Presbyterian Senior Living Partners With Penn State

A formal affiliation agreement lets Penn State health policy and administration majors complete unpaid internships at PSL communities across Pennsylvania.

Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Internships

Presbyterian Senior Living Partners With Penn State

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Presbyterian Senior Living finalized a formal affiliation agreement with Penn State that creates internship opportunities for Penn State HPA students. The agreement applies across all Pennsylvania communities within the PSL network and carries an initial one-year term with automatic renewals.

Why it matters

The arrangement gives students supervised, hands-on experience in senior living administration within Pennsylvania. It also offers a pathway into a field that serves more than 6,000 seniors across the PSL network.

Each internship runs approximately 320 hours, typically completed over eight 40-hour workweeks, and counts as a 400-level course toward the student's degree. The agreement covers the Pennsylvania communities within a network of 27 locations serving more than 6,000 seniors.

The players

Presbyterian Senior Living

Presbyterian Senior Living is a not-for-profit organization providing residential senior living and care services across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, and Delaware.

Penn State

The Pennsylvania State University is a public research university whose Health Policy and Administration program is participating in the internship agreement.

The details

Eligible participants must be Penn State HPA majors who have completed the NHA 120-hour course requirement. Internships are unpaid, and communities hosting interns will provide meals while interns are on campus. Placement requests are coordinated centrally through PSL, and each placement requires approval from the Executive Director and Nursing Home Administrator.

First internship placements may begin as early as late fall 2026, depending on student interest and availability.
The initial term of the affiliation agreement is one year, with automatic renewals.

Career Pipeline

Completing the internship makes students eligible to sit for the Personal Care Home Administrators certificate in Pennsylvania, the credential the state requires for administering personal care homes. The arrangement connects academic training directly to that state licensing pathway.

Penn State HPA students gain access to unpaid, supervised placements that count toward their degree. Students who finish the roughly 320-hour internship can pursue the Pennsylvania certificate needed to administer personal care homes.

The takeaway

Students interested in senior living administration in Pennsylvania now have a structured route into the field through a formal university partnership. The unpaid format means prospective interns should weigh the cost of uncompensated hours against the degree credit and certificate eligibility.