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Get the most interesting and important stories from the University of Pittsburgh.Since learning that the annual appropriation that helps to fund a tuition discount for Pennsylvania students at Pitt is in jeopardy this year, thousands of University of Pittsburgh students and families have joined Pitt Advocates and contacted their lawmakers to urge them to vote yes on Pitt’s appropriation bill.
More than 100 members of the Pitt community took a cross-commonwealth trip to share the message in person at Pitt Day in Harrisburg. The Student Government Board even passed a resolution in support of Pitt’s appropriation (PDF).
And now, in an unusual bipartisan move, the University’s College Democrats and College Republicans have joined forces to ask legislators on both sides of the aisle to support Pennsylvania students and families by passing Pitt’s funding bill, which goes directly to supporting an average discount of $15,000 for Pennsylvania residents annually.
Their joint statement, published on Instagram, reads:
“As students with varied backgrounds and political beliefs, we the members of the Pitt College Democrats and Pitt College Republicans stand together in support of the passage of Pitt’s annual appropriation. This state appropriation funds the in-state tuition discount directly assisting approximately 17,000 Pennsylvania students, saving them approximately $15,000 a year.
Pitt’s economic impact totals $4.2 billion annually and Pitt generates $20 in Pennsylvania for every $1 invested. Additionally, Pitt returns $184 million in tax revenue to state and local governments. 65% of graduates from the University of Pittsburgh stay in Pennsylvania and join the PA workforce. They join a powerful alumni network that bolsters Pennsylvania’s economy. This network of nearly 300,000 residents is expected to generate more than $560 billion for the state over the course of their careers. Pitt graduates help grow the commonwealth’s economy.
The elimination of this funding will have a negative impact on the commonwealth as well as Pennsylvania students, irrespective of their backgrounds, political beliefs or other affiliations. Without this in-state tuition discount, PA students will be dissuaded from staying in PA and seek higher education elsewhere — taking their future impact along with them. As constituents, activists and young voters, Pitt College Democrats and Pitt College Republicans strongly express our support for the passage of this appropriation.
Additionally, we would like to express our utmost gratitude to those representatives who have pledged support for this appropriation, supporting Pennsylvania’s institutions of higher learning and Pennsylvania students. We implore others to join them to ensure this critical appropriation passes.”
A history of Pennsylvania investing in Pennsylvanians
Every year for nearly six decades, Pennsylvania has funded a tuition discount for in-state students attending the University of Pittsburgh. This funding packs powerful benefits, reducing tuition costs by more than $15,000 annually for in-state students and making a world-class education more affordable and accessible for families throughout the state. Learn more about the commonwealth’s long-standing commitment to Pennsylvanians.