Second-Year Experience (SYE) - Penn New Student Orientation and Academic Initiatives

Throughout the academic year, we are committed to the development of Penn’s Second-Year Experience (SYE) program, which is designed specifically to address the unique needs of second-year students. SYE supports signature events such as Second-Year Day and U-Night, in addition to other programs that are planned by your request.

It features collaborations between faculty, staff (both academic and student affairs), and student leaders such as the Class Board of 2028 to provide support for:

Career Development
Engagement in Co-Curricular and Extracurricular Activities
Selection of Academic Opportunities
On and Off-Campus Living

The grant application is now open, please fill out the application form, and our office will reach out to you via email.

The deadline for 2025 Fall and 2026 Spring application is

Fall Events – Friday, November 7, 2025 at 11:59 pm EST
Spring Events – Friday, February 6, 2026 at 11:59 pm EST

Our office can assist with marketing for your event and/or provide grants up to $250. Itemized budgets are required, and preference for these competitive grants will be given to requests that use funds for programming beyond food, drink, & refreshments.

In order to be eligible for a grant, your group needs to have a 26-digit budget code with the University of Pennsylvania or work with a department that does and can journal the funds to you. Please fill out the application form, and our office will reach out to you via email.

Please note that one organization is only allowed to receive one grant during one academic year. All grants will be considered if submitted at least 1 week in advance of the event. If you have any questions, please email provost-nso-ai@pobox.upenn.edu.

submit application