Penn Arts and Sciences High School Programs Genomics and Bioinformatics Online Seminar

In 2026 the class met live on Zoom from 13 to 24 July, Monday to Friday from 8 to 10 p.m. Eastern time, which comes to about 20 hours of live class over ten evenings, and Penn expected roughly 10 more hours of work on your own. In the 2025 syllabus, the live sessions were lectures and demonstrations of bioinformatics software, while the independent work meant running exercises on the genomic data and reading research articles. If you live outside the US, check what that evening slot means where you are before you apply.

The 2025 syllabus built the whole course around one question, how often genes pass between bacteria and the bacteriophage viruses that infect them, a process called horizontal gene transfer (HGT). That version ran over three weeks, from 7 to 25 July 2025, and Penn hasn't said how the plan was fitted into the two-week 2026 session. You'll need a computer with at least 8GB of RAM and an internet connection of at least 1.5 Mbps download and 750 Kbps upload.

• Week 1 (2025)

  How genome sequencing works, an introduction to BLAST and how to find genomic data in public databases, ending with a first search for HGT.

• Week 2 (2025)

  Gene annotation and an introduction to Python, building a pipeline that searches the NCBI database for related genes using packages such as pandas and requests.

• Week 3 (2025)

  Comparative genomics, phylogenetics and synteny, using MUSCLE, MEGA and Progressive MAUVE to confirm HGT cases, ending with each student's research presentation.

The seminar is run by Vinayak Mathur, PhD, an assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Delaware who also holds a faculty affiliation with Penn. His own research uses bioinformatics to study horizontal gene transfer between bacteria and bacteriophages, the same question the course is built around, and he worked on the Genome Solver Project during his postdoctoral training at Georgetown University.

He also researches how bioinformatics is taught in undergraduate classrooms, and his teaching leans heavily on the Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) model, in which students work together to develop new research projects.

You leave with a certificate of completion, which you request as a digital copy from the Penn SAS High School Programs office. Penn only awards it to students who take part in both the live classes and the independent work. The seminar carries no college credit and no official University of Pennsylvania transcript.

The more useful thing to take away is the research itself. In the 2025 plan, students' analysis fed into the Genome Solver Community Science Project, and each student finished with a presentation on what they had contributed and where the work should go next. That gives you something concrete to talk about with a teacher or in an application. Penn is clear that being admitted to its high school programs doesn't guarantee admission as a Penn undergraduate.

The seminar is for students currently in 9th, 10th or 11th grade, so graduating seniors can't apply, and international students are welcome with no visa needed. Penn admits on a rolling basis until the seminar is full, reviewing complete applications in the order they arrive, and a decision can take up to six weeks. It doesn't publish a class size or acceptance rate, and its description of the seminar names no coding prerequisite.

Penn says a successful applicant has at least a 3.5 high school GPA, writing with both technical skill and intellectual depth, strong recommendations and a variety of extracurricular interests. You have to submit the application yourself rather than through a parent, counselor or agent, and it asks for the following.

• Essays

  Two essays of up to 400 words each, one on why you want this program and how it fits your goals, and one on how two of your extracurricular activities support your academic or personal growth. If English isn't your first language, there's a third on your English background.

• Transcript

  A full year's transcript (for 2026 applicants, the 2024-2025 school year), official or unofficial, in English or with an official translation.

• Recommendation

  One letter on the recommender's official letterhead from an adult who knows your work well, and it has to name this program.

• English scores

  Non-native speakers need TOEFL 100 (iBT), IELTS 7 or a Duolingo English Test score of 130, unless they'll have attended an English-medium school for at least two years by enrollment.

The 2026 tuition was $2,950, which covered all program fees. Applicants also paid a $100 application fee that isn't refunded, so the total came to $3,050. Once you're admitted, a $1,500 deposit holds your seat. It counts toward the $2,950, but you won't get it back and it can't be moved to another Penn program.

The rest is billed through Penn's PennPay system, with bills typically available at the beginning of May and due by June, and a penalty of 1.5% of the overdue amount is added to anything paid late. Tuition other than the deposit was refundable until 15 May, and withdrawals have to be made in writing by email. Penn doesn't reduce the fee for joining late or leaving early.

Philadelphia residents at a School District of Philadelphia public or charter high school can be considered for a scholarship that lets them attend free, and their application fee is waived. Penn offers only a limited number of these, and there's no scholarship or financial aid for anyone else, though families can pay with a 529 college savings plan.