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Penn History

Tuition and Mandated Fees, Room and Board, and Other Educational Costs at Penn 1940-1949

Compiled by Mark Frazier Lloyd, Director of the University Archives and Records Center, with the assistance of Nicholas G. Heavens, University Archives Summer Research Fellow

First published in 2003, with annual updates

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Year Tuition and Fees, By School Other Expenses*
1940
 Undergraduate Schools:

College, College of Liberal Arts for Women, School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and the Wharton School:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

Full-Time Graduate Groups (Ph.D.):

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences:
Tuition: $325
General Fee: $20

Education:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

Fine Arts:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

Full-Time Graduate Groups/Professional Schools and Programs (selected non-Ph.D. programs):

Dental Medicine:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $15

Law:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $15

Medicine:
Tuition: $500
General Fee: $15

Veterinary Medicine:
Tuition: $225
General Fee: $15

Room and Board: $520
Text-books: $45
1941
 Undergraduate Schools:

College, College of Liberal Arts for Women, School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and the Wharton School:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

Full-Time Graduate Groups (Ph.D.):

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences:
Tuition: $325
General Fee: $20

Education:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

Fine Arts:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

Full-Time Graduate Groups/Professional Schools and Programs (selected non-Ph.D. programs):

Dental Medicine:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $15

Law:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $15

Medicine:
Tuition: $500
General Fee: $15

Veterinary Medicine:
Tuition: $225
General Fee: $15

Room and Board: $520
Text-books: $45
1942
 Undergraduate Schools:

College, College of Liberal Arts for Women, School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and the Wharton School:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

Full-Time Graduate Groups (Ph.D.):

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences:
Tuition: $325
General Fee: $20

Education:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

Fine Arts:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

Full-Time Graduate Groups/Professional Schools and Programs (selected non-Ph.D. programs):

Dental Medicine:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $15

Law:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $15

Medicine:
Tuition: $500
General Fee: $15

Veterinary Medicine:
Tuition: $225
General Fee: $15

Room and Board: $530 (an increase of $10)
Text-books: $50 (an increase of $5)
1943
 Undergraduate Schools:

College, College of Liberal Arts for Women, School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and the Wharton School:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

Full-Time Graduate Groups (Ph.D.):

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences:
Tuition: $325
General Fee: $20

Education:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

Fine Arts:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

Full-Time Graduate Groups/Professional Schools and Programs (selected non-Ph.D. programs):

Dental Medicine:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $15

Law:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $15

Medicine:
Tuition: $500
General Fee: $15

Veterinary Medicine:
Tuition: $225
General Fee: $15

Room and Board: $530
Text-books: $50
1944
 Undergraduate Schools:

College, College of Liberal Arts for Women, School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and the Wharton School:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

Full-Time Graduate Groups (Ph.D.):

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences:
Tuition: $325
General Fee: $20

Education:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

Fine Arts:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

Full-Time Graduate Groups/Professional Schools and Programs (selected non-Ph.D. programs):

Dental Medicine:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $15

Law:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $15

Medicine:
Tuition: $500
General Fee: $15

Veterinary Medicine:
Tuition: $225
General Fee: $15

Room and Board: $530
Text-books: $50
1945
 Undergraduate Schools:

College, College of Liberal Arts for Women, School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and the Wharton School:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

Full-Time Graduate Groups (Ph.D.):

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences:
Tuition: $400 (an increase of $75),
General Fee: $20

Education:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

Fine Arts:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

Full-Time Graduate Groups/Professional Schools and Programs (selected non-Ph.D. programs):

Dental Medicine:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $15

Law:
Tuition: $447 (an increase of $47)
General Fee: $15

Medicine:
Tuition: $500
General Fee: $15

Veterinary Medicine:
Tuition: $225
General Fee: $15

Room and Board: $530
Text-books: $50
1946
 Undergraduate Schools:

College, College of Liberal Arts for Women, School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and the Wharton School:
Tuition: $475 (an increase of $75)
General Fee: $20

Full-Time Graduate Groups (Ph.D.):

