The plan for Pennsylvania to reset higher-education affordability started with Keystone Research Center and Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center’s report, “The Pennsylvania Promise: Making College Affordable and Securing Pennsylvania’s Economic Future.” Click here to read the full report. It advocates for more affordable access to post-secondary education in Pennsylvania, which has suffered decades of disinvestment. As a result, students are picking up more and more of the tab, leaving school with thousands of dollars in debt — if they can afford to attend college at all.

In June 2018, legislators introduced Pennsylvania Promise bills: Sen. Vincent J. Hughes was the primary sponsor of Senate Bill 1111, and Rep. James Roebuck was the primary sponsor of House Bill 2444.

For the 2019–20 session, lawmakers reintroduced legislation as Senate Bill 111 and House Bill 244.

For 2023–24 session, lawmakers reintroduced legislation as Senate Bill 315 and House Bill 1886. The House Education Committee on Dec. 12, 2024, voted 14-11 in favor of the bill.

At a press conference on May 5, 2025, at the Pennsylvania Capitol, supporters discussed the Pennsylvania Promise plan to make college more affordable in the Commonwealth, as bills would be reintroduced. Click here for the Pennsylvania Senate memo, and click here for the Pennsylvania House memo.

Leaders discussed polling about the Pennsylvania Promise at an event June 25, 2025, at the Pennsylvania Capitol. Click here to view poll results from GBAO. Click here to view highlights from the polling.

For the 2025–26 session, lawmakers reintroduced legislation as Senate Bill 299 and House Bill 2084 in December 2025. Click here to read the Senate bill. Click here to read the House bill.

In early February 2026, groups representing thousands of faculty, coaches, and staff at public universities across the Commonwealth sent a letter to the Pennsylvania House Education Committee urging support of House Bill 2084. Click here to read the letter. On Feb. 4, 2026, HB 2084 passed out of the House Education Committee by a party-line vote of 14-12. Click here to watch the committee meeting.

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Click here to download a PDF that outlines the latest incarnation of the program. (Updated Feb. 11, 2026)