A community of students at Penn who share a passion for broad intellectual exploration
The BFS Vision
At a time of increased pressures to specialize, the Benjamin Franklin Scholars (BFS) program embraces the intellectual vitality that accrues to crossing boundaries and integrating knowledge. The program strives to enrich the educational experience of its students through robust BFS seminar offerings, extracurricular programming, and encouraging integration across disciplines.
The BFS program spans all four undergraduate schools emphasizing a rigorous engagement with the liberal arts alongside students' more specialized studies. Learn more about BFS program requirements, funding opportunities, and the BFS student community.
BFS Seminars
BFS Seminars offer enriching opportunities to engage with challenging topics, both inside and outside students’ major fields of study, without requiring extensive prerequisites. These classes reach out to non-specialists, facilitate close engagement with faculty, promote independent thinking, stimulate research, and enable curiosity to thrive.
Hill College House
All students accepted to BFS as incoming students live together in Hill College House, a first-year residence with suite lounges, an atrium, a dining commons, and social areas for cooking, gathering, and studying.