Harrisburg, PA – The Shapiro Administration announced today more than $1.5 million in grant funding to help Pennsylvania parents achieve their goal of attending college and earning a credential, a critical component of Governor Josh Shapiro’s plan to make higher education more accessible and affordable to Pennsylvanians. Parent Pathways grants, awarded through the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), support parenting students with tuition assistance, emergency funding, and wrap-around services.
Studies indicate that one in five undergraduate college students is balancing the responsibilities of raising children while pursuing a postsecondary education, and almost half of these students do not earn a degree.
“Ensuring that all students have the opportunity to complete their education, especially those balancing the responsibilities of parenthood while pursuing a postsecondary credential, is a priority for the Shapiro Administration. These Parent Pathways grants are designed to remove the financial and logistical barriers that often prevent parenting students from achieving their educational goals,” said Acting Secretary of Education Dr. Carrie Rowe. “By partnering with these institutions to support students with the resources they need, we are helping them build a better future for themselves and their families, while also strengthening Pennsylvania's workforce and economy.”
Making higher education affordable and accessible for all Pennsylvanians is a key priority of Governor Josh Shapiro’s bold vision for higher education—a plan that reinvests in publicly funded colleges and universities, improves coordination between institutions of higher education, makes college more affordable, helps close workforce shortage gaps by helping more Pennsylvanians earn college credentials, attracts more people to Pennsylvania and keeps them here, and serves as an economic driver for our Commonwealth for generations to come.
Last year, Governor Shapiro signed into law a budget that made the first significant progress on higher education in Pennsylvania in 30 years. In his 2025-26 budget proposal, Governor Josh Shapiro has continued his support for public higher education, calling for a $13 million increase for community colleges, a $40 million increase for PASSHE universities, and $60 million to be distributed via performance-based funding for Pitt, Penn State, and Temple.
The following institutions received Parent Pathways Grants:
Butler County
- Butler County Community College, $150,000
Delaware County
- Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, $150,000
- Neumann University, $139,956
Philadelphia
- Eastern University, $98,602
- Holy Family University, $150,000
- Saint Joseph's University, $150,000
Chester County
- Immaculata University, $142,340
Lackawanna County
- Lackawanna College, $98,602
Montgomery County
- Montgomery County Community College, $150,000
Westmoreland County
- Seton Hill University, $150,000
Lancaster County
- Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, $150,000
This is the Shapiro Administration’s second offering of Parent Pathways grants to Pennsylvania institutions of higher education. In May 2024, PDE announced $1.7 million in grant funding to 12 colleges and universities across the Commonwealth to help fund scholarships and programming for undergraduate students with children.