Pennsylvania lawmakers approved funding to support Pitt’s in-state tuition discount

Yesterday, the Pennsylvania General Assembly approved funding for state-related universities that will help fund the University of Pittsburgh’s in-state tuition rate for Pennsylvania students. Pitt is slated to receive nearly $152 million in funding for the 2023-24 academic year.

For nearly 60 years, state lawmakers have passed the University of Pittsburgh’s annual appropriation bill, which helps provide a tuition discount for Pennsylvania’s students and families. This is significant — saving each in-state student more than $16,000 per year or approximately $64,000 in tuition costs over a four-year undergraduate career. Without the state’s support, the in-state tuition rate wouldn’t be possible.

“This is welcome news for Pitt’s in-state students and their families as the University uses 100% of its appropriation to provide tuition discounts to Pennsylvania students, which now number about 16,000 across our five campuses,” said Hari Sastry, senior vice chancellor and chief financial officer. 

Pitt’s allocation will remain at last year’s levels. The legislature’s actions ended the impasse that prevented the state funding from being released for the fiscal year that began on July 1. The bill will now head to Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is expected to sign the bill into law soon.

David Brown, vice chancellor for government relations and advocacy, said the University will continue advocating for Pitt students and families. “We’re grateful for the legislature’s continued support and partnership. We heard the General Assembly’s call for increased transparency and joined our fellow state-related universities in supporting legislation that will expand Pitt’s obligations under the state’s Right-to-Know laws,” he said. “The funding we receive from the commonwealth is essential to keeping a world-class Pitt education affordable for Pennsylvania students, and we look forward to continuing to work with the legislature to expand the benefits of our partnership.”

He added that students, faculty and staff are encouraged to sign up to be a Pitt Advocate to receive updates and learn about future opportunities to engage with lawmakers regarding the value of a Pitt education.

Photography by Aimee Obidzinski