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Undergraduate Students
Highly Aided Students
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Penn is proud of its commitment to meet every undergraduate student’s demonstrated financial need with a grant-based financial aid package. As part of the Penn First Plus initiative, we make a special commitment to make Penn accessible and affordable for students with the highest financial need.
These eligible students receive financial aid packages that cover tuition, fees, housing, and dining with grants and work-study funds. They also have access to a wide range of additional Penn First Plus funding opportunities detailed below.
How Does Penn Define Highly Aided?
Highly Aided students are identified based on their financial aid eligibility. Starting with the 2023-2024 academic year, Penn expanded eligibility criteria for this population. A student is now eligible to receive this type of financial aid package if their family has $75,000 or less in income (with typical assets). These eligible students will also have a Parent Contribution of $2,000 or less.
Highly Aided first-years, sophomores, and juniors are eligible to receive up to $5,000 from SRFS to support unpaid or underpaid summer internship and research opportunities.
Click here to read more about eligibility and application timelines.
SRFS waives the summer savings expectation for all Highly Aided students. This translates into a direct increase in grant funding available at the start of each term.
SRFS appoints financial aid counselors to work specifically with Highly Aided students.
If your current non-Penn health insurance is not accepted by Wellness at the University of Pennsylvania, Student Financial Aid (SFA) will cover the charge of your Penn Student Insurance Plan (PSIP). Highly Aided Students will receive additional grant funding to cover this charge. Please allow up to two weeks for the grant funding to be credited to your student account after the charge has been posted to your bill.
Student Financial Aid will not cover the PSIP if your current non-Penn health insurance is accepted through Wellness.
To check if your current non-Penn health insurance is accepted, please visit Wellness: Annual Insurance Requirements. Click on “Enroll or Waive: Penn Student Insurance Pan (PSIP)” and then select “Learn about and complete a Waiver.” For any questions about the waiver process, please contact Wellness at (215) 746-4200.
Incoming Highly Aided first-years are eligible to receive laptop computer funding from Penn. SRFS works with the Penn Bookstore to select standard computer offerings and communicates details directly to incoming students during the summer.
Highly Aided students who will remain on campus are invited to participate in meal programs during breaks when on-campus dining options are not available. Students will receive an email from SRFS before each break with instructions on how to participate.
If you have any questions about ClinCard, please view their FAQs for assistance
SRFS partners with Business Services to cover the cost of academic regalia for graduating Highly Aided students. Students will receive an email from SRFS with more information about this benefit in early spring of their senior year.
Highly Aided Students will receive federal and/or institutional grant funding for up to 2 undergraduate course units for the Summer of 2025. Students will not receive grant funding for graduate course units. Living expenses will not be covered by grant funding over the summer. Please speak with the Student Service Center regarding loan funding to cover living expenses.
Highly Aided Students can apply their existing financial aid package to a semester- or year-long study abroad program. Highly Aided Students are eligible to receive a mixture of grant and loan funding for a study abroad program during the fall, spring, or summer semesters.
Students with unexpected or urgent financial need should first consult with their financial aid counselor, who may recommend they submit an application for emergency funding.
SRFS uses grant funding to cover some of the fees that are charged to your student account, including the laboratory and tech fees associated with certain courses, and the New Student Orientation fee.
Student Financial Aid (SFA) will review all applications for assistance for continuing international highly aided students only and may provide financial aid to supplement the cost of a coach flight for students to travel home.
Incoming highly aided international students should wait to hear from admissions before booking a ticket. If you have questions on booking your first ticket to Penn please contact admissions.
This funding is intended to assist with air travel expenses to students’ home country. We will not support students going anywhere other than their permanent address in their home county.
If approved, assistance will be provided in the form of grant funding for air travel expenses incurred by aided undergraduate international students who live outside of the United States. Submission of this application does not guarantee approval of funding.
If assistance is approved, students must purchase tickets as soon as funds are received. We do not book flights.
What we require
Travel Assistance Form - Submitted and correctly filled out. If you have unique circumstances, please be sure to explain this in our additional detail note section.
Flight Itinerary – Please ensure we can see the dates and times of flights and the price totals. This needs to match the information you have listed in the Travel Assistance Form.
All documents can be submitted directly in the assistance form.
How review works
SFA will review the Travel Assistance Form and itinerary of the flight. The amount approved is based on economy Google Flights prices. SFA will determine reasonable expenses by comparable price quotes to the destination city. Reasonable expenses will be covered with a portion of grant funding. We will include only one baggage fee if not included with the flight. This funding does not cover hotel stays, rental cars, train fares, or Uber/taxi.
Please ensure that all documentation is submitted in full and correctly as it can take 2 weeks to review. If documents are missing or not submitted, review can take longer.
Expectations from us
The SFA team is looking for reasonable requests. If students would like a more expensive flight or to cover more than one baggage, please note that the expense will need to come from out of pocket.
*Please keep your flight receipts, as we may request a copy after the ticket has been purchased.
Can this funding be used for Study Abroad or Global Seminar?
This funding is only intended for travel to and from your home country. Study-Abroad, Global Seminars, internships, and other academic programs abroad are not funded through this application. If you require assistance with these programs, please reach out to your program.
Highly Aided first-year international students receive funding for the SEVIS fee and travel to campus. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions contacts incoming students to coordinate logistics, and SRFS provides funding through your financial aid package. This funding also applies to Canadian and Mexican students.
If you are a Highly Aided student with questions about any of these programs, you may contact the Highly Aided Counseling Team.
Email: sfs.ha@pobox.upenn.edu
