• Penn Engineering Graduate Newsletter 10-01-2026

Penn Engineering Graduate Newsletter 10-01-2026

Important Dates: 

Date Event
October 5th Drop period ends: last day to drop a course for a 50% refund.
October 26th-Nov. 9th Advance Registration for Spring 2027.
November 2nd Last day to withdraw from a course for Fall term
November 6th Master’s and Certificate December graduation application closes
November 30th PhD December graduation application closes
December 7th Fall term classes end

Fall 2026 Semester Advising Hours

Academic advising takes place in the program/department with the advisor(s) and/or graduate coordinator/administrator.

For additional advising, students may come to the Office of Academic Services during drop-in advising hours while terms are in session. This can be for general inquiries, wellness concerns, policy questions, and assistance navigating Penn offices or who to turn to for questions.

Day of the week Time Location
Monday 10:00 am – 12:00 pm (EST) Virtual*
Tuesday 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm (EST) In-person, Towne 109
Wednesday 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm (EST) In-person, Towne 109
Thursday 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm (EST) Virtual*
Friday No Advising  

*Links to access virtual drop-in hours are shared with students via email.
If you are unable to attend scheduled advising hours, please email to request an appointment.

 

Registrar Reminders

Important Fall 2026 deadlines:

  • Between September 9 and October 5 at 11:59 pm (ET), students will be able to use Path to drop a course and receive a 50% tuition refund during this time period.
  • Course Drop deadline: October 5 (11:59 pm ET)

December 2026 Graduation information:

  • The December 2026 Engineering graduation application will open on September 11 for bachelor’s, master’s, and certificates within the Engineering school. Information will be distributed closer to that opening. The December 2026 PhD graduation application opened on August 25. Information will be distributed in the near future.
  • Any students who need to update their expected graduation date can submit that request here. This is especially important if you are a December graduate and your expected graduation date is incorrectly listed for the future.

Announcements

Complete the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) Survey

Check your email inbox for a personalized link with the subject “Wellness at Penn – Health Assessment” to complete the confidential NCHA survey. Your feedback on sleep, stress, mental health, and student life helps shape health and wellness resources across Penn. The survey takes 20–30 minutes, and progress can be saved to finish later. Complete it by October 11 for a chance to win a bag of Penn Bookstore merchandise!

 

Grants, Scholarships & Fellowships

Stanford PRISM Postdoctoral Recruitment Initiative 

Applications are open for Stanford PRISM, a cohort-based travel award program for graduate students to explore postdoctoral training at Stanford. Selected students visit campus to interview with faculty, connect with current postdocs, and learn about available funding and training opportunities. Applicants from underrepresented perspectives in research are especially encouraged to apply. Application deadline – October 2nd. Click here to learn more.

 

Applications Open: Climate Leaders at Penn Fellowship 

Climate Leaders at Penn is accepting applications for its 2026–27 Graduate Fellowship. Fellows work in small teams on real-world climate resilience projects with partner organizations, gaining access to masterclasses, mentorship, and a network of climate professionals. Open to graduate students across all Penn schools. Apply via Google Form. 

Details & Application
Deadline: Sunday, October 11, 2026
Eligibility: All Penn graduate students

 

 

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program 

The National Science Foundation offers approximately 2,500 graduate fellowships each year. Fellowships provide three years of support for graduate study leading to research-based master’s or doctoral degrees at US universities in science, mathematics, and engineering, and a few other quantitative research fields supported by the NSF, and are intended for students in the early stages of their graduate study. Application deadline – October 22nd. Click here to learn more.

 

Events

Pear VC at Penn: PearX Office Hours & Info Session

Pear VC, an early-stage firm behind DoorDash, Guardant Health, and Vanta, is visiting Penn on Tuesday, September 29. Pear writes seed checks up to $10M and runs the PearX accelerator offering up to $2M in funding. PhDs, postdocs, and student founders commercializing research are strongly encouraged to participate.

Tuesday, September 29, 2026
12:00 pm – 5:00 pm | 1:1 Office Hours | Apply for a spot
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm | Info Session | Food provided; RSVP on Luma

Getting to Know the Penn CRCs

Engineers build systems, but a community ensures connection. Join Penn Engineering and the Cultural Resource Centers (CRCs) for an interactive, dialogue-driven gathering designed to help you navigate campus support, build meaningful connections, and explore the wide array of resources available across Penn’s CRCs. RSVP Here.

Thursday, October 8. 2026 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Raisler Lounge (Towne 225)

 

Restorative Justice & Practices @ Penn

You’re invited to a special joint event with Restorative Practices @ Penn. Come curious and leave inspired! This session offers a welcoming introduction to the Restorative Practices @ Penn Program, along with a thought-provoking overview of Restorative Justice principles and practices, frameworks that center empathy, accountability, and community healing.

Whether you’ve heard of restorative practices before or are completely new to the concept, this is a fantastic opportunity to expand your perspective, connect with peers across the Penn Engineering community, and discover tools that go far beyond the classroom or lab. Light on lecture, rich in conversation! RSVP Here.

Wednesday, October 14. 2026 | 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Greenberg Lounge (Skirkanich Hall, Room 114)

 

 

2026 Frontiers of Energy Poster Session

Join us for the 6th Annual Frontiers of Energy Research Poster Session, co-hosted by the Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology (VIEST) and the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER). Discover amazing energy research  presented by Penn undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers.

Present a Poster: All Penn students and postdocs involved in energy research are invited to share their work, gain valuable feedback, and meet other energy researchers from across campus! Register here by Monday, October 5th to present a poster.

October 20th, 2026, 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Singh Galleria, Singh Center for Nanotechnology

 

Writing Workshop Series: AI Informed Graduate Writing

Designed for international master’s, PhD, and postdoc students using English as a second or additional language, this 5-session in-person series focuses on academic writing conventions, self-editing, and responsibly evaluating AI tools for research writing. Participants should plan to attend all five sessions. Review the details and apply here by October 28, 2026.

Tuesdays and Thursdays, November 3rd–17th | 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm

 

Career & Networking

Career Development Hub

The career development hub is Penn Engineering’s dedicated career team for on-campus master’s students. Now offering in-person and virtual career advising meetings in Towne 286. In-person and virtual coaching, industry programming, and cohort communities on Penn’s campus. More information here.