Statutory designation by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth System of Higher Education is a statutory designation by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that confers "state-related" status on four universities in Pennsylvania: Lincoln University, the Pennsylvania State University, Temple University, and the University of Pittsburgh. The designation establishes the schools as an "instrumentality of the commonwealth" and provides each university with annual, non-preferred financial appropriations in exchange offering tuition discounts to students who are residents of Pennsylvania and a minority state-representation on each school's board of trustees.
The universities remain legally separate and private entities, operating under their own charters, governed by independent boards of trustees, and with assets under their own ownership and control, thereby retaining much of the freedom and individuality of private institutions, both administratively and academically. It is the only public-private hybrid system of higher education of its particular type in the United States, although other schools, such as Cornell University, the University of Delaware, and Rutgers University, also have public-private partnerships of their own kind.
Because their annual state allocations account for less than 10% of their budgets, universities in the Commonwealth System tend to have higher tuition costs compared to the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education which contains 10 state-owned and operated universities. Because of their independence, universities in the Commonwealth System are exempted from Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law except for a few minor provisions.
History
Before the legal creation of state-related universities and colleges in the 1960s, Lincoln University, Temple University, and the University of Pittsburgh were fully private universities. Temple and Pitt were granted state-related status by acts of the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1965 and 1966, respectively. Lincoln University, a historically Black university, was designated as a state-related university in 1972.
Although the Pennsylvania State University, commonly known as Penn State, was founded as a private school, it was later designated as Pennsylvania's sole land-grant institution. It was repeatedly defined as a "state-owned university" in numerous official acts and Pennsylvania Attorney General opinions from its creation as a land-grant, then named the Pennsylvania State College. It was thus eligible to have its road system and buildings on state campuses constructed using state funding, paying its employees through state-issued checks, and having them eligible to collect state employee retirement system benefits.
Penn State was already treated and referred to as a public state-related university by the Commonwealth, including receiving non-preferred appropriations, when the other three universities were designated as state-related institutions by the legislature. In 1984, Penn State asserted a public status in court for the purpose of not having a private bank branch's operations on its University Park campus subject to local county taxes, while simultaneously asserting private status for the purpose of not having to reveal the salaries of its top administrative employees. With the enabling legislation changing the failing Williamsport (PA) Area Community College to the affiliated "Pennsylvania College of Technology" in 1989, Penn State was reaffirmed as a "state-related" institution.
Universities
The following universities (listed with their branch and regional campuses) are members of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education:
Lincoln
- Lincoln University, Lower Oxford Township
Penn State
- Pennsylvania State University, University Park
::Penn State Altoona (4-year undergraduate)
::Penn State Beaver (4-year undergraduate)
::Penn State Berks (4-year undergraduate)
::Penn State Brandywine (4-year undergraduate)
::Penn State DuBois (4-year undergraduate)
::Penn State Dickinson, Carlisle (Graduate law)
::Penn State Behrend (4-year undergraduate)
::Penn State Fayette (4-year undergraduate)
::Penn State Great Valley (Graduate)
::Penn State Greater Allegheny (4-year undergraduate)
::Penn State Harrisburg (4-year undergraduate and graduate)
::Penn State Hazleton (4-year undergraduate)
::Penn State Hershey (Graduate medical)
::Penn State Lehigh Valley (4-year undergraduate)
::Penn State Mont Alto (4-year undergraduate)
::Penn State New Kensington (4-year undergraduate)
::Penn State Schuylkill (4-year undergraduate)
::Penn State Scranton (4-year undergraduate)
::Penn State Shenango (4-year undergraduate)
::Penn State Wilkes-Barre (4-year undergraduate)
::Penn State York (4-year undergraduate)
::Pennsylvania College of Technology (Applied technical training)
### Pittsburgh
- University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh
::University of Pittsburgh at Bradford (4-year undergraduate and graduate)
::University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg (4-year undergraduate)
::University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (4-year undergraduate)
::University of Pittsburgh at Titusville (2-year undergraduate)
### Temple
- Temple University, Philadelphia
::Temple University Ambler (4-year undergraduate and graduate)
::Temple University Fort Washington (Graduate)
::Temple University Harrisburg (1-year undergraduate and graduate)
::Temple University, Japan Campus (4-year undergraduate and graduate)
## Rankings of universities
::data[format=table]
| School | U.S. News & World Report, Best Universities 2021 | U.S. News & World Report, Best Business Schools 2020 | U.S. News & World Report, Best Education Schools 2020 | U.S. News & World Report, Best Engineering Schools 2020 | U.S. News & World Report, Best Fine Arts Schools 2017 | U.S. News & World Report, Best Law Schools 2020 | U.S. News & World Report, Best Library & Information Studies Schools, 2018 | U.S. News & World Report, Best Medical Schools, Research & Primary Care 2020 | U.S. News & World Report, Best Nursing Schools, Masters & Doctoral 2020 | U.S. News & World Report, Best Public Affairs Schools 2020 | CMUP, Top Public American Research Universities 2017 | *The Wall Street Journal*/THE US College Rankings 2019 | Academic Ranking of World Universities 2019 | QS World University Rankings 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln University | **119th**, Regional Universities (North) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Pennsylvania State University | **63rd**, National Universities (University Park) | **33rd** (Smeal) | **39th** | **35th** | **69th** | **64th** (University Park)
**71st** (Dickinson) | N/A | **"unranked"** | **26th** & **"unranked"** | **82nd**
(Harrisburg) | **16th–17th** | **104th** | **98th** | **93rd** |
| Temple University | **102nd**, National Universities | N/A | **45th** | **124th** | **15th** (Tyler) | **48th** (Beasley) | N/A | **60th** & **85th** (Katz) | N/A & **72nd** | N/A | N/A | **168th** | **301st–400th** | **651st–700th** |
| University of Pittsburgh | **58th**, National Universities (Pittsburgh Campus) | **43rd** (Katz) | **33rd** | **47th** (Swanson) | N/A | **77th** | **10th** | **13th** & **14th** | **12th** & **9th** | **35th** | **13th–15th** | **80th** | **89th** | **140th** |
::
### Endowment and research
**Endowments (FY 2018*)**
::data[format=table]
| | |
|---|---|
::
**Research and Development Expenditures (FY 2017)**
::data[format=table]
| | |
|---|---|
::
## References
## References
1. ["State-Related Universities"](http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/institution_types/8713/state-related_universities/522465). *Pennsylvania Department of Education*.