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

Education:
Tuition: $475 (an increase of $75)
General Fee: $20

Fine Arts:
Tuition: $475 (an increase of $75)
General Fee: $20

Full-Time Graduate Groups/Professional Schools and Programs (selected non-Ph.D. programs):

Dental Medicine:
Tuition: $475 (an increase of $75)
General Fee: $15

Law:
Tuition: $447
General Fee: $15

Medicine:
Tuition: $575 (an increase of $75)
General Fee: $15

Veterinary Medicine:
Tuition: $300 (an increase of $75)
General Fee: $15

Room and Board: $640 (an increase of $110)
Text-books: $50
1947
 Undergraduate Schools:

College, College of Liberal Arts for Women, School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and the Wharton School:
Tuition: $550 (an increase of $75)
General Fee: $20

Full-Time Graduate Groups (Ph.D.):

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences:
Tuition: $500 (an increase of $100)
General Fee: $20

Education:
Tuition: $550 (an increase of $75)
General Fee: $20

Fine Arts:
Tuition: $550 (an increase of $75)
General Fee: $20

Full-Time Graduate Groups/Professional Schools and Programs (selected non-Ph.D. programs):

Dental Medicine:
Tuition: $550 (an increase of $75)
General Fee: $15

Law:
Tuition: $520 (an increase of $73)
General Fee: $15

Medicine:
Tuition: $650 (an increase of $75)
General Fee: $15

Veterinary Medicine:
Tuition: $375 (an increase of $75)
General Fee: $15

Social Work:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $15 (The Pennsylvania School of Social Work was incorporated into the University this year)

Room and Board: $640
Text-books: $50
1948
 Undergraduate Schools:

College, College of Liberal Arts for Women, School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and the Wharton School:
Tuition: $600 (an increase of $50)
General Fee: $20

Full-Time Graduate Groups (Ph.D.):

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences:
Tuition: $500
General Fee: $20

Education:
Tuition: $600 (an increase of $50)
General Fee: $20

Fine Arts:
Tuition: $600 (an increase of $50)
General Fee: $20

Full-Time Graduate Groups/Professional Schools and Programs (selected non-Ph.D. programs):

Dental Medicine:
Tuition: $600 (an increase of $50)
General Fee: $15

Law:
Tuition: $600 (an increase of $80)
General Fee: $15

Medicine:
Tuition: $700 (an increase of $50)
General Fee: $15

Veterinary Medicine:
Tuition: $425 (an increase of $50)
General Fee: $15

Social Work:
Tuition: $500 (an increase of $100)
General Fee: $15

Room and Board: $640 (an increase of $110)
Text-books: $50
1949
 Undergraduate Schools:

College, College of Liberal Arts for Women, School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and the Wharton School
Tuition: $600
General Fee: $20

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences:
Tuition: $500
General Fee: $20

Full-Time Graduate Groups (Ph.D.):

Education:
Tuition: $600
General Fee: $20

Fine Arts:
Tuition: $600
General Fee: $20

Full-Time Graduate Groups/Professional Schools and Programs (selected non-Ph.D. programs):

Dental Medicine:
Tuition: $600
General Fee: $15

Law:
Tuition: $600
General Fee: $15

Medicine:
Tuition: $700
General Fee: $15

Veterinary Medicine:
Tuition: $425
General Fee: $15

Social Work:
Tuition: $500
General Fee: $15

Room and Board: $640
Books: $50

Notes

* Undergraduate expenses only

For a historical commodity price index see www.westegg.com/inflation/ and John J. McCusker, How Much Is That In Real Money? (Worcester: American Antiquarian Society, 2001).

Sources

1946: Minutes of the Trustees for 3 June 1946 and University of Pennsylvania Bulletin: Fees, Deposits and Financial Obligations: Regulations Governing Payments Adopted June 3, 1946.

1947: Minutes of the Trustees for 23 June 1947 and University of Pennsylvania Bulletin: Fees, Deposits and Financial Obligations: Regulations Governing Payments Adopted June 23, 1947, pp. 4-7.

1949: Minutes of the Trustees for 23 June 1947 and University of Pennsylvania Bulletin: The College Announcement for 1948-1949, at p. 51; University of Pennsylvania Bulletin: The College Announcement for 1949-1950, at pp. 54 and 57.

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