Is Penn or Yale harder to get into?

Yale is harder to get into than Penn. Yale's 3.7% acceptance rate is lower than Penn's 5.4%.

Which is cheaper, Penn or Yale?

Yale costs less on average. After grants and scholarships, Yale's average net price is $23,777 vs $28,699 at Penn.

Which has higher post-graduation earnings, Penn or Yale?

Penn graduates earn more on average. Median earnings 10 years after entry are $111,371 at Penn and $100,533 at Yale.

Penn vs. Yale: Acceptance Rate, SAT, Cost & Outcomes Compared

Metric	Penn	Yale
Acceptance rate	5.4%	3.7%
SAT mid-50%	1500–1570	1500–1580
ACT mid-50%	34–35	33–35
Cost of attendance	$89,028	$90,975
Avg net price (after aid)	$28,699	$23,777
Undergrad enrollment	10,539	6,645
6-yr graduation rate	96.5%	95.7%
Median earnings (10yr)	$111,371	$100,533
Setting	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	New Haven, Connecticut

The Real Differences

Yale is modestly harder to get into. The 1.7-point gap matters at the margin but doesn't change the overall difficulty tier. Both schools draw similar applicant pools and admit similar profiles.

Penn graduates earn $10,838 more on average at the 10-year mark. This usually reflects major distribution more than school quality — schools that concentrate in CS, engineering, and finance pull higher medians than schools with more humanities and social science graduates. Yale grads' earnings within the same major category are typically comparable.

Penn is substantially larger with 10,539 undergrads vs 6,645 at Yale. Bigger universities have more major options and broader research opportunities; smaller ones offer more access to faculty and tighter-knit communities.

Geographic difference matters more than the campus tour suggests. Penn is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Yale is in New Haven, Connecticut. Climate, cost-of-living, and proximity to job markets in your target field shape the four-year experience and post-grad pipeline more than most prospective students realize.

Student Body Composition

The two schools have different student body compositions. Penn is 55.0% women, 12.6% international, and 28.4% Asian-American. Yale is 51.5% women, 11.2% international, and 21.9% Asian-American.

Demographic	Penn	Yale
Women	55.0%	51.5%
International	12.6%	11.2%
White	27.4%	31.2%
Asian	28.4%	21.9%
Hispanic	11.3%	16.6%
Black	9.0%	9.3%

Personalized estimate

What are your odds at Penn vs. Yale?

Get a probability for both schools calibrated to your full profile, not the headline rate.

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The Verdict

Pick Penn if

Your odds are realistic at Penn (slightly easier admit)
Higher median post-grad earnings ($111,371 vs $100,533)
Higher 6-year graduation rate
the One University Policy that lets undergrads take classes across Wharton

Pick Yale if

Net price matters: Yale costs $4,922 less per year on average
the 14 residential colleges

Headline numbers favor one school or the other on each axis, but neither is unambiguously “better.” The right answer depends on your major fit, geographic preference, financial need, and personal odds at each. Most applicants who get into one of these schools also get into the other.

Full School Pages

For complete admissions data, supplemental essay strategy, and class profile breakdowns:

Full profile

University of Pennsylvania

5.4% accept · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Full profile

Yale University

3.7% accept · New Haven, Connecticut

Sources

U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard for acceptance rates, test ranges, financial aid, demographics, completion, and earnings.
IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) for the underlying federal data.
Each school's most recent published Common Data Set for cycle-specific admissions stats.

Last verified May 2026. Stats reflect each school's most recent publicly published admit cycle.

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