2. Barlow, Kimberly K.. (March 17, 2011). ["How state budget process works"](http://www.utimes.pitt.edu/?p=15710). *University Times*.
3. Alberts, Robert C.. (1986). ["Pitt: The Story of the University of Pittsburgh 1787–1987"](https://documenting.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt%3A31735057896312/viewer#page/363/mode/1up). *[[University of Pittsburgh Press]]*.
4. Dane, Perry. (2014). "Saving Rutgers-Camden". *Rutgers Law Journal*.
5. Deibler, William E.. (May 8, 1967). ["Discover State-related Universities Found Only in this State; 3 of Them"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DlcmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZP8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1123%2C4466932). *The Gettysburg Times*.
6. Schackner, Bill. (February 17, 2008). ["Pitt, Penn State escape parts of open records law"](http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08048/858150-298.stm). *Pittsburgh Post-Gazette*.
7. (April 9, 2013). ["About Lincoln"](http://www.lincoln.edu/about.html). *Lincoln University of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania*.
8. ''Pennsylvania State University v. County of Centre,'' 615 A.2d 303, 532 Pa. 142 (1992). https://law.justia.com/cases/pennsylvania/supreme-court/1992/532-pa-142-1.html
9. ''Roy v. Pennsylvania State University,'' 568 A.2d 751, 130 Pa.Commw. 468 (1990). https://law.justia.com/cases/pennsylvania/commonwealth-court/1990/130-pa-commw-468-0.html
10. (September 14, 2020). ["Best Regional Universities North Rankings"](https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/regional-universities-north).
11. (September 14, 2020). ["National University Rankings"](https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities).
12. (2019). ["U.S. News & World Report Best Education Schools 2020"](https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-education-schools/edu-rankings).
13. (2019). ["Best Business Schools 2020"](https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools/mba-rankings).
14. (2019). ["Best Engineering Schools 2020"](https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-engineering-schools/eng-rankings).
15. (2016). ["Best Fine Arts Schools 2017"](https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-fine-arts-schools/fine-arts-rankings).
16. (2019). ["Best Law Schools"](https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/law-rankings).
17. (2017). ["Best Library and Information Science Programs"](https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-library-information-science-programs/library-information-science-rankings).
18. (2019). ["Best Medical Schools: Research"](https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools).
19. (2019). ["Best Medical Schools: Primary Care"](https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools/primary-care-rankings).
20. (2019). ["Best Nursing Schools: Master's"](https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-nursing-schools/nur-rankings).
21. (2019). ["Best Nursing Schools: Doctor of Nursing Practice"](https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-nursing-schools/dnp-rankings).
22. (2019). ["Best Public Affairs Programs"](https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-public-affairs-schools/public-affairs-rankings). *U.S. News & World Report*.
23. (2018). ["The Top American Research Universities: 2017 Annual Report"](https://mup.umass.edu/sites/default/files/annual_report_2017.pdf). *The Center for Measuring University Performance*.
24. (September 4, 2019). ["The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings 2019"](https://www.timeshighereducation.com/rankings/united-states/2019#!/page/0/length/-1/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats).
25. (August 15, 2019). ["Academic Ranking of World Universities 2019"](http://www.shanghairanking.com/ARWU2019.html).
26. (2019). ["QS World University Rankings"](https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2020).
27. (2018). ["U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Endowment Market Value and Change* in Endowment Market Value from FY17 to FY18"](https://www.nacubo.org/-/media/Nacubo/Documents/research/2018-Endowment-Market-Values--Final.ashx?la=en&hash=31CF91E74EAAB91288E53E2BCD629C35710C1C03).
28. (November 2018). ["University Facts"](https://www.lincoln.edu/about/university-facts).
29. ["Rankings by total R&D expenditures"](https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/profiles/site?method=rankingBySource&ds=herd). *National Science Foundation*.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"]
This article was imported from [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_System_of_Higher_Education) and is available under the [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the [article history page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_System_of_Higher_Education?action=history).
::