Penn Arts and Sciences High School Programs Forensic Science Academy

The academy is directed by Dr. Tina Morgan Ross, associate director of Penn's Master of Chemical Sciences Program, who co-directed the Forensic Science MS program at Drexel Medicine from 2018 to 2021. Before that she spent more than 20 years as a medicinal chemist in drug discovery, including at Hoffman-La Roche and Johnson & Johnson, and later worked as a project manager handling intellectual property, laboratory safety and expert witness work while teaching at several colleges.

Alongside her, you meet experts from chemistry, anthropology, criminology, ballistics and investigative science. Penn says its academies are led by Penn faculty and long-standing professionals in the field, with help from graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants. It doesn't publish a class size for this academy.

You need to be in 10th or 11th grade and have finished at least one year of a lab-based science course before the program starts, and you upload that course's syllabus with your application. Penn says successful applicants have at least a 3.5 GPA, writing with real depth, strong recommendations and a range of extracurricular interests.

Admission is rolling until the academy is full, with completed applications reviewed in the order they arrive, and a decision can take up to six weeks. The 2026 academy reached capacity, so applying early matters. Penn doesn't publish how many students it takes.

• Essays

  Two essays of up to 400 words each, on why this program and on two activities outside class, plus a third for non-native English speakers.

• Transcript

  A full transcript for the previous school year, official or unofficial, in English or officially translated.

• Recommendation

  One letter on the recommender's letterhead from an adult who knows your work, naming this specific program.

• English scores

  Non-native speakers need TOEFL 100 (iBT), IELTS 7 or Duolingo 130, although those who've attended an English-medium school for at least two years by enrollment may qualify for a waiver.

• Who applies

  You submit the application yourself, not a parent, counselor or agent, and Penn won't accept extra materials after you submit unless it asks for them.

The 2026 academy cost $6,700, which covered classes, a room on campus, the meal plan, linens, gym access (for ages 15 and up), activities and trips, and supervision. Penn says academy students don't need to buy any materials before the program, but you do need to bring a laptop or tablet. On top came the $100 nonrefundable application fee, travel to and from Philadelphia, airport transfers, meals off campus, medical expenses, laundry supplies and spending money.

A $1,500 nonrefundable deposit, counted toward the total, held your place. The rest was refundable if you withdrew in writing by 15 May. Bills typically arrived in early May and were due by June, and a late payment added a penalty of 1.5% of the amount overdue.

Students with a permanent address outside the US also pay a mandatory, nonrefundable international registration fee, which includes health insurance and is arranged after admission by ESF Pre-College, Penn's residential partner. They also need a tourist (B-2) visa, so check its cost with the official source.

Penn offers no financial aid. A limited number of scholarships pay for the academy, including housing and meals but not travel or spending money, for Philadelphia residents at School District of Philadelphia public or charter high schools, and those applicants also have the application fee waived.

Penn hands day-to-day residential care to its partner ESF Pre-College, which hires and supervises the residential staff, runs evening activities and weekend trips, and helps look after students' health and safety on campus. You must be at least 13 to live in the residence halls. After-hours emergency or urgent care is provided at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Penn's Division of Public Safety offers 24/7 walking escorts.

Outside class you can use the residence hall, lounges, dining halls, libraries and the gym (if you're 15 or older), although Penn expects much of that time to go on studying and assignments. The residential staff plan activities such as trivia or arts and crafts nights during the week and weekend trips to places like the beach or a Phillies game. Penn will try to meet reasonable requests for physical or academic accommodations when they come with documentation.

You leave with a Certificate of Completion, which you get as a digital copy by contacting Penn's high school programs office, and you can ask your Penn instructors for letters of recommendation. The academy puts a lot of weight on presenting scientific findings clearly in written reports and oral testimony, and on making a persuasive scientific argument to different audiences, so that's the main skill to take away.

Penn is clear that taking part doesn't count as or guarantee admission to Penn as an undergraduate. It does say that its programs, together with a strong high school record, give admissions officers information about your academic potential.