The School of Veterinary Medicine is set to receive $31.56 million in state funding under Pennsylvania’s 2026-27 budget, continuing the state’s annual support for Penn Vet.
Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the bill on July 12, appropriating the money to Penn Vet and an additional $1.793 million for Penn Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases. The funding follows months of legislative consideration that included an unsuccessful effort to reserve a portion of Penn Vet’s allocation for in-state scholarships.
A Penn Vet spokesperson wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian that the school is “grateful to the General Assembly and the Governor’s administration” for funding its “education, clinical, testing, and research services.”
“We play a vital role in advancing the profitability, viability, and safety of Pennsylvania’s farms and protecting our food supply against devastating diseases such as avian influenza,” the spokesperson wrote.
The legislation requires that payments be made quarterly by the Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture throughout fiscal year 2026-27. It also maintains existing conditions tied to the University’s receipt of state funding, including continued representation of four Commonwealth-appointed voting members on the University’s Board of Trustees.
The bill requires Penn to submit a report by Sept. 30, 2027 that details how the appropriated funds were used “to reduce the costs to Pennsylvania resident students or to provide services to Pennsylvania residents.”
The appropriation was considered by the Pennsylvania House twice before receiving final legislative approval.
In March, the House Appropriations Committee unanimously approved the legislation. Later that month, lawmakers introduced an amendment would have set aside $11 million of Penn Vet’s funding as scholarships for Pennsylvania residents attending the school.
The amendment failed in a 99-102 vote during House consideration of the bill.
The House Appropriations Committee again approved the original version of the bill on July 1 despite unanimous Republican opposition. Later that day, the full House passed the original bill with broad bipartisan support.
Penn Vet’s state appropriation has been the subject of debate in recent years.
In December 2023, state lawmakers voted to withhold more than $33 million in funding from Penn Vet and Penn Med in the wake of concerns over antisemitism on campus. Shapiro later allocated funding for the institutions in February 2024, though questions surrounding state support continued throughout that year’s budget negotiations.
A request for comment was left with Shapiro’s office.
Following months of uncertainty in 2025, Penn received a similar amount of state funding.
Senior reporter Ananya Karthik covers central administration and can be reached at karthik@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies communication and economics. Follow her on X @ananyaakarthik.
