Services
Take a Look at What We Do Every Day

Whether you are living, working, or visiting, chances are you will engage with our Division while you are on campus.
Bon Appétit Catering at Penn is the premier campus caterer known for its culinary expertise, exceptional service, and commitment to socially responsible practice. The catering team helps with all facets of catered events, from planning and executing events with a keen eye to detail and customer service, to cooking impressive menus from scratch. Bon Appétit prides itself for serving the Penn community the highest-quality ingredients that are fresh, flavorful, and sustainable.
Bon Appétit brings Penn the best local foods the area has to offer, striving to purchase at least 20% of its ingredients from small owner-operated farms and ranches within 150 miles of its kitchen.
Bon Appétit is committed to promoting sustainability across events. From meeting Seafood Watch sustainability guidelines to using shell eggs that are certified cage free, Bon Appétit uses only the highest-quality fresh ingredients and whole foods.
Conference & Hospitality Services provides professional expertise for conference, programs, and events hosted at Penn. By showcasing the impressive array of facilities and resources the University has to offer, we strive to make Penn a destination of choice for meeting and event planners. The department is also responsible for the oversight of residential operations, facilities, and support services to the many academic programs, sports camps, meetings and conferences happening on campus during the summer at Penn.
Conference & Hospitality Services hosts over 5,000 visitors to campus each year, which generates revenue through sales of services to primarily support capital intensive projects related to renewal and construction of key student facilities and services.
Hospitality Services created a PCI Compliant Web Registration System to simplify event planning. The system has handled hundreds of events and processed millions of dollars in event fees.
The University Club at Penn offers membership to all faculty, staff, alumni, and graduate students of the University for an annual membership fee. Additionally, the Club offers a variety of excellent dining options to its members. Special departmental memberships are available for those who need dining space for departmental business. The Club also houses the Burrison Gallery, which features the work of Penn faculty, staff, and alumni as well as their family members.
Students and faculty can host lunch at the University Club at no cost through a collaboration with the Provost's office. The Take Your Professor to Lunch Program helps to strengthen the bonds in the University community providing an easy way for students and professors to get to know each other better outside the classroom.
The Hilton Inn at Penn is a AAA four diamond property anchoring University Square. Located in the heart of Penn's campus, the Inn at Penn is a convenient distance from the University of Pennsylvania Health System facilities and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The Hilton Inn at Penn offers the ultimate in campus hospitality for the business or leisure traveler.
The Sheraton Philadelphia University City hotel is in the heart of it all - guests at Sheraton Philadelphia University City enjoy the convenience of close proximity to the University of Pennsylvania Campus and area hospitals. The hotel offers 332 recently renovated guestrooms and suites, each featuring high-tech conveniences like an in-room computer, remote printing capabilities, 37-inch LCD flat screen television, and complimentary wireless Internet access.
Inn at Penn - The Hilton’s Travel with Purpose program is committed to reducing its food, water and consumer waste by 50%.
Sheraton - A $1M Energy upgrade was conducted at the hotel, which included replacing public space air handler units and installing an automated energy management system.
Sheraton - A $3M refresh of the lower-level meeting space and lobby area including interior finishes featuring new carpet, wall vinyl, and lighting was recently completed.
Hospitality Services manages on-campus vending outlets which supplement the full-service dining program available through Penn Dining's dining plan options, retail venues, and convenience stores. With over 225 vending machines throughout campus, we are able to offer a full range of food and beverages. Many vending machines on campus are equipped with card readers, so students, faculty, and staff may use PennCash or credit and debit cards to make purchases. All vending machines accept cash as well.
Penn’s vending machines are clearly labeled so you can easily find the healthiest options. You’ll find these items on the right side of every vending machine, with the slogan “Go Right, Go Green.” Ranging from pretzels and fruit snacks to baked chips and fat-free cookies, all items have under 250 calories and less than 350 mg of sodium, and pack less fat than standard snacks.
Penn Parking Services manages 25 lots and garages around the Penn campus. While many of Penn's parking facilities are reserved for permit parking for University and UPHS faculty, staff, and students, Penn Parking also operates visitor lots and garages, which are open to the general public.
Parking facilities host electric charging stations, bicycle parking and repair stations, and special spots for car share.
Parking discounts are available to car and van poolers.
12 Parks Per Month and Occasional Parking are designed for faculty and staff who work a hybrid schedule or usually commute by public transportation, allowing them more flexibility for those times when they need to drive. Click here for information.
Penn Transit is a comprehensive system that provides effective, efficient and safe integrated transit on and around campus within specific service boundaries. Transit Services are free of charge to all Penn community members holding a valid PennCard.
The use of propane in many of our Transit and Parking fleet vehicles has resulted in $7,574 savings compared to gasoline. It is both financially responsible and better for our environment.
