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Description of financial obligations from the 1914-1915 University Catalog
From the 1914-1915 University Catalog

 

 

Annual Educational Costs,
by decade

 

 

 

Related links:

University Archives and Records Center
University of Pennsylvania

Tuition and mandated fees, Room and Board and other educational costs at Penn since 1900:
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

Published 2003, with annual updates

 

Year

Undergraduate Schools

Graduate and Professional Schools

Estimated "Accomodations and Expenses" *

1940

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

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

Education:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

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

Law:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $15

Medicine:
Tuition: $500
General Fee: $15

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

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

Room and Board: $520
Text-books: $45

1941

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

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

Education:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

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

Law:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $15

Medicine:
Tuition: $500
General Fee: $15

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

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

Room and Board: $520
Text-books: $45

1942

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

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

Education:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

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

Law:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $15

Medicine:
Tuition: $500
General Fee: $15

Dental Medicine:
Tuition: $400
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

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

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

Education:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

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

Law:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $15

Medicine:
Tuition: $500
General Fee: $15

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

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

Room and Board: $530
Text-books: $50

1944

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

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

Education:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $20

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

Law:
Tuition: $400
General Fee: $15

Medicine:
Tuition: $500
General Fee: $15

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

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

Room and Board: $530
Text-books: $50

1945

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

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

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

Medicine:
Tuition: $500
General Fee: $15

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

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

Room and Board: $530
Text-books: $50

1946

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

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

Law:
Tuition: $447
General Fee: $15

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

Dental Medicine:
Tuition: $475 (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

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

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

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

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

Dental Medicine:
Tuition: $550 (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

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

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

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

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

Dental Medicine:
Tuition: $600 (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

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

Education:
Tuition: $600
General Fee: $20

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

Law:
Tuition: $600
General Fee: $15

Medicine:
Tuition: $700
General Fee: $15

Dental Medicine:
Tuition: $600
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

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: Sources: 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.

 

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).

 

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