UPenn AI Major: How to Get Into Penn Engineering’s BSE in Artificial Intelligence
By Rona Aydin
What Is the UPenn AI Major?
The UPenn AI major is a four-year engineering degree, the Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) in Artificial Intelligence. Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science announced it on February 13, 2024 and described it as the first undergraduate major of its kind among Ivy League universities and one of the very first AI undergraduate engineering programs in the United States. It is part of the Raj and Neera Singh Program in Artificial Intelligence, named for the donors who funded it, and is directed by George J. Pappas, a professor of electrical and systems engineering.
The program page describes a degree that provides the mathematical and algorithmic foundations of AI techniques, along with hands-on experience in programming and in using AI tools and foundation models. Students also study intelligence from a cognitive science perspective and the issues involved in developing AI responsibly. The degree is residential only; Penn Engineering states that it does not offer online undergraduate programs. Our overview of what Penn is known for covers the wider university.
How Do Students Apply to the UPenn AI Major?
A high school student applies to Penn Engineering and names artificial intelligence as the major. The program’s FAQ says that prospective students interested in applying to Penn Engineering can declare a major in Artificial Intelligence and should follow the deadlines and procedures set by Penn Admissions. The first class of external applicants entered in fall 2025; the fall 2024 cohort was made up of existing Penn students who transferred in.
Students admitted to the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology, Penn’s dual degree with Wharton, can also choose it. The FAQ confirms that an incoming first-year student in that program can declare the AI major. Our guide to the Management and Technology program covers that application, and our guide to the Penn Early Decision acceptance rate covers the binding round, which is the main timing decision for any Penn applicant.
How Hard Is It to Get Into Penn Engineering for AI?
The program page gives no acceptance rate for the AI major. The university-wide figure is the firm number: Penn admitted 3,575 of 61,264 applicants for the Class of 2030, an acceptance rate of 5.8%, which its dean of admissions announced at the trustees meeting of June 12, 2026. The year before, Penn admitted 3,530 of 72,544 applicants, or 4.9%, its most selective year on record. The Class of 2030 cycle was also the first in which Penn again required an SAT or ACT score.
Because the major is named on the application, it goes to Penn Engineering. The program page gives one explicit piece of guidance on preparation: strong preparation in fundamental subjects, particularly mathematics, is vital for any Penn Engineering degree program. Our Penn admissions guide covers the full process.
What Do Students Study in the BSE in Artificial Intelligence?
The curriculum totals 37 course units, the unit Penn uses to count courses.
| Area | Course units | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics and natural science | 7 | Two semesters of calculus, mathematics of computer science, linear algebra, probability, statistics for data science, and one natural science course |
| Computing | 5 | Python programming, programming languages, data structures, algorithms, and big data |
| AI core | 6 | At least one course in each of six categories: introduction to AI, machine learning, signals and systems, optimization and control, vision and language, and an AI project |
| AI electives | 6 | Courses chosen from machine learning, optimization and control, robotics, and other approved lists |
| Senior design | 2 | A year-long project taken within an existing Penn Engineering senior design course |
| Technical electives | 3 | Courses from engineering, mathematics, or natural science |
| General electives | 8 | One AI ethics course, one cognitive science course, five social science and humanities courses including writing, and one free elective |
| Total | 37 |
The AI core is what separates this degree from a computer science degree. Signals and systems and optimization and control come from electrical and systems engineering, and they sit beside machine learning and natural language processing from computer and information science. The AI project requirement must involve AI development, with 30% of the grade from a term project, and can be met with courses such as Deep Learning: A Hands-on Introduction or Tiny Machine Learning.
What Concentrations and Electives Does the Program Offer?
The six AI electives can be organized into an optional concentration of four courses on one theme. The curriculum page lists courses for three: robotics, machine learning, and vision and language. The program overview also names data and society and AI and health systems among the directions students can take. Electives on the approved list include Principles of Deep Learning, Graph Neural Networks, Deep Generative Models, Trustworthy AI, Advanced Robotics, and Brain Computer Interfaces, and the page notes that the list will change as new courses are added.
