Paying for a Penn Education

School Grants/Scholarship Funding
At Penn, each of the 12 graduate and professional schools provides limited assistance in the form of grants. Many schools award grant funds based on financial need. Some schools award grants based on academics or in return for service. Contact your school for information on its policies and application procedures for grants and scholarship funding.

Outside Scholarships
There are many outside scholarships for students with financial need. Outside scholarship donors often use different criteria than Penn or the federal government (to determine need). We encourage you to apply to these outside agencies and to contact federal, state or local agencies, clubs, churches/synagogues, corporations and local businesses to inquire about possible sources of funding. You should also explore grant programs through your school/department: or log on to http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp and www.finaid.org.

Awarded Loans
Penn awards some loans based on financial need.  These awarded loans are only made by Penn as part of a student's financial aid package. The loans are repayable by the student after completion of his/her education or withdrawal from school and are subsidized, meaning that no interest accrues of needs to be repaid during your in-school or grace periods. Examples of these loans include Perkins, Health Professions, Nursing Student, and Institutional Loans.  For more information on awarded loans, click here. 

Convenience Loans
Convenience Loans are generally available to students, or to parents of dependent students, regardless of whether they are included in an aid package. These loans are available through both federal and private programs. We strongly encourage you to explore federal programs, such as Stafford and PLUS, as your first resource.  For information on these loans, along with lender lists, click here.

Penn offers several low-cost payment options that are not based on financial need. Families can select one program, or combine several, to meet their needs. Financial aid applications are not necessary when applying for these programs (except for the Federal Stafford and PLUS Loans).