Pennsylvania: school, college and career rules
Pennsylvania students meet the state requirement through one of five Pathways to Graduation built around the Keystone Exams, while course credits are set locally; PASSHE universities and 15 community colleges are the public options covered here.
Linked from the State Population Totals 2020-2025 page (census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-state-total.html); population and rank copied from the POPESTIMATE2025 and NRANK_POPEST2025 columns.Census
High school diploma
Pennsylvania sets no statewide list of course credits on this page: local graduation requirements apply, and every school must tell students and families what they are. The statewide requirement, from the class of 2023, is met through one of five Pathways to Graduation. PDE
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State tests for the diploma
Students in public schools take the Keystone Exams (end-of-course tests in Algebra I, Literature and Biology). Proficiency in all three was meant to be required from 2017, but the legislature passed a series of moratoriums; a student who does not reach proficiency or the minimum composite score can show the Keystone content through locally set, grade-based requirements plus other evidence. PDE
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Also good to know
- A student who meets the statewide requirements but cannot meet local ones because of education instability may qualify for a Keystone diploma.
PDE
Graduation Requirements (Pathways to Graduation)Pennsylvania Department of Education- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
State test: PSSA and Keystone Exams
Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (grades 3–8) and Keystone Exams (high school). The PSSA is a standards-based, criterion-referenced test that shows student and school performance against the state's academic standards. PDE
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| Test | Subjects | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| PSSA | English language arts and math | Grades 3–8 |
| PSSA | Science | Grades 5 and 8 |
| Keystone Exams | Algebra I, Literature, Biology | End-of-course, high school |
Source: PDE
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What the scores are used for
- Individual scores go only to the student's school, to help teachers find students who need more support; school scores guide curriculum planning.
PDE
Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA)Pennsylvania Department of Education- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
- Keystone results feed the Pathways to Graduation (see above) and federal accountability.
PDE
Graduation Requirements (Pathways to Graduation)Pennsylvania Department of Education- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
National tests (SAT, ACT, AP, NAEP) are on the Exams hub.
Public colleges and universities
The state's public university system(s) and community colleges, from their own pages.
- Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education (PASSHE)University system · Established 1 July 1983; more than 80,000 degree-seeking students, the most Pennsylvania residents of any four-year group in the state. A 20-member Board of Governors sets tuition and appoints the chancellor and presidents.
- Pennsylvania's community collegesCommunity colleges · 15 community colleges. Their statewide voice is the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges, a nonprofit membership association of the college presidents and trustees.
Sources: A nonprofit membership association of Pennsylvania's community colleges (not a state agency).PASSHE
View sourcePA Commission for CCs
Every school in Pennsylvania, public and private, with cost and completion: 315 colleges, community colleges and trade schools, with 20 city pages.
In-state tuition: the residency rule
Public colleges charge less to state residents. Who counts as a resident is set by state law or the college system, not by where you went to school alone.
- PASSHE Board of Governors Policy 1985-03 (Student Domicile Regulations): 12 months of continuous residence in Pennsylvania before registration creates a presumption of domicile; a shorter stay creates the opposite presumption, which you can rebut with clear and convincing evidence.
PASSHE
Board of Governors Policy 1985-03: Student Domicile Regulations (PDF)Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
- Domicile is the place where you intend to live permanently or indefinitely and do in fact live. Students who are not U.S. citizens and hold a nonimmigrant visa or no visa are presumed not domiciled, which they may also rebut.
PASSHE
Board of Governors Policy 1985-03: Student Domicile Regulations (PDF)Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
The college's residency office makes the final decision. More on costs: What college costs.
State financial aid
Run by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA). Federal aid (Pell Grants, loans) starts with the FAFSA: FAFSA, grants and loans.