Students in the degree may pursue a dual major within Penn Engineering, with three exceptions: computer science, networked and social systems engineering, and systems science and engineering. Eligible students may also pursue a dual degree or second major in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Can Current Penn Students Transfer Into the UPenn AI Major?
Current Penn Engineering students are eligible to apply, including first-year and second-year students in the Management and Technology program. The process has two steps: submitting a four-year academic plan and filing the form that declares or updates the field of study. Students in Penn’s other undergraduate schools must first follow the procedure for transferring into Penn Engineering. In every case the student must be able to graduate within eight semesters in total, or ten for Management and Technology students, or the change will not be approved.
How Is the Engineering AI Major Different From Wharton’s AI for Business?
They are different credentials in different schools. On April 2, 2025, Wharton announced an undergraduate concentration and an MBA major in Artificial Intelligence for Business, which eligible students have been able to declare since fall 2025. A concentration is a set of courses inside the Wharton undergraduate degree, jointly administered by the Statistics and Data Science department and the Operations, Information and Decisions department. Its coursework covers applied machine learning, data science, data engineering, and a required ethics course on accountable AI.
Oriel Admissions summarizes the difference this way: the engineering degree teaches a student to build AI systems, and the Wharton concentration teaches a student how those systems are used to solve business problems. An applicant chooses between them by choosing a school on the Penn application, and our Wharton admissions guide covers the business side.
What Should an Applicant to the Program Show?
Mathematics comes first, on the program’s own account. Beyond that, the curriculum tells an applicant what the faculty value: programming, probability and statistics, and a willingness to study how AI affects people, since ethics and cognitive science are both required. In the view of Oriel Admissions, a student who has taken calculus, has written real programs, and can describe a project or research question in AI has the material for a credible application.
The written parts of the application carry that case. Our guide to the Penn supplemental essays covers the school-specific essay, and Penn has its own rule on the use of AI tools in application essays, which we explain in our guide to Penn’s AI policy. A student applying to study AI should know that rule before writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Penn Engineering offers a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Artificial Intelligence through the Raj and Neera Singh Program in Artificial Intelligence. The program began in fall 2024.
Penn Engineering described it that way. Its announcement of February 13, 2024 called the degree the first undergraduate major of its kind among Ivy League universities.
Apply to Penn Engineering and name artificial intelligence as the major, following the deadlines and procedures set by Penn Admissions. First year applicants have been able to do this since the fall 2025 entering class.
The program page does not give one. The university admitted 5.8% of applicants for the Class of 2030, which was 3,575 of 61,264. Oriel Admissions advises families to plan around that figure until Penn publishes one for the major.
It requires 37 course units: 7 in mathematics and natural science, 5 in computing, 6 in the AI core, 6 AI electives, 2 in senior design, 3 technical electives and 8 general electives.
Yes. The program FAQ says an incoming first year student in Management and Technology can declare the AI major. Those students must be able to graduate within ten semesters.
No. Artificial Intelligence for Business is an undergraduate concentration inside the Wharton degree, announced on April 2, 2025. The AI major is an engineering degree in Penn Engineering.
Current Penn Engineering students can apply by submitting a four year academic plan and a field of study form. They must be able to graduate within eight semesters in total.
Sources: Penn Engineering: B.S.E. in AI curriculum and frequently asked questions, Penn Engineering: The Raj and Neera Singh Program in Artificial Intelligence, Penn Engineering announces first Ivy League undergraduate degree in artificial intelligence (February 13, 2024), The Wharton School: Artificial Intelligence for Business announcement (April 2, 2025), The Daily Pennsylvanian: Penn announces 5.8% acceptance rate for Class of 2030 (June 12, 2026), The Daily Pennsylvanian: Penn announces 4.9% acceptance rate for Class of 2029 (June 13, 2025), Penn Admissions, NCES College Navigator
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