International students enrich the Penn community by sharing their unique voices, life experiences, and perspectives. Their presence helps prepare all Penn students for a society that is becoming increasingly diverse and global. In 2020, there were 1,364 international undergraduate students enrolled at the University representing 117 countries from across the globe. Currently, admitted international students have 100 percent of their assessed need met, but Penn is not yet where it aspires to be, being need-blind for all international applicants.
Significant progress has been made in growing financial aid resources for international students. Over the past 15 years, the grant aid offered to Penn’s need-aware admitted international students has increased approximately 200 percent. While impressive, this achievement is a result of Penn currently spending more unrestricted dollars on international financial aid than any of our Ivy peers, with only 24% of Penn’s total international financial aid budget coming from scholarship endowment.
Creating a need-blind international undergraduate admissions policy would level the playing field—all applicants would be considered on their merits alone. Such a shift would be transformational. But would also be a significant expenditure. There is more to be done to increase international financial aid resources at Penn, especially from the endowment.
The Singapore Alumni Scholarship Fund was established to enable the Singapore community of Penn alumni, parents, and friends to come together and collectively support this need. The scholarship provides financial support to undergraduate students who are the first generation in their family to attend college and who are from an ASEAN country who would otherwise be unable to meet the cost of a Penn education.
By supporting the Singapore Alumni Scholarship Fund, you will directly impact the lives of exceptional students from our region, add to the rich diversity of the Penn community, and enhance international understanding beyond campus.