Penn Arts and Sciences High School Programs Environmental Policy Academy

Penn faculty teach the classes with help from teaching fellows. The program director, Joseph Lisa, is an environmental lawyer with more than 33 years of practice, 29 of them as an attorney at the US Environmental Protection Agency's Region 3 office, where he worked on civil and criminal enforcement and Superfund cases. He retired from the EPA in 2025, and in November 2025 he was appointed a municipal court judge in Atlantic County, New Jersey. He also teaches in Penn's Master of Environmental Studies program and lectures at Penn's Carey School of Law.

Expert guest speakers are a central part of the academy too, although Penn doesn't name them or publish a class size.

You leave with a Certificate of Completion, a finished group capstone and the option to ask your Penn instructors for a recommendation letter. The capstone is a PowerPoint policy recommendation on an environmental topic Penn supplies, researched with four classmates and presented to the whole class.

The academy carries no college credit and no Penn transcript, since only Penn's Pre-College Programs give credit. Penn also says that a place in its high school programs doesn't guarantee admission to a Penn undergraduate program.

The academy is open to students currently in 9th to 11th grade, and it has no prerequisites, so Penn welcomes students from the sciences, social sciences, humanities and arts alike. Penn looks for a minimum 3.5 high school GPA, strong writing, strong recommendations and a range of extracurricular interests. It doesn't publish a cohort size or acceptance rate, but it admits on a rolling basis until places run out, and this academy reached capacity in 2026, so applying early matters.

Graduating seniors can't apply, and you must be at least 13 to live in the residence halls. International students are welcome but need a tourist (B-2) visa, because the academy is non-credit and Penn can't sponsor a student visa for it. Penn suggests international applicants apply by February to leave time for the visa.

• Essays

  Two essays of up to 400 words each, on why you want this academy and how two extracurricular activities have shaped you, plus a third on your English background if English isn't your first language.

• Transcript

  A full year's transcript, official or unofficial, in English or with an official translation.

• One recommendation

  From an adult who knows your work, written on their organization's letterhead and naming the specific academy.

• English test, if needed

  Non-native speakers need TOEFL 100 (iBT), IELTS 7 or Duolingo 130, unless they'll have attended an English-medium school for at least two years by the time they enroll. The TOEFL iBT now reports scores on a 1 to 6 band scale, and Penn says competitive applicants tend to score 5 or above on it.

• Submitted by you

  Penn only accepts applications submitted by the student, not by a parent, counselor or agent, and it won't take extra materials after you submit.

In 2026 the academy cost $6,700, plus a nonrefundable $100 application fee. That tuition covered classes, on-campus housing, a meal plan, linens, extracurricular activities and trips, supervision and gym access for students 15 and over. Travel to Philadelphia, meals off campus, medical costs, laundry supplies and spending money were extra. ESF Pre-College, which runs residential life, charges $75 each way for an airport pickup or drop-off, and students with a non-US address pay a mandatory $175 international registration fee that includes health insurance.

A $1,500 deposit holds your place and counts toward the total, but it's never refunded. In 2026 the rest was refundable until 15 May, as long as you withdrew in writing by email. Bills usually arrived at the beginning of May and were due by June, and a late payment added a penalty of 1.5% of the amount overdue. There's no reduction for arriving late or leaving early.

Penn offers a limited number of scholarships to Philadelphia residents who attend School District of Philadelphia public or charter high schools. A scholarship can let a student attend free, with housing, meals and trips covered, although travel and spending money aren't included. These students also don't pay the application fee, and each can receive a scholarship for one program only. Penn offers no other financial aid, although families can pay with a 529 college savings account.

Penn hands residential life to its partner ESF Pre-College, which staffs the residence halls at one staff member to every 10 students and runs the evening activities and weekend trips. Halls are split by gender, by building or floor, and students follow curfew and quiet hours. You can't leave campus unless an ESF staff member or an adult of at least 18 whom your parents authorize goes with you, and even on campus you walk in groups of three or more and sign out and back in. ESF's full rules are in its pre-college policies.

Every residential student needs a working cell phone with a US data plan, and families submit a health form, a medical exam from the past 18 months, immunization records and proof of health insurance before arrival. ESF nursing staff can remind students about medication, but students take their own. Outside class there's a planned activity most evenings and a trip every Saturday to places such as New York City, Washington, DC, or the Jersey Shore, while Sundays are kept free for relaxing and exploring Philadelphia.