Montgomery County’s colleges are no longer just places where students attend class. Across the county, campuses are becoming construction hubs, workforce pipelines, healthcare training grounds, environmental classrooms, and regional anchors that help define the communities around them.

Penn State Abington’s Building Boom

That shift can be seen most visibly at Penn State Abington, where the campus is moving through one of the most significant building periods in its history.

A new academic building is expected to open in fall 2026 with modern classrooms, labs, studios, and collaborative spaces, while a $25 million renovation of the campus’s Physical Education Building is on track for completion in 2027. Together, the projects signal a major investment in a campus that serves thousands of students in eastern Montgomery County.

But Penn State Abington is only one part of a broader higher education story unfolding across Montco.

Ursinus College Charts a New Direction

In Collegeville, Ursinus College is also repositioning itself for the next generation of students. Under President Gundolf Graml, the college has emphasized academic innovation, experiential learning, and new career-connected pathways, including programs tied to health sciences and business.

The move reflects a larger reality facing liberal arts colleges: students and families increasingly want to see how a broad education connects to jobs, graduate school, and long-term opportunity.

Montgomery County Community College Powers the Workforce

Montgomery County Community College may be the clearest example of that workforce connection. With major campuses in Blue Bell and Pottstown, Montco serves students looking for transfer degrees, career changes, technical credentials, and affordable pathways into higher education.

Its workforce development programs work with local employers on training needs in areas such as business, healthcare, information technology, and manufacturing. In a county where employers continue to compete for skilled workers, the community college functions as both an educational institution and an economic development tool.

Temple Ambler’s Living Laboratory

Temple University Ambler adds another dimension. The campus has long been associated with horticulture, landscape architecture, sustainability, and environmental design.

Its arboretum, greenhouses, gardens, and outdoor spaces make the campus feel less like a satellite location and more like a living laboratory for how suburban communities think about public space. In a county shaped by development pressure, aging infrastructure, and open space debates, that kind of expertise has real local relevance.

Drexel Expands Health Sciences Education in Elkins Park

In Elkins Park, Drexel University’s merger with Salus University created another important Montgomery County higher education foothold.

The former Salus campus is now Drexel’s Elkins Park Campus, giving the research university a stronger presence in health professions education.

That matters in a region where healthcare remains one of the most important employment sectors. The demand for trained professionals only continues to grow.

Bryn Mawr and Haverford Show the Power of Collaboration

Meanwhile, Bryn Mawr College and Haverford College show how collaboration can be as important as construction. The two Main Line institutions have long been linked through cross-registration and shared academic opportunities.

Their partnership gives students access to a broader academic world than either campus could provide alone. It reinforces the idea that Montco’s colleges often operate as part of a larger educational network.

What It All Means for Montgomery County

Together, these institutions tell a bigger story about Montgomery County. Penn State Abington is building. Ursinus is adapting. Montco is training the workforce.

Temple Ambler is connecting education to the environment. Drexel’s Elkins Park Campus is expanding healthcare education. Bryn Mawr and Haverford are deepening their collaboration.

Individually, each campus has its own mission. Collectively, they show how higher education remains woven into the future of Montgomery County. Not just through the students it graduates, but through the jobs it supports, the towns it anchors, and the changing needs it helps the region meet.