Grow PA Scholarship Grant Program Requirements Checklist

The Grow PA Scholarship Grant Program is a Pennsylvania state grant of up to $5,000 per year for residents enrolled in eligible in-demand degree programs at approved Pennsylvania colleges. It is administered by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), authorized under Act 89 of 2024, and it comes with a post-graduation commitment: live and work in Pennsylvania in an in-demand occupation for as many years as you received the grant. If you do not follow through, the grant converts to a loan you have to repay. This guide walks you through every requirement, the exact application steps, and what happens after you are approved.

What the Grow PA Scholarship Grant Program actually is

The program was created by Act 89 of 2024 (an amendment to Pennsylvania's Public School Code of 1949) with one explicit goal: keep educated Pennsylvanians in Pennsylvania. The state is willing to help fund your degree, but in exchange it wants you to stay and work in the Commonwealth after you graduate. Think of it less like a traditional scholarship and more like a forgivable loan that gets forgiven year by year as you fulfill your work commitment.

The program launched for the 2025-26 academic year and is continuing into 2026-27. PHEAA runs the whole operation, from accepting applications to verifying compliance after graduation. Individual colleges (Alvernia University, Pennsylvania College of Technology, West Chester University, and many others) promote it and direct students to PHEAA's portal, but the award itself comes from PHEAA, not the school.

One important clarification: if you landed on this page while searching for a cannabis cultivation training grant or a grow-licensing assistance program in Pennsylvania, this is a separate program. The Grow PA Scholarship Grant is a higher education workforce grant, not a cannabis industry grant. Pennsylvania's cannabis licensing and cultivation compliance landscape does have its own set of training and credentialing programs, and if that is what you are after, you will want to verify which program you are actually looking at before you invest time in an application.

Who qualifies: eligibility requirements

PHEAA has published a clear eligibility checklist. To make sure you meet the pa grow grant requirements, review the eligibility checklist and confirm your program is on PHEAA's approved list before applying. You need to meet every item on this list, not just most of them. Missing even one disqualifies your application.

• Pennsylvania resident: You must be a Pennsylvania resident. The application will ask for your Pennsylvania residency start month and year, so have that information ready.
• FAFSA filed: You must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the award year you are applying for.
• No prior bachelor's degree: If you have already earned a bachelor's degree, you are not eligible.
• Half-time enrollment minimum: You must be enrolled at least half-time at an approved Pennsylvania institution.
• Eligible program of study: Your program must be on PHEAA's approved list of in-demand occupational programs. PHEAA determines which programs qualify, and that list can change year to year.
• Satisfactory academic progress (SAP): You must meet your school's SAP standards, the same standard used for federal Title IV aid.
• Master Promissory Note (MPN): You must sign a program-specific MPN committing to repay the grant if you do not meet the graduation and work requirements.

The residency and program eligibility requirements are the two areas where applicants most often get surprised. Pennsylvania residency must be genuine and established, not just a current mailing address. And just because your school participates in the program does not mean your specific major or program is on PHEAA's approved list. Check pheaa.org/growpa to confirm your program is listed before you apply.

Application requirements checklist: what to gather before you start

Before you open the PHEAA portal, get everything on this list together. Incomplete applications are rejected, and since grants are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, a slow or incomplete submission costs you real money.

1. Completed FAFSA for the relevant award year (2026-27 if you are applying now)
2. Social Security Number
3. Date of birth
4. Pennsylvania residency start date (month and year)
5. Contact information, specifically the email address you want PHEAA to use for all communications
6. Name and details of your enrolled program of study at a PHEAA-approved Pennsylvania institution
7. Completed Grow PA Scholarship Grant Application form (available at pheaa.org/growpa as of February 5, 2026 for the 2026-27 cycle)
8. Valid signature on the application (missing or invalid signatures make the application incomplete)
9. Signed Master Promissory Note (first-time applicants only; renewal applicants do not need to resubmit the MPN)

Every required field must be filled in. PHEAA is explicit that applications with blank required fields will not be considered complete. Double-check your email address in particular: PHEAA communicates through the email on your application, so a typo there means you miss important notifications.

How to apply: exact steps, portal, and deadlines

The application process runs entirely through PHEAA's Account Access portal. Here is the step-by-step flow:

1. Go to pheaa.org and create or log in to your PHEAA Account Access profile.
2. Complete all fields in the Grow PA Scholarship Grant Application. Make sure your program of study, residency information, SSN, and date of birth are all accurate.
3. Sign the application with a valid signature. Unsigned applications are automatically incomplete.
4. First-time applicants: also complete and sign the Master Promissory Note within Account Access.
5. To submit: sign in to Account Access, select 'File Upload,' then select 'PA Special Programs,' then select 'Grow PA Scholarship Grant Application.'
6. Upload your completed application through that File Upload path. Submission is not complete until the upload is confirmed.