Penn Transit provides safe, free, sustainable transportation to over 80,000 riders annually.
PennTransit Mobile, Penn Transit's app, allows riders to track Penn Buses in real time or request an evening safety shuttle from their mobile device. Click here for info.
Penn supports discounts for public transportation use by faculty, staff, and students. Penn's compact urban campus is well served by an extensive network of subway, bus, regional rail, and trolley lines that are located around the campus where public transit stops are never more than a five-minute walk from any part of campus. Penn offers several options for discounted travel via SEPTA, PATCO, NJ Transit, and Amtrak. Additionally, the Penn Bike Commuter Expense Reimbursement Program offers bicycle commuting expenses to qualified faculty and staff.
Our commuter pre-tax program offers monthly payroll deductions to encourage the use of public transportation.
Penn’s commuter programs, have resulted in 50% of Penn’s faculty and staff choose a sustainable commuting option.
Penn’s Bike Commuter Expense Reimbursement Program offers bicycle commuting expenses to qualified faculty and staff.
As a result of the innovative programs and services that have been implemented through the Sustainable Transportation Initiative, Penn has been named by U.S. News & World Report as the country's most transportation-friendly college campus.
Penn Mail Services provides services to support the University's mission of teaching, research, and public service. The department delivers incoming U.S. First Class mail throughout Penn’s campus and facilities.
eShip@Penn® is the University’s enhanced express shipping process minimizes the risk associated with moving hazardous materials and lets shippers choose from a variety of carriers to determine which one best meets their specific needs.
PersonalShip allows students, faculty, staff and alumni to ship packages using Penn’s preferred rates.
Penn Mail Services recycles all no value and undelivered mail.
The PennCard is the official University of Pennsylvania identification card for students, faculty, staff and other members of the University community. PennCards are used to access a myriad of services at Penn. Within the PennCard Center, located conveniently on the second floor of the Penn Bookstore, one can access a Notary, take passport photos, and can learn more about the various features of the PennCard.
PennCard staff are responsible for the maintenance of Blackboard Transact, the University’s transaction system that processes approximately 6 million transactions each year.
The PennCard Office manages the relationship with the University’s banking services to students, faculty, staff, and alumni with financial services partners including PNC Bank and the Student Federal Credit Union.
The Morris Arboretum at the University of Pennsylvania is a 92-acre historic public garden and educational institution located 15 miles from campus in the Chestnut Hill area of Philadelphia. It promotes an understanding of the relationship between plants, people, and place through programs that integrate science, art, and the humanities. The Arboretum conducts four major activities: education, research, outreach, and horticultural display. As the official Arboretum of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Morris Arboretum provides research and outreach services to state agencies, community institutions, and to citizens of Pennsylvania and beyond.
Morris Arboretum’s parking lot is a demonstration lot for sustainability. The first of its kind, the parking lot has filtered into the earth about 31,863,304 gallons of precipitation from the Wissahickon watershed. This equates to a lifetime of drinking water for more than 1,000 of our neighbors downstream, or the annual tap water used by about 4,000 households, or one day’s average tap water use by 366,245 Philadelphians.
The Arboretum was rated one of the Best of Pennsylvania wedding venues in 2017 by Wedding Spot. Revenue from weddings, parties, meetings and retreats supports the Arboretum’s mission to plant and support trees.
The Horticulture Center, which provides work space for the Arboretum’s horticulture, public programs, and facility staff achieved the highest level of LEED® Certification: Platinum.
With support from the National Science Foundation, botanists at Morris Arboretum are assembling a digital record of hundreds of thousands of plants from the mid-Atlantic region.
The University of Pennsylvania's child care center supports children ages three months to five years. Conveniently located on the University campus, enrollment is open to all members of the University and surrounding communities with preference given to faculty, staff, and students of the University.
An interested group of parents initiated a Children’s Garden, which is tended by the students and staff. All that is grown is harvested and shared.
The Office of Penn Home Ownership Services offers eligible employees buying homes in the West Philadelphia area the opportunity to apply for financing for home purchases and renovations. The department also offers refinancing options with lending partners, home improvement grants, loans, educational workshops and a variety of other resources.
Since the University's commitment to home ownership began in 1965, more than 1,400 individuals and families have participated.
In conjunction with Penn's opening of Pennovation Works, PHOS expanded its boundaries to include the area close to the site, providing additional home ownership possibilities for faculty and staff of the University and its health system and supporting the continued development of Pennovations Works.
Open from September to April, the full-service arena can seat up to 2,500 attendees and offers a wide range of events including daily public skating, open hockey and freestyle sessions, as well as group and private sessions. The arena has multiple snack bars, a party room, skate rental and sharpening.
The Penn Ice Rink is self-sustaining through revenue earned from ice rentals, lessons, public skating, and advertisers.
