Frequently Asked Questions

You can apply to one PGS course per semester.

On average, each PGS course receives at least twice the number of applications as there are spots in the course. It is important to be thoughtful and detailed in your responses to make your application as competitive as possible.

PGS courses enroll 14 – 22 students each.

Yes, you may take more than one PGS course during your time at Penn. Priority in admission is given to students who have not yet taken a PGS course, but many students have had the opportunity to take multiple PGS courses during their Penn career.

Seniors graduating in the Fall semester cannot take Fall semester PGS courses. Seniors graduating in the Spring cannot take PGS courses that travel in May, although they are allowed to take PGS courses that travel over Spring Break. There are no exceptions for students sub-matriculating into a graduate program at Penn at the conclusion of their undergraduate program. If you have any questions, please reach out to pgs-abroad@upenn.edu.

Yes, all PGS participants must take both the outbound and return legs of the group flight itinerary. Please refer to the Group Flight Policy for more information on requesting exemptions.

No, you must participate in the full travel itinerary as determined by the instructor and Penn Global. If you are not able to commit to the travel dates of a particular course, you should not apply to that PGS.

If you would like to request any religious, health, or diet-related accommodations during the travel component, please email pgs-abroad@upenn.edu. Accommodation requests must be made prior to the commitment deadline. While PGS staff will make every effort to accommodate reasonable health, diet, and religious accommodation requests, it is not always possible to make the requested accommodations due to the culture or customs of the program site or due to the rigorous nature of the travel itinerary.

You must inform Penn Global of your intent to withdraw from the course in writing in addition to dropping the course on Penn in Touch. Per the Penn Global Seminars Financial Policies, you will not be entitled to a refund of the program fee and you will also be charged any other non-recoverable costs associated with the course travel. This often includes the cost of the airfare, accommodations, and guide fees.

No, all PGS courses must be taken for a grade.

Because the travel component is an integral part of the course, it is not possible to take the course without traveling, nor is it possible to travel without taking the on-campus portion of the course.

You will not be able to do this. PGS courses are set to “permission needed from instructor” on Penn in Touch, which means that the rostering department will need to issue you a permit to register for the course in order for you to register. Permits will be issued to accepted students once they choose to commit to the PGS course.

Yes, it is always a good idea to register for a full course load during advance registration. You will not find out if you are accepted into the PGS course until after the advance registration period. If you are accepted to the PGS course and choose to commit to it, you can drop one of your courses at that time in order to free up the space in your schedule for the PGS.

You must be able to attend all course meetings during the semester and be present for the full duration of class. If you cannot commit to the course meeting times as listed on the application and Penn in Touch, you should not apply to that PGS.

If Penn Abroad determines travel to be unsafe or no longer logistically feasible, the travel component may be cancelled. In the event of a cancellation, students will be informed by Penn Abroad in writing, refunded their program fee, and provided an alternate assessment so that they are able to complete the course without travel. For more information on how Penn Abroad assesses risk, please refer to the Health and Safety page on our website.