Deadlines and timing

The 2026-27 application opened on February 5, 2026. The 2025-26 application window closed April 15, 2026. PHEAA awards grants on a first-come, first-served basis based on when a complete application is received, meaning there is no benefit to waiting and a real cost to being slow. Apply as early as possible after the application opens each cycle. Check pheaa.org/growpa for the current deadline for the 2026-27 cycle, since that window is now open and funds are being awarded as complete applications come in.

Renewal applicants need to submit a renewal application each academic year. The renewal process is the same portal flow, but you do not need to resubmit the MPN.

Grant terms: what the funding covers, how much you get, and what you owe afterward

The Grow PA grant pays up to $5,000 per academic year. You can receive the grant for a maximum of four academic years, which means the maximum total award is $20,000 over your degree program.

The grant is applied toward your educational costs at your enrolled institution. It is not a cash payment directly to you. PHEAA disburses it to your school as part of your financial aid package.

The post-graduation work commitment

This is the part most applicants underestimate. After you graduate, you must live and work in Pennsylvania in an eligible in-demand occupation for the same number of years you received the grant. If you got the grant for two years, you owe two years of Pennsylvania employment. If you got it for four years, you owe four. PHEAA verifies compliance after graduation.

If you do not meet the work requirement, do not complete your degree, or otherwise fail to satisfy the terms of the MPN, the grant converts to a loan. Act 89 uses reimbursement language: you owe back the aggregate amount received, plus potential interest, to the Commonwealth. There is a deferment option if you have documented reasons you cannot immediately fulfill the work requirement. Deferments require a written request on a PHEAA-approved form with supporting documentation, but they are not automatic or guaranteed.

Why applications get denied and how to avoid it

The most common disqualifiers are also the most preventable. Here is what trips people up:

• Missing or invalid signature on the application: PHEAA is explicit that this makes the application incomplete and it will not be reviewed.
• Blank required fields: Any required field left empty means automatic rejection. Review every field before uploading.
• Wrong or missing FAFSA: You must have a current FAFSA on file for the award year. If you have not filed it, your application cannot be processed.
• Applying after funds run out: Awards are first-come, first-served. Submitting a complete application late in the cycle, even before the deadline, can mean no funds are left.
• Unapproved program of study: Your specific degree program must be on PHEAA's approved list. Being enrolled at an approved school is not enough. Confirm your program is eligible before applying.
• Already holding a bachelor's degree: The program is explicitly for students who have not yet earned a bachelor's degree. Prior bachelor's degree holders are ineligible.
• Non-Pennsylvania residency: Enrollment at a Pennsylvania school does not make you a Pennsylvania resident for this program. Your actual residency status must qualify.
• Failing to upload via the correct portal path: Submitting by email or any method other than the File Upload path in Account Access will not be accepted.

How this connects to Pennsylvania cannabis cultivation licensing

If you searched for the Grow PA Scholarship Grant in the context of Pennsylvania's cannabis industry, here is the honest answer: this grant program is a general higher education workforce development initiative, not a cannabis cultivation grant. It supports in-demand occupations across multiple sectors, which may or may not include cannabis-adjacent fields depending on how PHEAA classifies programs in a given year. You should not assume your cannabis cultivation program qualifies without confirming it is on PHEAA's approved list.

Pennsylvania's cannabis cultivation licensing space has its own set of compliance, training, and credentialing requirements that are separate from the Grow PA Scholarship Grant. If you are pursuing a Pennsylvania cannabis grow license or looking for training grants specifically tied to cannabis cultivation, verify you are looking at the correct program before applying. There are other Pennsylvania grant and certification pathways worth reviewing alongside this one, and mixing them up costs you time.

That said, if you are enrolled in an eligible in-demand program that happens to be in agricultural science, environmental science, or a related field that could connect to regulated cannabis cultivation, the Grow PA grant could legitimately help fund your education. The key step is checking your specific program against PHEAA's current approved list at pheaa. To grow project PSFU registration requirements, you will want to confirm the program’s current documentation and signup steps through PHEAA before you submit. org/growpa. If you are specifically looking for SAP Grow certification, make sure the program you want to enroll in is the one PHEAA recognizes and approves for funding <a data-article-id="4A2BBFBB-4DE5-44D0-AC04-0FA2553A8E85">pheaa . If you are specifically looking for sap grow certification, make sure you compare the program you plan to take with the certification options recognized by PHEAA before enrolling. org/growpa</a>.

Your next steps

1. Go to pheaa.org/growpa and confirm your specific program of study is on the current approved list for 2026-27.
2. File your 2026-27 FAFSA if you have not already done so.
3. Create or log in to your PHEAA Account Access profile.
4. Download and complete the 2026-27 Grow PA Scholarship Grant Application. Fill every required field and sign it.
5. First-time applicants: complete the Master Promissory Note as part of your submission.
6. Upload your completed application through Account Access (File Upload > PA Special Programs > Grow PA Scholarship Grant Application) as soon as possible. Do not wait.
7. Save your submission confirmation and watch the email address you listed on the application for PHEAA communications.
8. If you are aiming for a cannabis cultivation license or cannabis-specific training certification, treat that as a separate compliance track and research Pennsylvania's cannabis grow licensing requirements independently.