The Pennsylvania College of Technology will receive a boost in its state appropriation following the legislature’s passage of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2024-25 budget.

In June, the Penn College’s Board of Directors had approved the college’s budget with a projected 5% increase in appropriation funding. Included in the state’s budget is a 13% increase, more than double what was expected. The state appropriation for the college will now be $33,971,000.

“We are delighted to see enhanced funding from the Legislature and Gov. Shapiro that validates our unique applied technology approach, which produces graduates who are always in great demand by the Commonwealth’s employers,” said President Michael J. Reed.

For the second year in a row, the college’s budget did not include an increase in tuition.

“This additional funding will enable us to increase access to higher education — and mitigate associated costs — for many Pennsylvanians seeking family sustaining jobs in high-demand occupations. As evidenced by our 97.7% graduate placement rate and our exceptional return on investment — which continues to be at or near the top among public institutions statewide for the 10- and 15-year periods after graduation — a Penn College degree can be a passport to prosperity,” Reed said.

According to a news release from the college, Reed also noted that the college’s offerings — whether degree-seeking academic programs or incumbent-worker trainings and apprenticeships/pre-apprenticeships offered through its Workforce Development division — align directly with the five key industry sectors spotlighted in Gov. Shapiro’s A Ten-Year Strategic Plan for Economic Development in Pennsylvania: agriculture, energy, life sciences, manufacturing, and robotics & technology.

Patrick Marty, the college’s chief government and international relations officer, also praised the elected officials’ recognition that the college’s time-tested educational model — which emphasizes hands-on learning in industry-standard labs, offering students real-world workforce experiences — entails additional costs.

“We appreciate the realization by legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle, and by Gov. Shapiro’s administration, that applied technology education is an expensive endeavor,” Marty said. “We have seen other schools in this space forced to close their doors this year. Even with this increase in appropriation, we remain reliant upon industry for facilities and equipment, consumables and scholarship support.”

Marty noted that the college’s uncommon mission also earned it specific inclusion in several other budget-related policy initiatives, including the state’s Dual Credit Innovation Grant Program and the Grow Pennsylvania Scholarship Grant Program.

Both are also expected to be signed into law by the governor.

The former would award grants to public institutions offering tuition-free dual-credit opportunities to high school students enrolled in a school entity, which includes school districts, area career and technical schools and charter schools.

The latter would offer grants of up to $5,000 per year for in-state students who attend college in Pennsylvania, pursue a degree in a high-demand industry, and agree to live and work in that industry in Pennsylvania after graduation, the release stated.