Advancing the Mission of PA’s Independent, Nonprofit Colleges & Universities
By focusing on advocacy, collaboration, research and communications, AICUP is committed to supporting the advancement of Pennsylvania’s independent, nonprofit colleges and universities.
Find out how Pennsylvania’s largest sector of higher education helps to create:
• 200,000 jobs created and sustained by AICUP schools; among the Top Employers in PA
• $29 billion annual economic contrition by AICUP schools ($65 billion with affiliated hospitals)
• 7% of Pennsylvania’s economy when including AICUP schools’ teaching hospitals (“eds and meds”)
• 158 to 1 Return on Investment of state dollars by AICUP schools
Economic Impact Report (NEW! 2025)
Find out how Pennsylvania’s largest sector of higher education helps to create:
• 200,000 jobs created and sustained by AICUP schools; among the Top Employers in PA
• $29 billion annual economic contrition by AICUP schools ($65 billion with affiliated hospitals)
• 7% of Pennsylvania’s economy when including AICUP schools’ teaching hospitals (“eds and meds”)
• 158 to 1 Return on Investment of state dollars by AICUP schools
Business Efficiency Programs
Pennsylvania’s independent colleges and universities have a well-deserved reputation for supporting collaborative business services projects. It’s a tribute to the AICUP membership that it leverages one another’s strengths in such a purposeful manner.
Bill Gindlesperger
May 1, 2026
Franklin County Free Press
Stacy Wescoe
April 27, 2026
Lehigh Valley Business Journal & Central Penn Business Journal
Dustin McMullen (student)
April 24, 2026
Tribune-Review and TribLive
$𝟮𝟬𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀! 🥳
⛳🏌♀️ Golfers teed off June 2nd alongside business and community leaders at AICUP`s 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗳 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. This fun day on the green helps to fund #Commonwealth Good Citizen Scholarships for AICUP #college #students in #Pennsylvania.
🎓 #AICUP funded 𝟭𝟭 #scholarships last year thanks in part to this annual event, and we look forward to announcing the 2026 #scholarship winners this September.
👉 It`s not too early to mark your calendar now for next year`s #golf outing on 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟭, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟳, at Heritage Hills Golf Resort in #YorkPA. #Sponsorship opportunities will be available in February.
🏆 See last year`s scholarship winners on AICUP`s social media posts and at the link here:
https://aicup.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/AICUP-scholarship-winners-Sept-8-2025.pdf
💡 Learn more about AICUP scholarships or ask your school`s #financialaid office to apply:
https://aicup.org/philanthropy/aicup-scholarships/
👏 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀.
Where do low-income #students get the best Return on Investment? 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲! According to the Georgetown Center on #Education and the #Workforce, the 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝟵 #colleges in Pennsylvania for best Return on Investment (#ROI) for low-income students are all #AICUP schools, and #Pennsylvania ranks 𝟰𝘁𝗵 in the nation in having the most “𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝘄-𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗢𝗜."
🌎 Find your #university or #college and learn more facts like this on the AICUP dashboard:
https://aicup.org/communications/dashboard/
Summer’s the perfect time to visit colleges. Here are 3 things you can do to plan your #campus tour.
📱 Video:
https://youtube.com/shorts/JnD7oCG6d2A?si=1feWavmjHoHpSOe5
🌎 #AICUP map with 80+ independent nonprofit #colleges and #universities:
https://aicup.org/about-us/members/
🎓 AICUP #Dashboard with facts about #college affordability and #ROI:
https://aicup.org/communications/dashboard/
🙌
#CollegeTour #CampusVisit #CollegeLife #FutureStudent
Remember when we said 94% of the free tuition programs in Pennsylvania are at AICUP schools? Yeah, well, we need to update that number. 🫢
It`s now 𝟵𝟰.𝟰%! 😲
📢 That`s because another AICUP member college just announced a 𝗻𝗲𝘄 free tuition program for students from families earning less than $200,000.
💡 That means 17 of the 18 total free #tuition programs advertised by Pennsylvania colleges are at AICUP schools, 𝘂𝗽 from 16 of 17 (and several more offer similar programs).
