Students Take Advantage of Grow PA Scholarship Grant Program

The Grow PA Scholarship Grant Program provides eligible Pennsylvania students with up to $5,000 per year for a maximum of four academic years while they pursue approved programs that lead to in-demand occupations. The program, which has received more than 13,000 applications for the 2026-2027 year, recently received a $10 million increase in funding through Pennsylvania's budget.

Established by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 2024, Grow PA was created to help build the workforce in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistant Agency reported that more than 11,000 applications from 162 schools were received for the 2025-26 program year, and nearly 5,700 recipients were awarded the grant from 131 participating schools.

"Grow PA takes a student-first approach to meeting the future needs of Pennsylvania's workforce and sets us on a path to finally reverse the commonwealth's decades of economic and demographic decline," said Sen. Scott Martin, a 2002 Millersville University graduate who authored the law creating the Grow PA Scholarship Grant Program in 2024. "This program tells students that we're willing to invest in their future if they're willing to stay here and work here after graduation in the occupations our communities need most. I am grateful to PHEAA for their hard work in administering this program and helping create a future for thousands of young people that involves more career opportunities and less student debt."

At Millersville, 175 students received the award for the 2025-26 academic year, according to Emiyaril Alvarez, director of financial aid.

"This is the first year the Grow PA Scholarship Grant Program has been offered," she says. "Early Childhood Education (PreK-Grade 4) is currently the most popular program at Millersville University based on student enrollment for the 2025-26 academic year. Additional majors with strong enrollment include mathematics, biology and computer science."

According to PHEAA, there are more than 460 eligible programs of study or majors that lead to in-demand occupations in a variety of fields, such as agriculture, business, education, computer science, STEM, nursing, allied health and criminal justice.

"Our current strategic plan, Beyond Boundaries, begins with a charge to prioritize academic programming to meet regional workforce needs," says President Daniel A. Wubah. "Grow PA now incentivizes students to choose those programs and ensures they remain in Pennsylvania where their talents contribute to the health of our economy."

Recipients of the Grow PA Scholarship Grant are required to meet post-graduation work and residency requirements in Pennsylvania related to their field of study. They must commit to live and work in Pennsylvania, within an in-demand occupation, for a number of years equal to the number of years in which they received the grant. (If the degree or work requirement is not met, students may be required to repay the Grow PA Grant.)

"I first learned about the Grow PA grant through PHEAA's website, where I was applying for the PA State Grant and associated grants," says Molly Hibsham, an early childhood major at Millersville. "I also received information from the Office of Financial Aid about various grants and scholarships pertaining to teaching.

"Being granted $5,000 per year toward my MU bill has been a huge support in my fiscal planning and financial stability. I also appreciate the sentiment of the grant itself - acknowledging the value and importance of teaching and other careers considered in the grant while supporting jobs in Pennsylvania."

Applications for the 2026-27 Grow PA Scholarship are now open, and PHEAA will accept them through Jan. 7, 2027. Awards are made on a first-come, first-served basis and are determined based on the date the application is received.

Additional eligibility information and application details are available on the PHEAA website.