Why Study in Pennsylvania?

Aside from the diversity, culture and rich history you can enjoy in the Keystone State, alumni of Pennsylvania's colleges and universities have helped shape history and change the world.

Groundbreaking environmentalist Rachel Carson, author Noam Chomsky, business magnates including Donald Trump and Warren Buffet, two United States presidents and a host of Nobel Prize winners all benefited from educations received in Pennsylvania.

We encourage you to follow in the footsteps of some of the world's great minds by choosing to attend a Pennsylvania college or university. As you well know, a quality education is the key to increased lifetime earning potential, career opportunities and an improved quality of life for you and those closest to you. Your decision to continue your education will open up a world of opportunities for you.

Pennsylvania is home to world-renowned Ivy League institutions, a robust state university system, and a growing community college sector. This rich mix of public and private institutions provides an extensive array of degree, certificate and diploma options for students wishing to continue their studies on a full or part-time basis. Pennsylvania boasts:

14	State Universities
4	State-Related Universities
8	Private State-Aided Institutions
14	Community Colleges
86	Private Colleges and Universities
15	Theological Seminaries
8	Private Two-Year Colleges
1	College of Technology

Colleges and universities within Pennsylvania provide a wide array of choices and career paths, with options including two-year specialized technical and two-year colleges, community colleges, state universities, and private colleges and universities.

The array of postsecondary options in Pennsylvania enables the commonwealth to take a progressive approach to integrating higher education and workforce development.

An important part of Pennsylvania's plan to adapt to the changing global economy, and keep the commonwealth strong for years to come, focuses on creating opportunities for students.

We identified a number of High Priority Occupations in industries that rely on high-skill, high-paying jobs that employers need to fill with well-trained, well-educated people. To help employers find the people they need, Pennsylvania is building bridges between businesses and schools that help make connections between graduates and great careers.

To build these bridges, Pennsylvania is investing in its most valuable resource: you. These investments are widespread: We have created student loan forgiveness initiatives for new nurses who agree to work in Pennsylvania for a while after they graduate. We are helping nursing schools hire faculty so they can expand their programs and accept more students. State grants are providing career and technical schools with the funds they need to purchase state-of-the-art equipment so students can learn real-world, relevant skills in the classroom. Scholarships have been created for students preparing for careers in polymer technologies – plastics.

Through Governor Rendell's leadership, the commonwealth is making unprecedented investments in alternative energy, ranging from research and development in ethanol and clean coal and large-scale use of solar and wind power. Attending Pennsylvania's institutions of higher education means you will have the opportunity to work with some of the world's best researchers and most entrepreneurial business people.

Jobs await graduates from Pennsylvania institutions whether your interest is in nursing, engineering, science, robotics, or business and finance. Pittsburgh is one of three hubs for advanced robotics technology, while Philadelphia boasts one of the most robust biopharma industries in the nation. Innovative work in Erie on diesel technology will soon make this region attractive for scientists and business majors. Right now, automotive engineers in Erie earn an average starting salary of $43,410.

In addition to strategies developed to educate and connect college graduates with four-year degrees, Pennsylvania is working closely with community colleges and employers to implement specialized training courses for in-demand careers. Since 2003, we have increased funding to the commonwealth's 14 community colleges by more than $70 million, and are now investing $236 million a year in a growing and improving network of community colleges that are providing graduates with the skills they need to succeed in an increasing number of challenging, rewarding and high-priority occupations.

These are just a few of the ways that our state is working with schools, students and employers to generate opportunity and help create a bright future for graduates, employers and Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania colleges and universities serve approximately 590,000 students. In addition, more than 57,000 students are enrolled in private licensed schools.

More importantly, Pennsylvania's college and universities continually attract the best and brightest students from across the country and around the world. Our college and university staff and world-renowned faculty are happy to help you prepare for and succeed in college.

At no time in our nation's history has education been more important to a person's success than right now, and Pennsylvania is working hard to ensure that students are prepared for the workplace. Whether you choose a career in the boardroom, the classroom, emergency room or the production room, Pennsylvania is working on ways to help you get there, and be ready for what you will face from the moment you walk in the door.

Editorial content provided by: Secretary of Education Gerald L. Zahorchak and Acting Secretary of Labor and Industry Sandi Vito, Pennsylvania Department of Education.