Student Requirements
In order to graduate as a Benjamin Franklin Scholar, students in all four schools must:
Graduate with a minimum cumulative Penn GPA of 3.40.
Complete at least three (3) credit units (CUs) of BFS seminars for a letter grade (i.e., not Pass/Fail). Most BFS seminars are full CU courses. This will typically mean three BFS seminars. But we also offer a handful of half credit (.5 CU) BFS seminars. These will contribute only .5 CU to the BFS total. So, for example, a student who takes two seminars, each for a full CU, and another for .5 CU, will be required to take at least another .5 CU BFS seminar to complete the requirement. There is no upper limit on the number of BFS credits a person may enroll in. The current record among alums is 15 BFS seminars by graduation!
In the spring semester prior to graduating in the spring, summer, or fall, all prospective BFS graduates present to their BFS peers a Ben Talk on their most intriguing research findings.
Each student must also meet all requirements of the student’s home school, as well as additional BFS requirements specific to BFS within that school:
In order to graduate as a Benjamin Franklin Scholar, students in the College must also complete the RKJ ISP sequence of courses.
In order to graduate as a Benjamin Franklin Scholar, students in the School of Nursing must also submit an E-Portfolio.
E-Portfolio
The e-portfolio displays highlights of students’ academic and clinical work along with their community service across all four years of their time in BFS. BFS-N director Professor Sarah Kagan is available to discuss the portfolio and the program as a whole.
Students in the School of Engineering do not have any additional requirements but must graduate with a minimum cumulative Penn GPA of 3.40, complete 3 BFS seminars, and submit a BEN Talk.
Ben Talk of Ben Prize Winner, Anthony Hu 24’
Ben Talk of Ben Prize Finalist, Jacqueline Wu 24’