Pa. Budget Includes Appropriation Increase for Penn State

Gov. Tom Wolf approved a $34-billion state budget on Friday that includes a 2%, or $4.75 million, increase in Penn State’s general support appropriation.

The appropriation package, which amounts to $337.2 million in total, also includes an increase of 2% for Penn State agricultural research, from $53.9 million last year to $54.96 million, and a 17.6% in funding increase for the Pennsylvania College of Technology, from $22.7 million to $26.74 million. The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center was granted level funding of $13.4 million.

General support appropriations increased from about $237.3 million to $242.1 million.

The total appropriation for all aspects of the university represents a net increase of nearly $10 million from 2018-19.

Wolf originally planned to sign the budget Thursday evening after it was approved by the State Senate. A last-minute disagreement in the General Assembly forced Wolf to push the signing to Friday.

“With four of the past five budgets including increases to Penn State’s funding, we are thankful that leadership in Harrisburg, particularly Sen. [Jake] Corman, Rep. [Kerry] Benninghoff and Gov. Wolf, has shown support for Penn State and public higher education,” Penn State President Eric Barron said in a release.

The Board of Trustees will set the university’s 2019-2020 operating budget and tuition rates at its July 18 meeting now that the appropriation totals are confirmed. The 2018-19 budget was $6.5 billion and included no tuition increase for Pennsylvania resident undergraduates.