PA State Grant
A grant you do not repay if you stay eligible. File the FAFSA; PHEAA then asks first-time applicants to complete extra application items in their GrantUs account. A Summer PA State Grant has a 1 September deadline. PHEAA
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Licensing boards
Lawyers, doctors, CPAs and nurses need a Pennsylvania license from a state board, even after passing a national exam. These are the boards that grant it.
| License | Pennsylvania board | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyer How bar admission works | Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners Pennsylvania requirements | Uniform Bar Exam (MBE, MEE and MPT). MPRE required (passing score 75). NextGen UBE from July 2028. NCBEPennsylvania: bar admission informationNational Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE)
Bar admission agency, the NCBE exams the jurisdiction requires, MPRE passing score and NextGen UBE plans. NCBE advises checking the agency itself for the latest rules. View source |
| Physician How a medical license works | Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine Pennsylvania State Board of Osteopathic Medicine | USMLE (M.D.) or COMLEX-USA (D.O.); Pennsylvania has more than one board, as listed FSMBContact a State Medical BoardFederation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)
Directory of every state's medical (and separate osteopathic) board. fsmb.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 14 Sep 2026; each board link was then opened on 22 Oct 2026, through the board's site or, where it blocks reads from India, its latest archive capture. View source |
| CPA How the CPA license works | Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy Pennsylvania requirements | Uniform CPA Examination NASBAState Boards of AccountancyNational Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)
Directory of the 55 boards of accountancy. nasba.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 15 Oct 2026; board links that had moved were replaced with the board's current page, opened on 22 Oct 2026. View source |
| Registered nurse How the RN license works | Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing Pennsylvania requirements | NCLEX-RN · Nurse Licensure Compact member since July 7, 2025 NCSBNContact Pennsylvania State Board of NursingNational Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
NCSBN / NLCNLC states and implementation dates (NLC map, PDF)National Council of State Boards of Nursing (Nurse Licensure Compact)
|
- Pennsylvania license rulesRequirement, exam, fee and renewal for every license on this site, copied from each board's page
- State Board of Nursing (Department of State)
- State Board of Accountancy (Department of State)
- State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists
- State Board of Cosmetology (Department of State)
- State Real Estate Commission (Department of State)
- Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners
State and city government jobs
Federal jobs are on USAJOBS; state and city governments hire through their own systems.
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Employment
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- Search openings, explore careers and apply online.
- The Commonwealth says 92% of state government jobs (65,000 opportunities) are open to people without a four-year degree.
Source: PA Employment
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Philadelphia
City of Philadelphia, Office of Human Resources
More than 30,000 employees in over 1,000 job categories. Jobs are listed at work.phila.gov, and OHR runs Zoom information sessions on the hiring process on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. Philadelphia OHR
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Police, fire and other public-safety routes: Public Service & Safety hub.
Registered apprenticeship
Pennsylvania has a State Apprenticeship Agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. California is listed under both OA and SAA.Apprenticeship.gov
- Apprenticeship and Training Office (ATO), Department of Labor & IndustryPennsylvania's State Apprenticeship Agency. Apprentices are paid employees who combine on-the-job learning, classroom learning and a mentor, and finish with a portable, nationally recognized credential.
- Trades and apprenticeshipsElectrician, plumber, HVAC and other trade routes on this site
Source: PA L&I
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Where these facts come from
Official and primary sources only, each checked on the date shown. Rules on testing, aid, licensing and immigration change, so confirm a detail with its source before you rely on it.
- Annual Estimates of Resident Population Change for the United States, States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and State Rankings: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025 (NST-EST2025-POPCHG2020-2025, CSV) · U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025) checked 2026-10-21
- Pennsylvania: bar admission information · National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) checked 2026-10-22
- Contact a State Medical Board · Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) checked 2026-10-22
- State Boards of Accountancy · National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) checked 2026-10-22
- Contact Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing · National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) checked 2026-10-22
- NLC states and implementation dates (NLC map, PDF) · National Council of State Boards of Nursing (Nurse Licensure Compact) checked 2026-10-07
- Graduation Requirements (Pathways to Graduation) · Pennsylvania Department of Education checked 2026-10-21
- Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) · Pennsylvania Department of Education checked 2026-10-21
- About the State System · Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education checked 2026-10-21
- Who We Are · Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges checked 2026-10-21
- Board of Governors Policy 1985-03: Student Domicile Regulations (PDF) · Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education checked 2026-10-21
- PA State Grant Program · Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency checked 2026-10-21
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Employment · Commonwealth of Pennsylvania checked 2026-10-21
- Office of Human Resources · City of Philadelphia checked 2026-10-21
- Apprenticeship and Training · Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry checked 2026-10-21
- The Apprenticeship System: Office of Apprenticeship (OA) and recognized State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) states · U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship checked 2026-10-21