Together, we can help prepare students for successful lives and careers.
As a school counselor, you play a vital role in providing information to your students throughout the college search process. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for you to share the opportunities that exist at our universities with our next generation of leaders.
About the State System
Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) was established on July 1, 1983. However, the universities that comprise the State System have a much longer history. The mission of the System is as relevant today as it was at its founding: to provide high-quality education at the lowest possible cost to students; to increase educational attainment in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; to prepare students at the undergraduate and graduate levels for professional and personal success in their lives; and to contribute to the economic, social, and cultural development of Pennsylvania's communities, the commonwealth, and the nation.
The universities combine to enroll the largest number of Pennsylvania residents among all four-year colleges and universities in the commonwealth. With 85,000 degree-seeking students and thousands more enrolled in certificate and other career-development programs, the State System is vital to Pennsylvania's economy. State System universities collectively offer more than 2,300 degree and certificate programs in more than 530 academic areas. The universities have nearly 800,000 living alumni, most of whom reside in Pennsylvania.
The State System is currently redesigning itself to ensure the long-term sustainability of all universities so that each may
continue to serve students, its region, and the commonwealth for decades to come.
Our Universities
Established as “normal schools" more than a century ago, devoted to the training of teachers, the State System and its universities have evolved to meet changing needs and serve our commonwealth in a much broader way than initially designed. Still, through its transformational journey, helping students achieve their educational goals and dreams has been at the core of each university's purpose and mission.
Known as the most affordable higher education option in Pennsylvania, the State System
and its universities are committed to increasing opportunities and cultivating diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments that enable all members of the State System community to thrive. Each historic campus
provides students with unique, high-quality educational experiences, regardless of
zip code or family background, and the opportunity to achieve success and upward mobility.
The Power and Promise of PASSHE
As Pennsylvania’s most affordable four-year public higher education option, PASSHE has the power to provide students with affordable education and training opportunities beyond high school, setting students on the path to achieving the career—and life—they want in Pennsylvania.
PASSHE students come from all walks of life, experiences, and income levels from every corner of the state. Many are the first in their family to go to college, working while learning, or raising children. Their education and distinct campus and residential experiences at a PASSHE university propel them into good sustaining jobs that create economic security for themselves and their families and provide a tremendous return on investment.
From driving social mobility to serving as engines of workforce development, the power and promise of PASSHE shows daily in what our universities do for their students, their communities, and the commonwealth. PASSHE prepares generation after generation of students for success.