In-state Pitt students to receive additional tuition relief

Gov.+Tom+Wolf+delivers+his+budget+address+for+the+2022-23+fiscal+year+to+a+joint+session+of+the+Pennsylvania+House+and+Senate+in+Harrisburg+in+February.+%0A

AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Gov. Tom Wolf delivers his budget address for the 2022-23 fiscal year to a joint session of the Pennsylvania House and Senate in Harrisburg in February.

By Punya Bhasin, News Editor

In-state Pitt students will likely receive $350 grants from COVID-19 relief money granted by Gov. Tom Wolf’s office, the University announced Wednesday.

Pitt will give the entirety of the $7.5 million it received in relief money to about 20,000 in-state undergraduate and graduate students across its five campuses. The University estimates that the grants will be about $350, dependent on final enrollment numbers, which are determined following the end of the add/drop period on Sept. 9. 

Pitt said eligible students will receive an email in late September notifying them when the grant has been posted to their PittPay account.

Wolf granted a total of $40 million in relief money to Pennsylvania’s four state-related universities — Pitt, Penn State, Temple and Lincoln University — after funding for these schools remained stagnant in the 2022-23 state budget. Republican legislators threatened to block Pitt’s funding unless they stopped conducting fetal tissue research during the budget cycle.

“We remain grateful for the support of the legislature and Governor Wolf for preserving both the University’s longstanding partnership with the commonwealth and the in-state tuition rate that our partnership supports. This is a powerful benefit — and a lifechanging one — for Pitt students and families throughout Pennsylvania,” said David Brown, the vice chancellor of government relations and advocacy.

Pitt increased tuition by 3.5% for in-state students and 5.5% for out-of-state students. Housing costs increased by 4.6% to 4.9%, and dining costs increased at an average rate of 4%.