"Philadelphia is a fantastic city — with so many professional and graduate programs, there is a great pool of like-minded people here. You have access to all the things you'd want in a major city, as well as close proximity to DC and New York. For a graduate student, it is very livable, which is not true of many cities."
Karl Russo, 6th Year
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Philadelphia is an ideal location for doctoral study, with its thriving university culture, affordable living options, established corporate base, and countless possibilities for recreation and leisure activities.
On this page:
- Regional Business and Academic Hub
- Dining and Recreation
- Culture and History
- Housing and Neighborhoods
- Transportation, Safety and Security
This microsite (Flash 7.0 recommended) gives you a taste of the experience of a Wharton student in Philadelphia, an ideal student city with vibrant neighborhoods, varied cultural and recreational options, and lots to see and do as a student. Take this virtual tour of popular neighborhoods, cultural attractions, and restaurants.
Regional Business and Academic Hub
Philadelphia is a perfect location for those with serious academic and business interests. In addition to Penn and Wharton, Philadelphia has the second-largest concentration of universities and colleges in the U.S., and professionals and scholars from around the world are drawn to them for conferences, symposia, and other events. One of the nation's top hubs for biotech, pharmaceutical, health care, and life sciences firms, the city also offers opportunities in such areas as financial services, telecommunications, manufacturing, insurance, and education, among others.
Many doctoral students at Wharton conduct research or partner with local business organizations as diverse as Vanguard, Comcast, Merck, Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Philadelphia Federal Reserve. The Wharton campus offers easy access by rail, bus, and car to the business and political centers of Washington, D.C., New York City, and Boston.
Dining and Recreation
Philadelphia enjoys a thriving, eclectic restaurant culture that includes world cuisines from Belgian to Vietnamese, haute cuisine, BYOBs, reinvented pub grub, and Philly's famous cheesesteaks.
Nearby Fairmount Park, the largest urban park in the world, maintains running, cycling, and riding trails, with boat rentals on the Schuylkill River, site of Philadelphia's picturesque Boathouse Row and the Dad Vail Regatta, the largest collegiate regatta in the country.
Philadelphia offers a wide array of choices for sports fans, with professional football (Eagles), baseball (Phillies), basketball (76ers), and hockey (Flyers) teams, as well as pro lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, and even the U.S. Pro Cycling championship. See gophila.com for more information.
Culture and History
The birthplace of American democracy, Philadelphia is steeped in four centuries of history. Follow the footsteps of the country's founding fathers as they wrote the Declaration of Independence and signed The Constitution at the National Constitution Center. Visit national landmarks including Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and Elfreth's Alley, the oldest continuously occupied street in the U.S.
The city is home to the world's largest collection of Impressionist art (the Barnes Foundation) and America's first art museum. The music scene ranges from opera, classical, and chamber music to original jazz, rock, folk, and hip-hop. The city is also filled with second-hand bookstores, music clubs, open-air markets, and a renowned international film festival. See gophila.com for more information.
Housing and Neighborhoods
A wide range of affordable housing options is available throughout the city and suburbs, with easy access to campus through public transportation and highways. The Doctoral Programs Office sends complete campus housing information to all admitted students.
On-Campus Housing: Residences for graduate students on Penn's campus include furnished studio efficiencies and two-bedroom apartments located in two high-rise graduate student apartment buildings (including free, high-speed Internet connections) at Sansom Place. See Penn's Graduate Student Housing website for more information.
Off-Campus Housing: Thousands of Penn students, faculty, and staff live in University City, which is in West Philadelphia, convenient to both the Penn campus and Center City. The area offers rich ethnic, cultural, and economic diversity, with great restaurants, large apartments, and striking Victorian architecture. See Penn's Off-Campus Housing website for more information.
A wide variety of apartment buildings and brownstones are available for rent in Center City, which is a 25-minute walk from Wharton (10 to 15 minutes by public transportation or bike). Other popular Philadelphia neighborhoods — including Old City, Queen Village, Bella Vista, Society Hill, and Fairmount — offer an eclectic mix of affordable and livable housing options, from historic townhouses to converted lofts.
Some students — particularly those with families, partners who work outside of Philadelphia, or who plan to remain in Philadelphia after graduation — decide to live in the suburbs. The residential neighborhoods of Chestnut Hill, Mt. Airy, Roxborough, Overbrook, and Wynnefield offer tree-lined streets, architectural charm, and family-friendly single and twin homes within the Philadelphia city limits.
The towns in the near western suburbs along the Main Line, such as Bala Cynwyd, Narberth, and Wynnewood, are close to campus (a 15-minute direct commuter train ride) and are known for excellent public schools. Other students choose the northern Pennsylvania or New Jersey suburbs, also a train ride away. Apartments and houses to rent are easy to find in all of these areas.
Transportation, Safety, and Security
Students at Wharton have similar safety concerns to those of students studying at any major city. The campus is watched over by the Division of Public Safety at the University of Pennsylvania, which operates a fully commissioned police force with state-of-the-art safety and security technology. In 2003, Penn was one of two institutions of higher education selected to receive the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Award in recognition of its innovative technology and campus and community patrols. For more information, visit Safety and Security at Penn's website.
Wharton students travel from campus to other parts of the city on foot, by bike, and via Philadelphia's comprehensive public transportation system, which includes buses, trolleys, and trains.
In addition, the University offers its own options: Both PennBUS East and PennBUS West operate on a fixed schedule and an established route, picking up and delivering passengers at designated stops on campus and at any off-campus corner along that route.
Various shuttle vehicles provide transportation to and from campus transit stops, West Philadelphia, Powelton Village, and Center City, within defined boundaries. The Penn Shuttles operate seven days per week and provide riders with off-campus, "to-door" service.