in public health, and/or goals for an MPH. These references will receive a request from SOPHAS to submit their recommendation directly.
The Penn MPH Program does not require the submission of standardized test scores, such as the GRE, MCAT, GMAT, LSAT, DMAT or any equivalent. To send any scores from ETS to SOPHAS, please use code 0152 for the Penn MPH program.
Colleges and universities are asked by many groups, including accrediting associations, to describe the ethnic/racial backgrounds of our students and employees. In order to fulfill these requests, the SOPHAS application will ask you to answer several questions regarding demographic information. The Penn MPH program does not control the configuration of this portion of the application; SOPHAS does. However, this information is confidential and completely voluntary, and will be concealed from the admissions committee that is evaluating your application. The University of Pennsylvania does not discriminate with regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability.
Admission Policies
The University of Pennsylvania MPH program is not STEM designated for OPT.
Applicants to the Master of Public Health Program who were not accepted cannot appeal the decision of the Admissions Committee. However, they can elect to reapply to the program no sooner than the following academic year. The application fee is waived for re-applicants who re-apply within five years of the previous application date, but please contact a member of the MPH team. Re-applicants are not required to submit transcripts or standardized test scores if the transcripts or scores have not changed.
The University of Pennsylvania seeks talented students, faculty, and staff with a wide variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. The University of Pennsylvania does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any other class protected under applicable federal, state, or local law in the administration of its admissions, financial aid, educational or athletic programs, or other University-administered programs or in its employment practices. Questions or complaints regarding this policy should be directed to the executive director of the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs; Franklin Building, 3451 Walnut Street, Suite 421, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6106; or (215) 898-6993.
Federal law, the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, requires all institutions of higher education to provide information on their security policies and procedures and specific statistics for criminal incidents and arrests on campus to students and employees, and to make the information and statistics available to prospective students and employees upon request. The Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Reporting Act requires Penn to provide information about its security policies and procedures to students, employees and applicants; to provide crime statistics to students and employees, and to make those statistics available to applicants and prospective employees upon request. You may request a paper copy of the report by calling the Office of the Vice President for Public Safety at 215-898-7515.
Penn 2024 Annual Security & Fire Safety ReportApply to the Epidemiology Track?
Both the curriculum and application requirements for the Epidemiology Track are a little different than the Penn MPH program’s other three tracks. In addition to the required materials listed above, applicants to the Epidemiology Track must (1) have undergraduate-level coursework in statistics, with additional coursework and/or experience in public health or quantitative sciences strongly recommended, (2) have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.5, and (3) submit an additional Research Statement of approximately 1-2 pages that outlines their previous research experience, the state of any current or ongoing research work, and the future trajectory in which they intend to take their research work in epidemiology. Applications for the Epidemiology Track are not reviewed on a rolling basis and must be submitted by February 1, 2025. The track itself is less flexible than the other three Penn MPH tracks and can only be completed full-time. Interested applicants should read more information about the track below.