Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA According to the website of the Global Ivy League, upenn is the English abbreviation of UniversityofPennsylvania, located in Philadelphia, the largest city in Pennsylvania, USA, and is one of the top private research universities in the world. The University of Pennsylvania is a private research university, one of the Ivy League schools, a founding member of association of american universities and a member of the Global University Presidents Forum. Founded in 1740, it is the fifth oldest institution of higher education in the United States and the first modern institution of higher learning engaged in science, technology and humanities education in the United States. Its founder is Benjamin Franklin, one of the famous founding fathers of the United States.