WILKES-BARRE -- There was lots of applause and lots of smiles as Governor Tom Corbett made an announcement worth $6 million.
The commonwealth is giving $3 million to King's College and another $3 million to Wilkes University to expand their programs.
Both King's and Wilkes are private schools . They competed with public universities for the state grant money.
"The students that attend here, the people who work here, are all part of the taxpayers of Pennsylvania, and so this is an investment," said one person.
And the futures of these students seem bright.
At Wilkes, the money will go toward creating and upgrading three high-tech laboratories for nanotechnology, bioengineering and manufacturing.
"Anything to get us ahead for when we go into the workforce, that's definitely a bonus," said Tim Connors, a sophomore at Wilkes.
The $3 million that King's College has received will pay for more renovations at the new King's on the Square space .
The new King's building on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre was once the Ramada Hotel.
It now offers labs, classrooms, a restaurant, and student housing.
Students said they're grateful because the improvements so far have been enormous.
"Having everything here is so convenient for us. We're able to save time on the little things that don't matter and focus on what we need to get done," said one King's College sophomore.