Undergraduate Cost of Attendance

Information about the annual cost of attendance for traditional undergraduate students. 

Understanding Cost of Attendance

2024-2025 Academic Year

The cost of attendance represents the cost of attending Penn for an academic year, and includes both direct costs that appear on your student bill such as tuition, fees, housing, and dining, and indirect costs that are not billed by Penn, such as books and supplies, transportation, and an allowance for personal expenses. Students should consider their cost of attendance as their budget for each academic year. Penn also uses the cost of attendance to help determine a student’s eligibility for financial aid. 

Penn lists three costs of attendance for the undergraduate schools. The first applies to students living in on-campus housing with a meal plan, the second applies to students living off-campus in a building unaffiliated with the university, and the third applies to students living at home with their families, learning remotely or commuting to campus.

An asterisk (*) indicates a billed expense in each scenario. All other expenses are unbilled and are used to determine financial aid eligibility and to inform your personal budgeting. 

  Living On Campus Living Off Campus Living With Family
Tuition $60,920* $60,920* $60,920*
Fees $7,766* $7,766* $7,766*
Housing

$12,640*

$12,564 $0
Food

$6,534*

$5,796 $2,318
Books and Supplies $1,358 $1,358 $1,358
Transportation $1,062 $1,062 $1,706
Personal Expenses $2,008 $2,008 $2,008
Total Budget $92,288 $91,474 $76,076

2023-2024 Academic Year

  Living On Campus Living Off Campus Living With Family
Tuition $58,620* $58,620* $58,620*
Fees $7,484* $7,484* $7,484*
Housing

$12,166*

$12,564 $0
Food

$6,330*

$5,796 $2,318
Books and Supplies $1,358 $1,358 $1,358
Transportation $1,062 $1,062 $1,706
Personal Expenses $2,008 $2,008 $2,008
Total Budget $89,028 $88,892 $73,494

Cost of Attendance Categories

Tuition and fees are fixed costs. These mandatory fees include the general fee, the educational technology fee, and the student health clinical fee. 

The housing allowance is based on the standard room rate in the University College Houses. Students are required to live in on-campus housing during their first two years of enrollment. Students paying rent off-campus have a housing allowance to cover nine months of living expenses. Please click here for additional information and guidance on how financial aid applies to off-campus living expenses. 

The food allowance represents the cost of one of the first-year dining plans through Penn Dining. Students are required to participate in a meal plan during their first two years of enrollment. For students who live off-campus, an allowance for food purchases is included. 

The books and supplies allowance provides for the expected annual cost for textbooks and supplies. 

The transportation allowance provides for standard local commuting.

The personal expenses allowance assumes expenses for clothing, recreation, etc. For students living at home with family, this allowance can be used for Internet access. 

Additional Considerations

While the cost of attendance tends to be standard for all Penn students, there are additional expenses that may be added to an individual's cost of attendance. Below are some common additions to the cost of attendance.

Population-Specific Costs