Lackawanna College will now offer more degrees as it builds a presence in Southeast Pennsylvania.
The school, based in Scranton, announced on Wednesday that it has received final approval from the U.S. Department of Education for its merger with Peirce College, an online school based in Philadelphia.
“We're so thrilled that the merger has finally been approved,” Lackawanna College President Jill A. Murray said. “Now it allows us to really understand our Philadelphia presence and our Philadelphia partners and expand our purview to the Philadelphia region, Southeast PA region, which I think is very exciting for us.”
With the merger complete, Lackawanna is now the largest open-enrollment, private, nonprofit institution at the undergraduate level in Pennsylvania.
Open enrollment means students can enroll without SAT scores or a minimum GPA requirement. Lackawanna serves more than 8,000 students annually in 11 locations and online — with the number expected to increase to 10,000 with the merger.
Additional degrees, presence
The colleges announced their plans to merge in August 2024. Peirce, established in 1865 to provide education for soldiers returning from the Civil War, at the time of the announcement had just under 1,400 students, who were predominantly women of color.
Peirce College is now Lackawanna College – Philadelphia Center. Lackawanna’s Peirce School of Online Education allows students to complete their courses 100% online. New degrees with the Lackawanna name will now include paralegal, health information technology and six masters programs.
“It's been a long road, and I think at the end of the day, it's really going to enhance the Lackawanna College presence and portfolio across the state as we continue to grow,” Murray said.
Talks of a merger began three years ago. Lackawanna had to cut some positions, due to duplicate roles at both colleges, Murray said. More than 100 adjunct faculty members from Peirce will continue to teach, she said.
The merger comes as Lackawanna recently announced three new skilled trade centers across central and western Pennsylvania, broke ground on the Center for Technology Innovation and prepared to join the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), an NCAA Division II conference.
