In-state Pitt students to get $350 ‘grants’ from COVID-19 relief money

• Julia Zenkevich/WESA
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  Julia Zenkevich is a general assignment reporter for 90.5 WESA. She first joined the station as a production assistant on The Confluence, and more recently served as a fill-in producer for The Confluence and Morning Edition. She’s a life-long Pittsburgher, and attended the University of Pittsburgh. She can be reached at jzenkevich@wesa.fm.

In-state students at the University of Pittsburgh will each receive a portion of the school’s one-time state allocation of COVID-19 relief money.

Pitt officials announced on Wednesday the school will divide all of the $7.5 million payment among the more than 20,000 in-state students on five campuses. Pitt estimates each in-state undergraduate and graduate student enrolled at least part-time will get a grant of about $350. The final amount will be determined after period when students can drop and add classes ends on September 9.

Gov. Tom Wolf directed $40 million to Pitt and other state-related universities earlier this summer.

“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,” David Brown, Pitt’s vice chancellor of government relations and advocacy said in a statement. “This is a powerful benefit—and a life-changing one—for Pitt students and families throughout Pennsylvania.”

Pitt announced a tuition increase in July. Main campus students from Pennsylvania will pay 3.5% more for tuition next year, or about $335 more per term. In-state students at regional campuses will pay 2% more, about $135 more per term.

Eligible students will receive an email detailing the grant amount in late September. They money will be deposited directly to the bank accounts connected with the eRefunds tab in their PittPAY account, the university’s online student billing and payment system.

Pitt also received $167,000 from the state to support rural education outreach. Pitt’s Bradford campus will use the funding to “deliver educational services to the most rural populations in Pennsylvania” and “support the region’s special post-secondary training and business needs.”