Shapiro Admin Waives College Degree Requirements for State Police Cadets

Pennsylvania has waived the college education requirement for aspiring state troopers, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced on Monday. 

Speaking from Pennsylvania State Police headquarters in Hershey, Shapiro said that eliminating the 60 college credit requirement would help PSP “attract and retain quality talent” in the midst of an ongoing shortage of police officers statewide. 

“Our administration has worked to emphasize skills and experience in Commonwealth hiring practices, and now the PSP has dropped the college credit requirement for state troopers to empower those who want to serve their community and open even more doors for Pennsylvanians to chart their own course and succeed,” Shapiro said. 

In January, the newly elected governor signed his first executive order, removing college degree requirements for nearly 65,000 commonwealth jobs.

“Filling the ranks of the Pennsylvania State Police with women and men dedicated to serving the people of Pennsylvania is of utmost importance,” Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Colonel Christopher Paris said. “The elimination of the college credit requirement will open the door to a rewarding career for many who would make exemplary troopers but would not have otherwise had the opportunity.”

Cadets must still meet eligibility requirements outlined by the PSP and must pass the qualifying examination, complete a polygraph examination, background investigation, physical readiness test, medical screening, and psychological screening before attending 28 weeks of training at the academy.

Cadets who complete the training are promoted to the rank of trooper with a set salary of $66,911 annually. 

The Shapiro administration said that the change to the requirement will be “re-evaluated pending the results of multiple application cycles” and that it will “continue to regularly evaluate its hiring practices to ensure the Commonwealth is recruiting the most well-qualified public servants possible.”