Pre-baccalaureate Program

Admitted Student Resources

Congratulations on taking this next step along your educational journey!

The Wharton Pre-baccalaureate Program is an academically-intensive opportunity for exceptional high school juniors and seniors to enroll in Wharton online courses. Participants will learn from Wharton instructors, earn a Wharton transcript, and accrue college credit for each course completed. With five sessions to choose from and built-in academic support, students are encouraged to explore the depth and breadth of Wharton’s business education curriculum with maximum flexibility and the guidance and resources to succeed. 

This page should serve as an ongoing resource for students admitted into Wharton’s Pre-baccalaureate Program. Outlined are steps for getting started, academic resources, and university policies designed to guide students throughout coursework. 

Getting Started

Pre-bacc Onboarding Course

The first step is to join the Pre-bacc Onboarding course. Instructions and a link to join are provided in the official admissions letter. This self-paced, non-credit resource course is administered through Canvas, and will introduce students to university policies, resources, and access points required for participation in the Pre-bacc Program. This online course will also serve as an ongoing resource for students throughout their Pre-bacc coursework, and will include important program reminders, contact information, student discussion boards, and best practices for online learning. Completion of this onboarding course is a prerequisite before moving on to register for Wharton Pre-bacc courses. 

Course Selection and Student/Parent Agreement

After completing the onboarding course, please review the handbook carefully with a parent or guardian. Review your term-specific course options then submit the final page of the handbook, which includes your agreement to, and understanding of, university and program policies. 

The completed handbook may be submitted through the Pre-bacc Onboarding Canvas course for processing. 

For eligible returning students, after you have completed the Invitation Back Interest Survey, the signed handbook may be returned via the pre-bacc Onboarding Course for processing.

Academic Advising

As an optional resource, students are able to schedule an academic advising session with their Wharton-appointed academic advisor. Advisors and their booking links are outlined in the official admissions letter, and are also included within the onboarding course. Advising is conducted virtually via Zoom, and should take 15-20 minutes. Parents or guardians are welcome to attend, though not required. During advising we can review academic deadlines, university policies, resources, and course registration procedures.  

Setup Access Points

In advance of term, the Wharton Global Youth Program team will issue instructions and codes necessary to create your university access points, including a PennKey (username) and Wharton email address. Complete these steps in a timely manner. Once your PennKey is created you may begin accessing university resources, including your course Canvas page.

Canvas

Each Pre-bacc course creates a Penn Canvas course site to include a comprehensive course syllabus, class schedule, requisite texts or materials needed for class, and Zoom links for all live class meetings. As soon as you are able, begin exploring the course Penn Canvas course page for further course details and pre-work. Please note: your academic course will utilize a separate instance of Canvas (Penn Canvas) from the Pre-bacc Onboarding course Canvas site (Wharton Online Canvas); you will have separate logins for each. 

If you are new to Canvas, refer to the Canvas Student Guide for detailed instructions and FAQs. 

Course Registration

To initiate course registration, students must complete and submit the final page of the Student Handbook. New students may submit the handbook through the Pre-bacc Onboarding course Canvas site. Returning students may also submit the handbook through the Pre-bacc Onboarding course Canvas site for processing. Due to course quotas and academic prerequisites, enrollment in a specific course is not guaranteed. We strongly encourage students to select an alternate course in case their preferred course is not available.

Course Participation and Expectations

All Pre-baccalaureate Program courses are offered in a fully-online format. Courses include live, synchronous class meetings as well as asynchronous lectures and content. For live class meetings, students must log in during published class meeting times for lectures, discussions, and assignments. Published class meeting times are set to Eastern Standard/Daylight Time. Attendance for all live class meetings is mandatory and students are advised to keep cameras on throughout class to ensure active participation and engagement.

Beyond live class meetings, additional coursework will be required. Students may be assigned readings, video lectures, group projects, or independent assignments designed to meet course learning objectives. We estimate an additional 5-10 hours of work will be required outside of live class meetings. All assignments and applicable deadlines will be clearly outlined in the course syllabus, to be provided by the instructor at the start of term. Once received, review the syllabus carefully to familiarize yourself with course content topics, objectives, policies, and timelines.

Resources & Accommodations

To assist in academic studies, Pre-bacc students are granted access to university learning resources, including research catalogs, library services, office hours, and advising.

Instructor Office Hours

All instructors will hold office hours in which students may virtually ‘drop in’ with questions or concerns. Should published office hours not fall within your range of availability, please email your instructor for alternate meeting times or to schedule an appointment.

Academic Advising

Advisors serve as the student’s guide, assisting them in navigating resources, adopting university policies, and selecting courses best fitting their academic interests and level.

Penn Libraries

The University of Pennsylvania has 15 different libraries, including the largest open stack library in the nation. Your PennKey and email account give you access to all of the library’s electronic resources, digitized materials, and virtual support systems. https://www.library.upenn.edu/

Canvas

Canvas is a learning management system utilized by instructors to house course details, including: Zoom links for live class sessions, course syllabi, assignments, contact information, discussion boards, videos, or resources applicable to coursework. Once registered for courses, you may log in to Penn Canvas using your PennKey: https://canvas.upenn.edu  

If you are new to Canvas, refer to the Canvas Student Guide for detailed resources and instructions. 

Textbooks & Course Materials

Some courses may require the purchase of textbooks or additional course materials. These are typically available in digital format and may be acquired from the Penn Bookstore or other online retailers. Your course instructor will outline requisite course materials in the syllabus. Penn Bookstore: https://upenn.bncollege.com/shop/upenn/home 

The Weingarten Learning Resources Center

The Weingarten Learning Resources Center provides professional consultation services in skills such as academic reading, writing, study strategies, and time management. For more information about the Weingarten Learning Resources Center visit their website at https://wlrc.vpul.upenn.edu/ or call 215.573.9235.

Student Disabilities Services

The Weingarten Learning Resources Center includes Student Disabilities Services (SDS), which provides comprehensive professional services and programs for students with disabilities to ensure equal academic opportunities. Reasonable accommodation to a qualified student’s known disability may be provided to assure equal access. Penn invites students with disabilities to self-identify at any time during their course of study as enrolled students. Although the self-identification process is confidential and completely voluntary, it is required for those requesting accommodation. SDS may be contacted via the web at https://wlrc.vpul.upenn.edu/sds/, by phone at 215.573.9235, and by TDD at 215.746.6320.

Additional Wharton Global Youth Resources

The Wharton Global Youth Program, which manages the Wharton Pre-baccalaureate Program, introduces high school students to business and finance education through many other opportunities, including on-campus and online programs, an annual investment competition, and regularly updated business content featuring articles and profiles that are written specifically for high school students. Need extra insight and Wharton faculty analysis on topics like Health EconomicsData Science and so much more? Check out our online content and all the ways you can explore your passion for business and finance with Wharton Global Youth.

Wharton Community

All Pre-baccalaureate summer course participants will be granted access to the summer-long Wharton Global Youth Meetup, an optional extracurricular programming platform designed to foster community and introduce the Wharton and Penn experience to students.

The Wharton GYM provides a combination of live and independent programming via Canvas and may include campus tours, admissions workshops, business exploration lectures, weekly challenges (including a summer-long stock market challenge), and networking events to connect with peers.

Please note that participation in Wharton’s Pre-baccalaureate Program does not guarantee admission into Penn.

For more information, please contact wgyp-prebacc@wharton.upenn.edu or call +1.516.414.5555.