The Department of Residential Services is responsible for administering housing-related services to the 13 College Houses (undergraduate housing). Residential Services' on-campus living options span across Penn's 262-acre campus. Residential Services works closely with other partners to provide students and guests with services that support living and learning in the University residences.
Since 2008, PennMoves has collected over a half-million pounds of items, including clothing and other goods, that students are unable to take with them when they leave campus at the end of the academic year. All donated items are turned over to Goodwill, which distributes them through their stores.
The Lauder College House was designed and constructed to achieve LEED Gold Certification for new construction through the U.S. Green Building Council. Special attention was paid to creating access to landscaped outdoor space, storm water management and reduced water usage. Gutmann College House was also constructed to achieve the LEED Silver Certification.
Residential Services, in collaboration with Facilities and Real Estate Services and College Houses and Academic Services, has enhanced and expanded the University's College House system - completing the construction of the Lauder College House and Gutmann College House and the renovation of Hill College House.
The Office of Off-Campus Services assists students, faculty, and staff at all stages of their off campus living experience, from locating housing to understanding leases and resolving problems that may arise while renting. Off-Campus Services plays an active role in educating tenants and landlords about their rights and responsibilities.
Since 2020, Off-Campus Services has hosted an annual Virtual Housing Fair open to the entire Penn community. The Virtual Housing Fair provides opportunities for Penn students, faculty, and staff to meet local landlords and Penn departments.
As the University's food service professional, Penn Dining oversees food operations and dining services, and consults on all food-related planning issues.
Students, faculty, staff and visitors can enjoy a tasty and satisfying meal with friends and colleagues at any of Penn Dining's many convenient locations across campus. There are private dining rooms available at no cost in each of three residential restaurants for luncheons, parties, and meetings.
Together with Bon Appétit, Penn’s food service provider, dining has helped increase Penn’s commitment to sustainable practices with the goal of 21-50% (depending on season) of all ingredients produced locally using sustainable and organic practices. Food waste is collected and routed to a local organic composting facility.
A weekly farmers' market held on campus May through November and students can use their dining plans to purchase produce.
Penn Dining's renovation of Houston Market has been recognized at Penn with a Model of Excellence and nationally with a Gold Loyal E. Horton Award by the National Association of College and University Food Service.
For more than 200 years the University of Pennsylvania has fostered rich traditions, generated storied accomplishments, and served as the embodiment of academic eminence. The Penn logo and the University shield are graphic manifestations of our reputation and play an important role in communicating and reinforcing the brand identity of the institution. To promote the Penn brand, the University permits the manufacture of apparel and other items bearing its name, trademarks, and images by extending a license to specific vendors offering various products intended for sale or distribution.
Penn's licensees are accountable for maintaining practices that comply with applicable legal guidelines, adhering to ethical and environmental principles, and upholding workplace standards that promote full, productive, and freely chosen employment. Please know that certain popular brands do not meet the licensing guidelines and are prohibited from being co-branded with the Penn name, marks, or logos.
Campus Express is the online onboarding site for all new students at Penn. The site is a one-stop shop for most essential student services at Penn such as the getting a Penn identification card, confirming on-campus housing, purchasing a dining plan, registering property, purchasing books or a computer and taking advantage of Penn’s many transportation options. Campus Express makes life easier and more convenient for thousands of new students each year.
With Penn’s free eCard site, no one can any longer use the “I’m-too-busy-to-send-a-card” excuse.
The site contains cards for almost any occasion, highlighted with beautiful University images. Card senders can write their own personalized messages for one-of-a-kind sentiments and send to up to 100 recipients. And there are also animated seasonal and holiday images.
All 12 Penn schools have posted their own images, and sports fans may enjoy highlighting their cards with a shot of their beloved Palestra, chock full of basketball fans. Alumni have their own section, enabling them to shoot off a quick communication that shows their spirit.
Business Services has offered to customize invitations as well. Just send us a request via the Contact Us page.
The Penn Bookstore offers a wide assortment of products and services to meet the needs of Penn faculty, staff, students, and the surrounding community. In addition to providing required course materials, the Penn Bookstore offers a wide range of Penn branded apparel and gifts. As the bookstore spans over 50,000 square feet, it hosts many events and provides ample space for all to enjoy. Located within the bookstore is a fully-licensed Starbucks as well as a "marketplace" for grab-and-go goods.
The Penn Bookstore is also the University’s exclusive provider for several services such as textbooks and course materials as well as academic regalia.
Major renovations to the facility (2003, 2007, 2013) include finishes, fixtures and furnishings by manufacturers who address durability, conservation, recycling, and sustainability in their materials and manufacturing methods.
The Penn Bookstore offers programs to address the cost of textbooks, including offering used, digital and rental options as well as a Textbook Pricematch Program.
Penn was the first Ivy League institution to commit to “GreenWeaver,” a regalia product line made of 100 percent, post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.