Facilities at the Grad Center

At 3615 Locust Walk, the Graduate Student Center is the centrally-located home for graduate and professional students offering a comfortable lounge, study areas, computer lab, coffee service, and meeting/event space. Students are welcome every day to relax, work, meet, and enjoy the Center.

Reserving Space at the Grad Center
The Grad Center can be reserved only by Penn graduate students and University offices organizing activities for graduate students. The Grad Center space is not available to others.

The Grad Center has several spaces you can reserve for your meetings and events:

• The Common Room Lounge, in the front half of the first floor, offers comfortable couches, chairs, and French doors overlooking Locust Walk. The Common Room lounge can accommodate about 60. First floor space is only available on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays after 6:00 p.m.
• The Common Room Meeting/Lecture Area, in the back half of the first floor, offers flexible seating around tables or theater style. The area also has a large screen with AV capabilities such as Power Point presentations and Web demonstrations, as well as DVD, VHS, and CD players. The meeting/lecture area can accommodate 32 around tables. First floor space is only available on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays after 6:00 p.m.
• The Conference Room on the second floor is a quiet meeting space that can hold up to 20.
• Room 302 on the third floor is a small, comfortable lounge that can hold 5-7.
• Room 303 and Room 304 on the third floor are meeting/study spaces that can accommodate 4-8.
• Room 305 on the third floor is a large flexible meeting/event space that can accommodate 24 around tables and up to 40 theater style. Room 305 also has a projection screen, laptop, and LCD projector for Power Point presentations, Web demonstrations, and DVD screenings.
• The Terrace can be reserved for outdoor meetings and events, and accommodates up to 30.

Rental Costs
These spaces are available free of charge during the Center’s normal business hours to graduate student groups (or student groups that are primarily comprised of graduate students), and to University offices for programs aimed at a graduate student audience. Events that extend beyond the Center’s normal business hours will incur a rental fee of $40/hour.

Service Fees
Use of the Center's AV equipment is $10/hour. In addition, events with food that occur on Friday evenings, Saturdays, or Sundays will incur a housekeeping fee of $120.

Security Deposit/Cancellation Fee
A $50 cancellation fee/security deposit is required for all reservations in the Common Room and/or Room 305. The deposit can be provided through a budget code, check or money order. Please make checks payable to “Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania.” Budgets will not be charged and checks will be returned for events cancelled more than 24 hours in advance and/or for events that incur no damage to the Center. However, the deposit will be forfeited if the event is cancelled with less than 24 hours notice or if damage to Center property occurs during the event.

To request space at the Grad Center, please fill out our space request form and reservation contract. You will be notified about space availability within 3 business days. We absolutely cannot turn around reservation requests in the same day.