In 2007, UPMC announced a $100 million commitment to help students graduating from Pittsburgh Public Schools further their education after high school. Developed by the city of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Public Schools, The Pittsburgh Promise is designed to give graduates of Pittsburgh’s public high schools the means to pursue postsecondary education, regardless of family income, at an accredited postsecondary institution in Pennsylvania.
The Pittsburgh Promise was instituted to help foster excellence in Pittsburgh’s public school system; make Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods more desirable; and make higher education possible for those who graduate from Pittsburgh Public Schools with certain academic, attendance, and residency requirements. The Pittsburgh Promise is more than an educational initiative; it is also a driver of community and economic development aimed at ensuring that the city becomes stronger and more vibrant now and in the future.
To date, the program has offered scholarships to more than 4,600 students. Impressively, the retention rates of Pittsburgh public school graduates in postsecondary education are now approximately 100 percent higher than they were before The Promise was established. The Promise is one more example of UPMC’s commitment to making the Pittsburgh region strong, viable, and sustainable.