Swim Lessons FAQs

Swimming Lessons FAQs

General

We have an Aquatics listserv through which we send out urgent pool announcements and monthly newsletters. To add your email to the listserv, please fill out this brief form.
To purchase private swim lessons or enroll in group swim lessons, you will need to have an active PennCard status. Any active student, faculty member, or staff member with a non-expired PennCard can log into our member portal with their PennKey and password and purchase lessons. Alumni may purchase lessons, but if an alumna's PennCard status is expired, then they must obtain an alumni PennCard from the PennCard Center, located in the Penn Bookstore, before purchasing lessons.
Yes, anyone with an active PennCard status can purchase lessons, so if you have active PennCard status, then you can place the purchase for them. Once you receive the questionnaire, you can provide the participant's details.
Lessons are expected to take place at the start and end times agreed to in advance by both the participant and instructor. Our instructors typically schedule lessons back to back, so they are often unable to continue teaching after your lesson is scheduled to end. Showing up late will be considered forfeiture of the time between the lesson's scheduled start time and your arrival.
Loose or oversized clothing is not allowed in the pool because of the increased risk of drowning. Clean and appropriate swimwear should be worn.
Goggles are not required, but highly recommended
All private and group swim lesson participants (and minors' parents/guardians) are added to our access list when they purchase lessons and are removed when the lesson package is completed.
No, non-members of the gym who enroll in swim lessons may only access the building to participate in lessons.
No, towel service is no longer offered.
The pool temperature is generally maintained around 79-81 degrees. If you are bringing small children or infants, please be prepared to take a break if needed.

Private Swim Lessons

Within 2 business days, you will receive an email from upennaquatics@gmail.com asking you to fill out our swim lessons questionnaire. Once the questionnaire is completed for all participants, the swim instructor matching process will start. As soon as a match is found, you will receive another email connecting you with your instructor. From there, you can begin scheduling lessons.
Our swim lessons questionnaire is emailed out manually by the Head Swim Instructor, so there will be a delay between your purchase and receipt of the questionnaire. If you do not receive the questionnaire within 2 business days, then please reach out to Rachel Shogrun, Head Swim Instructor, at upennaquatics@gmail.com.
If we are unable to find a match, we will issue a full refund.
Cancelling a private lesson within 24 hours of the lesson start time will be considered forfeiture of the lesson.
One package must be purchased for each participant in swim lessons. For example, a group of three participants will need to purchase three packages of semiprivate lessons.
Unless requested not to, we will communicate all subsequent swim lesson purchases to your assigned instructor so that you can resume lessons with them.
The remaining lessons in a package expire 90 days after the date of the first lesson
Unredeemed lessons expire 90 days after the first lesson. Refund requests will not be accepted after package expiration.
You may request a refund if you do not receive an instructor match within 2 weeks of submitting the swim lessons questionnaire.
Refund requests will be accepted only due to the following reasons: relocations outside of Philadelphia county and the bordering counties of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, personal health reasons, family health reasons, or termination of employment or change in academic status with the University of Pennsylvania
To request a swim instructor rematch, please fill out this form. Once completed, you can expect to receive an instructor rematch within 2 weeks.

Group Swim Lessons

If a class does not reach the minimum number of participants, any enrolled participants will be given the option to try an adjacent level, transfer to private lessons, or receive a full refund.
Adults who accompany children for lessons MUST stay in the pool area for the duration of the lesson for bathroom breaks, changing needs and general supervision.
If for any reason we must cancel a class date, we will attempt to schedule a make-up lesson. If we are unable to reschedule, we will issue a refund proportional to the amount of missed instruction. For example, if we must cancel one class and there are six classes in the session, we will issue a refund for 1/6 of the registration fee.
Refund requests will be accepted only due to medical reasons. Refunds will be issued proportional to the amount of missed instruction. Refund requests will not be accepted after the session has ended.
We do not offer make-ups for group swim lessons when participants are unable to attend since lessons occur on a set schedule. If you cannot attend all session dates, we recommend considering private swim lessons as an alternative.