Questions and Answers

This definitive agreement commits PA College and Saint Joseph’s to merging, but allows for one year of integration planning and preparation, including completion of required accreditor and government agency applications and approvals. We will close the merger in January of 2024 and keep our communities informed as we move forward.

PA College will become part of Saint Joseph’s University. Many legacy PA College programs will continue in the new School of Nursing and Allied Health within Saint Joseph’s.

In May of 2024, commencement for Lancaster-based programs will be held in Lancaster, PA. For more information, visit the Portal Graduation page; but please note in the coming months, many more details will follow. 

NOTE: Link to Portal Graduate page accessible by Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences community only.

Historically, PA College awards degrees in October, December, March, May, June, and August. This fall, PA College will award degrees in October and December and then align with Saint Joseph’s schedule post-merger: January 15, May 18 and August 31. Note that the day we award degrees is not the same as Commencement Ceremonies. Multiple ceremonies are held in May.

As is the practice at both institutions, students must apply to graduate. PA College legacy students graduating in May 2024 and August 2024 will apply in Self-Service. Note that the registrar sent these instructions on October 17th to your PA College Email.

• May 18 Graduation Application Deadline: April 1
• August 31 Graduation Application Deadline: August 1

All January 2025 graduates, regardless of location, will apply to graduate in Banner (SJU’s student information system of record). More information on this will be provided in the fall of 2024.

Tuition benefits will not change as a result of this merger.

This does not impact applications for 2023 in any way. Students will continue to apply to each separate institution until January of 2024, at which time all new applicants will apply to Saint Joseph’s University. Current PA College students will become part of Saint Joseph’s with no need to reapply.

Saint Joseph’s will honor commitments made to incoming students, including the continuation of programs that are available today through graduation, and the terms of the student’s current financial aid package and any applicable scholarships.

After January 2024, tuition and fee structures at the Lancaster location of Saint Joseph’s will remain the same as the PA College prior to January 2024, although tuition will be adjusted on an annual, routine basis, as is the practice at both organizations.

PA College legacy students who apply to graduate in May of 2024 will be awarded a PA College diploma since the school will remain accredited by Middle States at that time. The only change will be that the diplomas will be signed by the SJU president and the Dean of the College in which you are graduating.

PA College legacy students applying to graduate on August 31, 2024 will be given a Saint Joseph’s diploma as PA College will no longer be accredited, and Saint Joseph’s is not permitted to provide PA College diplomas.

All replacement diplomas or diplomas provided after May 2024 will be Saint Joseph’s and carry a cost of $50. This could be the case if your account is on hold and released after May. May 2024 will be the last time we will issue PA College diplomas. Diplomas are always printed as of the present University structure (President, Dean, College) with the original date of graduation. If someone graduated in 2018 and ordered a replacement in 2025, regardless of if they were originally a graduate of PA College or SJU, the diplomas are printed under the present-day administration (as opposed to the historical 2018 information).

Saint Joseph’s mission statement addresses diversity and inclusion directly. “Striving to be an inclusive and diverse community that educates and cares for the whole person, we encourage and model lifelong commitment to thinking critically, making ethical decisions, pursuing social justice and finding God in all things.” With this mission in mind, all are welcome in our Saint Joseph’s community.

SJU Pride, a student leadership organization, is one of our most active within our campus community. Saint Joseph’s also offers Safe Zone training to faculty, students and staff. Over the past 22 years, more than 2,000 community members have been trained on how to ally with members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Resources, including our chosen-name policy, gender-inclusive restrooms locations, and gender-inclusive housing procedures, can be viewed here.

No. Entire programs will continue to be offered in Lancaster.

Providing all students with expanded academic opportunities is the primary reason PA College and Saint Joseph’s are merging. For example, Saint Joseph’s will offer an additional nursing program in Philadelphia as early as the fall of 2024, pending finalization of the merger and necessary accreditation approvals.

For students who are interested in changing majors or pursuing a major offered at a different location, more information will be available throughout integration planning. Each student’s academic planning is unique and should be discussed with their advisor.

Saint Joseph’s will offer an undergraduate nursing program in Philadelphia as the fall of 2024, pending finalization of the merger and necessary accreditation approvals.

Donors will continue to be able to designate their gifts to support the students and programs at the Lancaster location of Saint Joseph’s University. The support of PA College alumni and the Lancaster area community will continue to be vital to the success of local students who aspire to careers in healthcare.

PA College restricted endowed funds will become part of the Saint Joseph’s University endowment. These funds will be administered by Saint Joseph’s in accordance with donor intent as outlined in each fund agreement and will be used at the Lancaster location of Saint Joseph’s.

Saint Joseph’s looks forward to welcoming the alumni of Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences with their rich tradition and history.

Saint Joseph’s and Lancaster General Health are committed to future students and patients by collaboratively fostering a healthcare-education pipeline that aims to strengthen the health and well-being of the Lancaster community. Saint Joseph’s and LG Health have signed beneficial affiliation agreements that promote access, generous tuition benefits, and clinical placements, and will engage in ongoing conversations about meeting the region’s evolving healthcare-workforce needs.

As part of this transaction, LG Health and Saint Joseph’s entered into a long-term affiliation agreement. In particular, LG Health will continue to offer generous educational benefits to its employees at the Lancaster location of Saint Joseph’s, which is a key element of its workforce recruitment and retention plan.

In addition, Saint Joseph’s and LG Health will have ongoing conversations about meeting the needs of the healthcare workforce in South Central Pennsylvania.

Having turned to Saint Joseph’s for the oversight beginning in January of 2024 of what is now PA College, LG Health will be able to focus its resources and expertise exclusively on the provision of excellent healthcare services to its community.

Saint Joseph’s will continue to be a Jesuit Catholic university.

Saint Joseph’s is one of only 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States. This particular brand of education focuses on academic rigor and care for the whole person, very similar to PA College’s approach and tradition. Saint Joseph’s programs regularly rank among America’s best on U.S. News & World Report listings.

Students who are admitted to PA College before the merger closes in January 2024 will finish their program with PA College's curriculum. Students who enter Saint Joseph's after the merger will likely be required to take some kind of theology coursework as part of a four-year degree, but this will be determined by the faculty during integration planning or core curriculum review.

PA College and Saint Joseph’s will be working together to set up an integration planning framework that provides for a flow of communication. There will be opportunities to submit questions to inform future communications. Keep a close eye on your email for updates as we move through this process together.