Tuition and Financial Aid | UPenn Fels Institute

Your tuition at the University of Pennsylvania is calculated at a per course unit (c.u.)* rate based on the program you choose and the number of course units for which you register unless otherwise indicated. All tuition and fee charges are subject to the approval of the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania and may change without notice.

Choose your program of interest to learn about the relevant tuition and fees.

Full-time MPA tuition

Fall 2019–Spring 2020 tuition and fee rates for Master of Public Administration students

	Fall	Spring	Summer
Tuition	$25,520	$25,520	$6,380
General Fee	$1,660	$1,660	$414
Clinical Fee	$304	$304	N/A
Total	$27,484	$27,484	$6,794

The Full-time Master of Public Administration requires 9 c.u. to complete: tuition per term is calculated based on student enrollment in four courses (4 c.u.) in the fall, four courses (4 c.u.) in the spring, and one course (1 c.u.) in the summer. Cost of attendance for summer terms is estimated, as tuition and fees are adjusted during this term for the subsequent academic year.

Fee definitions

General fee: The general fee constitutes a partial contribution to the support of such essential facilities as a large library system, museums and institutes, and special laboratories.
Clinical fee: The clinical fee is required for students enrolled in three or more course units and allows them unlimited access to the Penn Student Health Service.

Executive MPA tuition

Fall 2019-Spring 2020 tuition and fee rates for Executive Master of Public Administration students

	Fall	Spring	Summer
Tuition	$12,760	$12,760	$12,760
General fee	$828	$828	$860
Program fee	$600	$0	$0
Online course fee	$300	$300	$300
Total	$14,488	$13,888	$13,920

The Executive Master of Public Education requires 10 c.u. to complete: 2 c.u. per term for five terms. The chart above shows tuition and fees for three terms in the current academic year; tuition and fees for terms in the upcoming academic year may change. Cost of attendance for summer terms is estimated, as tuition and fees are adjusted during this term for the subsequent academic year.

Fee definitions

General fee: The general fee constitutes a partial contribution to the support of such essential facilities as a large library system, museums and institutes, and special laboratories.
Program fee: The program fee is a one-time charge in the fall term and covers program activities specific to Executive MPA students.
Online course fee: Students will be charged a technology fee of $150 per course.

Certificates tuition

Fall 2019 - Spring 2020 tuition and fee rates for certificate students

	1 c.u.	2 c.u.
Tuition	$6,380	$12,760
General fee	$414	$828
Total	$6,794	$13,588

Tuition is based on the number of courses taken per term. Certificates require four courses (4 c.u.) to complete.

Fee definitions

General fee: The general fee constitutes a partial contribution to the support of such essential facilities as a large library system, museums and institutes, and special laboratories.
Please note: students enrolled in three or more c.u. are considered full-time students and are required to pay a clinical fee each term which allows unlimited access to the Penn Student Health Service.

*Academic credit (PDF) is defined by the University of Pennsylvania as a course unit (c.u.). A course unit (c.u.) is a general measure of academic work over a period of time, typically a term (semester or summer). A c.u. (or a fraction of a c.u.) represents different types of academic work across different types of academic programs and is the basic unit of progress toward a degree. One c.u. is usually converted to a four-semester-hour course.

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Fee definitions

Fee definitions

Fee definitions

Tuition & Aid