The coat of arms of the University of Pennsylvania is the
assumed heraldic achievement of the
University of Pennsylvania. The achievement in its current iteration was approved in 1932 and adopted in 1933. The blazon of the achievement is
Symbolism
The arms memorialize both
Benjamin Franklin and the
Penn family
William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy an ...
, who were both instrumental in the foundation of the university. They include the three plates of the Penn family arms and the dolphin of the Franklin shield.
References
{{Penn
Pennsylvania University of