Frequently Asked Questions

Student candidates must have completed either their sophomore or junior year by June of the year they wish to attend PFEW and be recommended by a high school representative. Students need not be enrolled in business courses, however, they must display a sincere interest in gaining valuable knowledge by participating in a challenging experience. 

Students who live outside of Pennsylvania are welcome to apply and be considered for PFEW, however, Pennsylvania students are given priority. If an out of state candidate wants to apply, he/she will be responsible for raising their own sponsorship fee. All out of state applicants interested in PFEW should contact our offices for more details.

All participants will be sponsored by a local business, civic or educational group, chamber of commerce, or a business association. This sponsorship will be awarded by the Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week staff on behalf of the sponsoring organization. The sponsorship covers all meals in the college dining hall, dormitory space, program materials, and activities.

However, students are responsible for their own transportation to and from the program and a non-refundable registration fee of $295. (Financial aid and/or payment plans are available by contacting the PFEW office at time of registration.)

PFEW takes place in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Depending on the week assigned, students will be attending the program on the campus of either Lycoming College or Pennsylvania College of Technology. Students should refer to their registration packets to be sure they are aware of which campus they have been assigned.

No. Each participant is responsible for their own transportation to and from Williamsport. Many students choose to carpool with other students from their area. 

Students are permitted to use their cell phones anytime during free time or mealtime. If there is an emergency and a student needs to be reached, you can call our 24-hour emergency office number listed on a students' registration packet. Packages or letters can be sent to any participant by addressing the package to:

PFEW
Participants Name
College where they are attending
College address
Williamsport, PA 17701

Use the map for either Lycoming College or Pennsylvania College of Technology that was sent in the students' registration packet.

Each participant should refer to their PFEW checklist of suggested items they received in their registration packet.

Each participant is given a copy of the Rules and Regulations upon registering for the program. All parents and participants also sign off on the rules when a student applies for PFEW.

Each student dormitory building is assigned at least one Resident Hall Advisor. Each RA's room is equipped with a refrigerator that can be used for storing any medications that need to be kept cold. All students must be able to dispense their own medications to themselves at the proper times. There are no medical staff on campus and any student health issues are immediately dealt with at the Williamsport Hospital.

Dress while at PFEW is casual (ex: t-shirts, shorts, jeans) with the exception of the final day when students will be required to dress in business attire (pants, dress shirts, ties with or without a sport coat for males; dresses, skirts, dress slacks and a dress shirt for females.) both for their final presentations and for the awards ceremony. No student will be permitted to wear any clothing that is considered vulgar or contains any kind of nudity or profanity at any time during the week. Depending on which campus the student is attending, they may be required to wear closed-toed shoes for a tour during the week.

In the event that a student must cancel, they are asked to contact the PFEW office immediately so that their sponsorship can be reassigned to another student. The registration fee is, however, non-refundable.

Yes. A student may drive to PFEW, however, they will be required to turn in their car keys upon registering at the program. Their keys will be returned to them once they have completed the check out process at the end of the week.

Yes. Both students must complete an application and meet all of the eligibility criteria to be accepted to PFEW. If they wish to share dorm rooms, both must complete the Roommate Request section of the application by writing in each other's name. PFEW will make every effort to ensure that both are placed in the same dorm room.

No. All students are randomly assigned to companies by the PFEW staff. This will give all participants the opportunity to meet other students from around the state.

No way!!! PFEW provides you with a chance like no other. To experience what it is like to live on a college campus. You will connect with students from all over Pennsylvania and create friendships that will last a lifetime. Leisurely activities and free time interspersed each day give you time to relax and enjoy yourself.

Fill out an application online or download an application from the website. If you currently have a hard copy of an application, complete the application as well as the essays on the back and email a scan/photo to amber@pfew.org or mail it in to the PFEW office at the address listed. You may ignore the school official's signature line, as the PFEW staff will contact the school directly for this verification.

After review of your application, you will be notified of your registration status by email. If accepted, you will receive medical and sponsorship registration forms that must be completed and returned along with your non-refundable registration fee within the allotted time. Receipt of these forms and the registration fee in a timely manner confirms your attendance at PFEW.