💯𝟭𝟬𝟬% of the AICUP member #colleges and #universities in #Pennsylvania offer #grants and #scholarships and other forms of institutional #aid to students (that`s money from the school, not the government). Independent #nonprofit colleges and universities are 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 the way in 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. 🎓
Remember 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 next time you see a social media post or news article claiming you 𝘤𝘢𝘯`𝘵 afford college. 🤔
👉 See the original @washingtonpost report about free tuition programs with AICUP highlights:
https://aicup.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Dashboard-_-WaPo-free-tuition.pdf
👏 Read about the newest free tuition program in the @phillyinquirer:
https://www.inquirer.com/education/swarthmore-college-tuition-free-cap-20260526.html
‼️ Learn about "𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝘆𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻" in @pennlive :
https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2025/09/the-myth-of-expensive-private-education-needs-to-end-pennlive-letters.html
📺 Watch 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀 about college #affordability from AICUP Day on the Hill in #Harrisburg:
https://youtu.be/752qm1KZ0Sc?si=_eWF_TkVsYE03aoY
🌎 Find your nearest #AICUP #college or #university at the 𝗺𝗮𝗽 here and learn about each school`s unique #financialaid programs:
https://aicup.org/about-us/members/
🚨 Check out the 𝗔𝗜𝗖𝗨𝗣 𝗱𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 for #students and families with more rankings and cool #facts:
https://aicup.org/communications/dashboard/
Resources for recent grads and students seeking #career fairs and #networking events in #Pennsylvania:
🌎 𝟴𝟬+ 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 at the #AICUP member schools’ websites at the map linked here:
https://aicup.org/about-us/members/
🔔 @campusphilly posts student and graduate career fairs, intern parties, and career exploration panels in #Philadelphia #Philly:
https://campusphilly.org/jobs-internships/career-events/
💼 #Pittsburgh Passport -- @pumppgh : Western PA’s marquee retention program for college-aged talent:
https://www.pump.org/pittsburgh-passport/
🤖 Pittsburgh Technology Council @pghtechcouncil #Recruiting events, career connectors, #apprenticeships, #internships, podcasts, and more:
https://www.pghtech.org/talent
🔎 #LehighValley Hot Careers Guide helps students and job seekers explore career opportunities @lv_edc
https://www.lehighvalley.org/career-pathways/
🗝️ #PA #CareerLink @pacareerlinkphl
https://www.pacareerlink.pa.gov/jponline/
🏛️ #Harrisburg careers and internships at the #Commonwealth of Pennsylvania @pennsylvaniagov
https://www.pa.gov/agencies/employment/open-jobs
💡 Check out regional economic partnerships and local chambers of commerce for more opportunities.
(This list is provided as a public resource. Please note that AICUP doesn`t endorse any organizations or websites).
Congratulations #graduates! 🎓🙌
May is #college #commencement season, when #AICUP celebrates the thousands of graduating #students and their families across #Pennsylvania.
🌎 𝗠𝗮𝗽: Find one of the more than 𝟴𝟬 𝗔𝗜𝗖𝗨𝗣 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 nearest you at the map linked here:
https://aicup.org/about-us/members/
"𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲!" We hear that shouted at us a lot on social media. But is the claim true? #AICUP President Tom Foley looks at the facts in a new reaction video:
👉 https://youtube.com/shorts/Lgf-0S4HUjM?feature=share
"Good luck" finding those roles, said a researcher from the @georgetowncew Quote: "Jobs for people without #college #degrees that pay over $130,000 a year make up 𝟭% of the American economy." @thirdwayorg found that, quote, "a college graduate is 𝟭𝟳𝟳 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆 than a high school graduate to earn $4 million or more throughout their lifetime." And @investopedia , citing data from the Federal Reserve, adds that, quote, "𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁."
We know that money isn`t everything, of course, and college graduates also contribute to communities, to local philanthropy, to the workforce, and to good citizenship.
🤝 @gallup : "Volunteerism nearly doubles between non-college-goers and those with at least some postsecondary education."
https://aicup.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/volunteer.pdf
🗽 Civic Youth: “young people with college experience are more likely to vote”
https://aicup.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/vote.pdf
🩷 Philanthropy: Students at AICUP member colleges contributed over $200 million in donations and volunteer hours to their communities.
https://aicup.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Source-Philanthropy-_-AICUP-Economic-Impact-Report-2025.pdf
🌎 Find your nearest AICUP member campus at the map linked here:
https://aicup.org/about-us/members/
𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: #AICUP offers multiple #scholarships in two categories:
• The #Commonwealth Good #Citizen Scholarship for #undergraduate students who have shown an extraordinary commitment to #communityservice ($2,000). 🗽
• The McLean #Scholarship for #Nursing and #PhysicianAssistant Majors ($4,500). 🩺
𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹`𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟴 (𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯`𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘈𝘐𝘊𝘜𝘗 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭`𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦).
👉 Learn more: https://aicup.org/philanthropy/aicup-scholarships/
🎓 🙌
🏆 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟭𝟵 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱:
Prince D. Dwamena, @alleghenycollege
Makenna R. Thomas, @alverniau
Tiara R. Nelson, @desalesuniversity
Jada A. Makar, @etowncollege
Anna L. Malinowski, @gannonu
Nicholas R. DeFrancesco, @keystonecollege
Erika Dutka, @lackawannaedu
Mila Acosta-Morales, @messiah_univ
Shayna L. Cunnard, @robertmorrisuniversity
Brennan F. Fitch, @susquehannau
Madison M. Robel, @wilkesu
Courtney A. Marks, @cedarcrestcollege
Olivia G. DiMarino, @desalesuniversity
Ella G. Horst, @easternuniversity
Sophia M. Khangi, @gannonu
Elizabeth G. Rossol, @grovecitycollege
Daniella N. Gerard, @holyfamilyu
Emma G. Tiren, @villanovau
Hailey A. Yothers, @yorkcollegepa
Want to check if your #Pennsylvania school is an #AICUP member?
🌎 View the member #campus map, here:
https://aicup.org/about-us/members/
Take Action
The future of Pennsylvania’s independent, nonprofit colleges and universities relies on dedicated community members advocating for philanthropic support, fair legislation, and increased accessibility for students. Whether legislator, student, faculty, or business owner, you too can take action and get involved by sharing our research, supporting our educational programs, or taking part in one of our many advocacy initiatives or events.