The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency has announced that the student application for the 2025-26 Grow Pennsylvania Scholarship Grant Program, more commonly known as the Grow PA Grant, is available at pheaa.org/growpa.

The Grow PA Grant Program was authorized under Act 89 of 2024 to help reverse the trend of young Pennsylvanians seeking education and job opportunities in other states.

The program offers grants of up to $5,000 per year for in-state students who attend college in Pennsylvania, pursue a degree in an in-demand occupation and agree to work in that occupation in Pennsylvania after graduation.

Grant recipients will be required to work in Pennsylvania for 12 months for each year they receive the grant; failure to meet this requirement will result in the grant converting to a loan that must be repaid.

“The Grow PA Grant Program was created to stem the tide of students leaving Pennsylvania, taking their talents and skills with them,” said Sen. Wayne D. Fontana, PHEAA Board Chairman.

“There are in-demand occupations within the Commonwealth that are needed to ensure our future success. It is our hope that the Grow PA Grant will entice students to continue their education in-state and then put their education to good use in-state.”

“When we created Grow PA last year, we set out with one goal in mind: helping connect Pennsylvanians to good careers that are in demand throughout the state,” said Sen. Scott Martin, who authored the law creating the program.

“Through this program, we will encourage more young people to come here, stay here, get jobs here, plant their roots, and build their lives here. It’s a critical step to help Pennsylvania deal with the economic and demographic challenges we face in the years ahead.”

PHEAA will administer the program for the Commonwealth, working with the PA Department of Labor & Industry, the Independent Fiscal Office, and other stakeholders. A list of eligible programs of study or majors can be found at pheaa.org/growpa.

“PHEAA is proud to administer this program for the Commonwealth,” said James Steeley, PHEAA President and CEO. “We worked diligently with L&I to identify the occupations most needed in Pennsylvania. There are many programs of study that map to Pennsylvania’s in-demand occupations. I’m confident that the Grow PA Grant will be highly beneficial to both students and the Commonwealth.”

While the Grow PA Grant Program benefits Pennsylvania students, PHEAA joins Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education in administering the Grow PA Tuition Waiver Program which allows eligible non-resident PASSHE students pursuing in-demand occupations to pay tuition at an in-state rate rather than an out-of-state rate.

“This is an opportunity to attract out-of-state students to PASSHE universities and prepare them for in-demand jobs in Pennsylvania,” said Chancellor Christopher Fiorentino. “PASSHE has kept in-state tuition the same for 7 years, providing tremendous value to students, and both programs are tools to bring ambitious and talented people to our universities for the benefit of our Commonwealth.”

A Grow PA Tuition Waiver Program recipient is required to work in Pennsylvania for 12 months of each academic year for which the student received a tuition waiver; failure to meet this requirement will result in the tuition waiver converting to a loan that must be repaid.