HARRISBURG, Pa. – Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) is launching a new pilot program with three college access organizations to help high school students in Philadelphia visit seven state-owned universities. The pilot will remove transportation and distance barriers that can limit a student’s ability to explore their college options.

This initiative, facilitated by the PASSHE Foundation with funding from Philadelphia area grant-makers, will provide seven one-day trips for students to visit and tour PASSHE campuses within a three-hour radius of the city. Without the pilot, some students may not have the transportation to visit the campuses on their own.

The students are participants in three college access organizations: Heights Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Education Fund and the Philadelphia College Prep Roundtable. The organizations will provide trip chaperones and advising support before and after the campus visits.

“Increasing post-secondary opportunity, affordability, and achievement is a strategic priority for PASSHE Foundation. We are excited to connect Philadelphia students and organizations with State System universities across the region,” said Shelley Scherer, president and CEO of the PASSHE Foundation.

“Thousands of Philadelphia students are enrolled at PASSHE universities, and they bring that education back to the city to live, work, and raise families. We hope to expand this experience in the future to reach even more students and help them take the first step toward a college degree.”

PASSHE Chancellor Christopher Fiorentino added, “Campus visits play a critical role in helping every student make informed decisions about their future. This partnership will help students learn about their college options and whether a campus is the right fit for them. Even if a student ultimately chooses to attend a different institution, the experience of visiting a college campus is an important and valuable part of their journey.”

The PASSHE universities participating in the first-year pilot are Cheyney University, Commonwealth University–Bloomsburg, East Stroudsburg University, Kutztown University, Millersville University, Shippensburg University and West Chester University.

“College tours, like the ones presented by the PASSHE Foundation, help our students to be college-ready by exposing them to the beautiful campuses and robust programming that our Pennsylvania state schools offer,” said Tony B. Watlington, Sr, Ed.D., superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia. “Taking students directly to campuses will make college tours more equitable and accessible for our scholars, enabling them to make informed choices about their next steps after graduation.”

PASSHE’s 10 universities are the top destination for Philadelphia students, collectively enrolling more of the city's students than any other four-year college or university in Pennsylvania.

“A good education gives people the knowledge and skills that can change the course of their lives," said Democratic Appropriations Chairman Vincent Hughes, whose father helped create the state-owned university system. "Our public universities provide a high-quality education and remain deeply committed to access and opportunity. I strongly encourage Philadelphia students to take advantage of these visits and discover the campus that is the right fit for them.”

“I applaud the efforts of PASSHE and these college access organizations for opening doors for Philadelphia students to visit our state universities,” said House Majority Appropriations Chairman Jordan Harris. "As a proud Millersville graduate, I know how a college education can change the course of a life. These visits let young people walk the campus, meet faculty and students, and start to see themselves there. For so many, that first glimpse of what’s possible is the first step toward making it real.”

“State universities are the affordable, low-cost option for higher education, and several campuses are within two hours of Philadelphia," said Sen. Art Haywood.

Each trip will include a full day of programming to give them a look at campus life, eat in the dining facilities, explore academic opportunities, and talk with current PASSHE university students from Philadelphia about their on-campus experience. The college access organizations will ensure that students receive the support they need to make the best college decision for themselves. With full funding, 945 students can participate. PASSHE Foundation is accepting contributions for these and future campus visits (Donate).

Each host university will share participating students’ information with other PASSHE university admissions offices, helping students maximize their opportunities across the State System.

As Pennsylvania’s public university system, PASSHE universities offer the most affordable four-year higher education in the state. The 10 universities collectively enroll the most students from Philadelphia of any four-year system.

About PASSHE
Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) is the public university system of the commonwealth with a mission to provide a high-quality education at the lowest possible cost to students. The State System annually confers more than 20,000 degrees and has more than 800,000 living alumni, most of whom live in Pennsylvania. The State System universities are Cheyney, Commonwealth (Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield), East Stroudsburg, Indiana, Kutztown, Millersville, PennWest (California, Clarion and Edinboro), Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester universities of Pennsylvania.

About PASSHE Foundation
PASSHE Foundation partners with the State System to equip its leadership and learners with resources to proactively innovate and opportunistically respond to Pennsylvania’s ever-evolving education, talent and economic development landscape through two focus areas: facilitating innovation in Pennsylvania’s talent strategy – serving as a high-impact intermediary to strengthen connections between employers and universities to deliver the workforce talent Pennsylvania’s economy needs to grow and thrive, and increasing post-secondary opportunity, affordability, and achievement – building to expose learners of all ages to post-secondary opportunities that lead to economic mobility and securing scholarship to increase affordability.