If a student realizes they have not or will not be able to return their registration material with the time stated in their registration email and they wish to attend, they MUST contact the PFEW office to make sure their sponsorship is still available. The PFEW staff will then instruct the student on how to proceed.

Once a student has provided all of the needed information in their registration packet along with their registration fee, they are all set to attend PFEW during the week they were assigned. In order to be sure that the PFEW office has obtained all of the needed paperwork and fees, simply go to the online portal and login to our account to check your status, or you can use the Student Status Lookup form on our website using the student's first and last name and their phone number. PFEW will not notify students directly that their paperwork is completed.

If you are currently not receiving our School Contact Packets, please contact the PFEW office or sign up on the website by visiting the Educators Info/Visit Request Page. A complete schools packet will then be mailed out to you that includes student applications, posters, and other useful promotional material.

As applications are submitted, PFEW will contact the school via email for verification of any online student applications.  School officials can also email the PFEW office at amber@pfew.org to verify that the applicant(s) are a student at the school and in good standing. No original signatures are required, email verification is sufficient.  If you have questions about a student's application, you are welcome to contact the office.

No. In order to ensure that all students have the opportunity to attend, participation must be limited to one time only.

While our application deadline is typically May 1st, for 2026 we are accepting applications on a first-come, first-served basis until all open spaces have been filled. Due to the number of applications received each year, it is suggested that applications be submitted to PFEW as soon as they are completed. Week preference is subject to availability upon receipt of application. Those applications received first will receive the first choice of the weeks chosen if at all possible.

Anyone wishing to inquire about having a presentation done for their school or organizational meeting, should contact the PFEW office as far ahead of the event as possible. Please visit our online Presentation Request Form to sign up for an in-person or virtual presentation.  Due to the number of visits requested each year, availability is limited but every effort will be made to accommodate as many as possible. 

No. Schools are encouraged to submit as many applications as they wish.

Company Advisors are dedicated folks who each spend a week with their own team of 16 or 17 high school students. The young people, along with their Advisor, run an imaginary company and compete against other student companies manufacturing and marketing their product. No particular background is needed to be an effective Advisor – just a love of working with young people and a desire to help them prepare to be responsible citizens and participants in our free market system. If you are interested in learning more about being a Company Advisor see our CA Information Sheet or if you would like to sign up, please visit the Company Advisor Sign-Up page.

On the initial application, please rank in order the week you would like to attend PFEW. PFEW staff will make every attempt to meet your requests, however, space is limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are assigned a week and are not able to attend, we will make every effort possible to accommodate you in a different week. Once a week is full, you will be placed on a waiting list, but will not be guaranteed a spot in the preferred week.

***Please note: In the event you should need to change weeks or cancel, please contact the PFEW office. Once submitted, your registration fee is non-refundable.

Due to possible last-minute schedule changes, the schedule for each PFEW session remains tentative and is not released to students, parents, volunteers or educators until the first day of each session. At that time, a schedule for the week will be provided to all students and volunteers.

With the high price of gas and hectic summer schedules, we often have parents looking for assistance with travel arrangements to and from PFEW. If you wish to carpool with another family, please email our office and give written permission for us to share your information with any interested family from your area. You may also wish to contact your student's school guidance office or PFEW contact for a list of students attending PFEW.

***Please note: We cannot give out personal information such as phone numbers, addresses, etc. without written permission from a parent/guardian.

When logging into the online portal, you will need both your username and the password you set. If you forget your password, you can reset it using the Forgot Password link. You can then follow the instructions sent to your email address on file to have the password reset. 

For students or recent alumni (PFEW 2021+), your username is what was created when you initially registered for PFEW (not your email address). If you do have to reset your password, the email will go to the student email address that we have on file. 

For volunteers or other portal users, your username is typically your email address, unless it was changed for other reasons. Your reset password link will go to the email address that we have on file for you. If you need to update the email assocaited with your account, please contact our office by emailing info@pfew.org to let us know you need it updated.

If you are having trouble with your username or resetting your password, you can contact our office for assistance. 

Changes to your previously submitted information (guardian, medical, insurance, etc.) can be done in your online student portal. Simply log into your portal and go to account information. You can then find the information that you need to update and change it there. Please be sure to click save before exiting or your changes will not be submitted.