The Benjamin Franklin Scholars (BFS) program is the home of intensive, liberal arts studies at Penn. It brings together students from SAS (Robert K. Johnson Integrated Studies, RKJ ISP), Wharton (Joseph Wharton Scholars, JWS), the School of Nursing, and School of Engineering to engage in integrative learning across disciplines, encouraging curiosity and exploration. BFS is also a living-learning community, as students reside together in Hill College House during their first year and grow together through their undergraduate careers by taking cross-disciplinary and cross-college seminars. They are further encouraged to engage with each other socially throughout the academic year with special BFS social events, masterclasses with renowned faculty, and through peer mentorship. In doing so, students are given the opportunity to explore interests outside of their home school or major, while diving deeply into their chosen areas of study.
BFS strives to build a vibrant community of students at Penn who share a passion for broad intellectual exploration. By offering BFS students small, challenging classes that reach out to non-specialists the students gain a close engagement with faculty, promote independent thinking, stimulate research, and encourage curiosity.
The flagship element of the BFS experience is its focus on integrative learning. We encourage exploration beyond the major, and outside the Home school. BFS Seminars offer enriching opportunities to work on challenging topics, without requiring extensive prerequisites, both inside and outside a student’s major fields of study. Hill College House provides the campus community for scholars to engage in social, cultural, service, and life skills activities that provide the perfect complement to their Penn experience.
Note: There are three requirements for membership in the BFS Residential Community in Hill.
- Students must accept their place in the incoming class at Penn.
- You must then apply for the Benjamin Franklin Scholars program and be accepted. See more information here.
- You must list the BFS program in Hill as your first choice when you apply for housing. Visit housing application instructions here.
Students who have not completed all three parts of the application process will not be able to be considered for the BFS Residential Community. There will be no exceptions.
Contact:
Adri Macrina, BFS Academic Coordinator
amacrina@upenn.edu
Kim Bowes, BFS Faculty Director
kbowes@sas.upenn.edu