The Grow PA Scholarship Grant Program in its first year had more than 11,000 applications as of Nov. 6, while another 2,300 applications were approved through early December, according to a Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) report.
More than 4,000 applicants have received grants with the average award being per $4,650 student.
The Grow PA program was created under Act 89 of 2024 to help reverse the trend of young Pennsylvanians seeking education and job opportunities in other states. It offers grants of up to $5,000 per year for Pennsylvania students who agree to attend college in-state, pursue an in-demand occupation and work in that occupation in-state after graduation.
“Because of Grow PA, we’re now going to have thousands of young people graduating with less debt and ready to take on family-sustaining, high-demand jobs right here in Pennsylvania,” said state Sen. Scott Martin (R-Lancaster), Senate Appropriations Committee chairman. “Getting a commitment from these young people to live and work in the careers our community needs most gives them a chance to buy a home here, get married here and plant their roots here so we stop the flow of talented young people leaving PA for opportunities in other states.”
The top programs of study in the first year of Grow PA included registered nursing, early childhood education, business administration and management, biological sciences and accounting. In addition, programs involving computer science, engineering, trades, agriculture and criminal justice combined to make up hundreds of additional grant award recipients.
The application period for Grow PA Scholarship Grant program is expected to open in early February, Sen. Martin’s office said. The recently approved 2025-26 state budget included an additional $7.5 million for Grow PA, which should allow for grant funding for approximately 1,500 additional students in the 2026-27 academic year.