2026-27 Grow PA healthcare workforce funding
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) is accepting 2026-27 Grow PA Grant applications from Pennsylvania residents pursuing approved associate or bachelor’s degree programs that lead directly to in-demand occupations. Healthcare-relevant qualifying fields include nursing and allied health, alongside other approved programs.
The published application deadline is January 7, 2027, but PHEAA warns that available funds are expected to be exhausted before the deadline. Complete eligible applications are considered on a first-come, first-served basis, with qualifying renewal applicants receiving priority.
Funding
- Up to $5,000 per academic year for a full-time student.
- Up to $2,500 per academic year for a student enrolled at least half-time.
- A student may receive Grow PA funding for up to four academic years, subject to annual application and available funding.
The award may be adjusted if federal and state grants already exceed the student’s educational costs.
Who can apply
To be considered, a student must meet PHEAA’s current requirements, including:
- Be a current Pennsylvania resident.
- File the FAFSA.
- Have not already earned a bachelor’s degree.
- Be enrolled at least half-time in an eligible associate or bachelor’s degree program at a participating Pennsylvania institution.
- Be pursuing a program that maps to a PHEAA-approved in-demand occupation.
- Meet satisfactory academic progress requirements for Title IV financial aid.
- Sign the required Master Promissory Note acknowledging the post-graduation work and residency obligation and potential repayment if the obligation is not met.
Healthcare workforce relevance
Grow PA is particularly relevant to Pennsylvania nursing and allied-health workforce pipelines because PHEAA explicitly identifies those fields among the qualifying program areas. Hospitals, health systems, nursing schools, colleges, universities, clinical training partners and workforce organizations cannot apply in place of the student, but they can use the program as a recruitment and retention resource for eligible Pennsylvania students.
Recipients must live and work in Pennsylvania in an approved in-demand occupation for a period equal to the number of academic years in which they received the grant, up to four years. Failure to complete the qualifying degree or work obligation can convert the grant to a repayable obligation under the program’s Master Promissory Note terms.
Application strategy
Because PHEAA expects funds to be exhausted before January 7, applicants should not treat the published deadline as a reason to wait. Confirm that the institution participates, verify the program’s approved CIP code, complete the 2026-27 Grow PA application and required Master Promissory Note, and upload the completed materials through PHEAA Account Access as soon as possible.
Atlas assessment
Atlas Opportunity Score: 90/100. This is a strong Pennsylvania healthcare-workforce pipeline resource because it directly reduces education costs for students entering nursing and allied-health occupations and ties the award to in-state employment. It is individual student aid rather than institutional program funding, so hospitals and schools should treat it as a workforce recruitment tool rather than an organizational grant.
N9+ Direct Vendor Fit: 0/100. Grow PA pays student educational assistance and does not create a defensible technology or equipment purchasing pathway.
Official source: Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency — Grow PA Scholarship Grant Program.