Seton Hill Gets $2.2M for AI Learning

A federal grant will fund laptops and local AI infrastructure for students at Seton Hill University in Westmoreland County.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Financial Aid

Bold vector editorial illustration of a closed silver laptop on an ochre plinth in front of soft green hills, evoking a local AI learning program. — Seton Hill University received a $2.2 million federal Department of Education grant to put MacBook Pro laptops and a locally hosted AI learning environment in the hands of first-year students. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you think federal grants for local college AI training will help workers in your area?

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Seton Hill University a $2.2 million grant for a five-year project called WISE Local AI. First-year students studying cybersecurity, computer science, data analytics and applied sciences will receive MacBook Pro computers under the initiative.

Why it matters

The project expands hands-on access to artificial intelligence for Pennsylvania students and builds employer partnerships across the region. It aims to prepare graduates for jobs in AI, technology, healthcare and business.

The grant totals $2.2 million from the U.S. Department of Education and funds a five-year program. The source does not state the number of laptops to be distributed or the cost per device.

The players

U.S. Department of Education

The federal agency that awarded the $2.2 million grant to Seton Hill University, administering federal education funding and programs nationwide.

Seton Hill University

A private Catholic university in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, in Westmoreland County, which received the grant and will run the WISE Local AI project.

The details

Seton Hill will provide first-year students with MacBook Pro computers that run AI tools on the device rather than through the cloud. The university is also building a secure, locally hosted AI learning environment on campus and has added an AI minor.

Five-year period: the WISE Local AI project runs over this span.

Season Trajectory

Federal education grants increasingly fund campus workforce programs tied to emerging technologies such as AI. This award follows that pattern by pairing a $2.2 million federal grant with student hardware and regional employer partnerships.

First-year students in cybersecurity, computer science, data analytics and applied sciences at Seton Hill will receive MacBook Pro computers through the grant. Students outside these programs and families paying tuition are not directly covered by the extraction's reported terms.

The takeaway

Federal grants can put advanced computing tools directly into students' hands and tie campus training to regional jobs. Students interested in AI-related majors can ask their schools how such hardware and partnership programs are offered.