<p>I don’t think the branch campuses can stay with Pitt or Penn State if they go private. Currently they serve mostly in-state students who can’t (immediately) get into the main campus, or need to be within commuting distance, and that mission goes away for a private school. There aren’t many private schools with branch campuses, and those that exist seem to be overseas or built into a new up-scale opportunity (e.g. [Cornell</a> in NYC](<a href=“Cornell in NYC | Cornell University”>Cornell in NYC | Cornell University)).</p>
<p>I think the Pitt or Penn State branches would have to merge into the state-owned system, which hopefully becomes stronger as a result.</p>