Our Mission

Bringing the World to Penn and Penn to the World

What We Do

We are the University’s go-to for all things global. Our mission is to bring the world to Penn and Penn to the world.

Penn Global provides strategic direction to the University of Pennsylvania on its global endeavors, with a focus on the efficient investment of university resources. Encompassing seven reporting offices, Penn Global leverages its broad and deep expertise to advise the University on its global activities and to collaborate with Penn’s schools, centers, communities and partners to deliver a comprehensive suite of global programming that generates positive impact around the world.

6,900+

international students from around the world enrolled at Penn.

2,300+

Penn students study abroad, on average, on credit-bearing programs annually.

1,700+

international scholars, on average, engage in academic activities at Penn annually.

200+

partnerships with international institutions worldwide.

60+

Centers and institutes at Penn offering global research, teaching, and learning opportunities.

Our Priorities

Penn’s continued success as a leading global university depends on our deepening commitment to global engagement going forward. Our strategic framework builds upon the achievements of the first decade to expand existing signature initiatives and pilot new, innovative programs. 

Doctor

Global Citizenship

All Penn students, including graduate and professional students, will have meaningful global experiences, either in the United States or overseas, fostering a prismatic understanding of the world’s people, cultures, and ideas.

Research for Global Impact

Penn’s broad range of global insights are positioned to inform the most pressing challenges facing our world. Our programs will strengthen links between research and policy to generate new knowledge and amplify impact. 

Global Partnership & Mobility

There is an urgent need to reinvest in global partnerships and advocate for global mobility to address shared challenges, promote the exchange of knowledge and solutions, and generate positive impact for all.

Our Leadership

A pioneering visionary, Benjamin Franklin understood that you needed a global perspective to understand and do good in the world. To this day, Penn is driven by his example, harnessing the knowledge, curiosity, and commitment to globally engage and shape the world for a better tomorrow.

Ezekiel Emanuel

Vice Provost for Global Initiatives

Zeke Emanuel talking at Penn Washington Event

Our Leadership

As Penn, we need to be a leader for global engagement. We need to be a leader in demonstrating and advocating for the importance of global research, teaching, and learning to change our world, to improve our world.

Amy Gadsden

Associate Vice Provost for Global Initiatives

Our Offices

Who We Are

With seven reporting offices, Penn Global drives the University’s global mission through its deep expertise and broad range of services and programming.

International Student and Scholar Services

Penn’s go-to resource for immigration and integration assistance, supporting the entire University including the University of Pennsylvania Health System.  

Penn Abroad

The hub for student global opportunities at Penn, endeavoring to provide every Penn student with a meaningful global experience. 

Perry World House

Hub for global policy engagement at Penn, bringing Penn’s academic knowledge to bear on some of the world’s most pressing global policy challenges. 

Penn Washington

The University’s physical and programmatic home in Washington, D.C., leveraging Penn scholarship to contribute to the dialogue on democracy and global affairs. 

Global Support Services

Penn’s one-stop-shop for guidance and support on the University’s international business activities.

Global Initiatives

Reporting to the Office of the Provost, Global Initiatives shapes the strategy behind Penn’s global mission and serves as the central hub for all Penn Global reporting offices.

Penn Global Finance & Administration

Penn Global’s go-to resource for financial and administrative matters, including procurement, payables, and other business operations.  

Announcing the 2025-2026 Penn Global Seminars

Through global trips and weekly seminars, the program centers students’ interests in global policy to help solve real-world problems, and the students gain one-of-a-kind experience along the way.

News Article

How climate change impacts food security

With research agendas on climate change, democracy, human rights, and security, Perry World House convened a high-level workshop on March 18, to develop policy innovations and research solutions to this multidisciplinary dilemma….

  • Penn Today
  • Perry World House
News Article

Penn Abroad caps applications, sets earlier deadline for study abroad programs

Penn Abroad implemented changes to the study abroad application process this week, imposing program-specific caps and advancing the timeline. The changes were announced in a March 31 email, which explained…

  • The Daily Pennsylvanian
  • Penn Abroad
News Article

Penn students have not been affected by federal visa revocations, ISSS says

Penn’s International Student and Scholar Services is “not aware” of any University student or faculty member who has been impacted by recent visa revocations from the United States Department of…

  • The Daily Pennsylvanian
  • International Student & Scholar Services

Our Campus Partners

The World at Penn

From Philadelphia and Washington, DC, to Beijing and Delhi, Penn’s campus spans the world and is home to twelve premier schools with a global reach and over 60 University and School centers with a global focus. Together, Penn’s schools and centers cultivate a thriving global community who advance the University’s outreach and impact worldwide. Learn more about our many campus partners who advance Penn’s global mission.

Our Campus Partners

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