WARREN, Pa. — State education officials have given the green light for an educational institution to provide low-cost instruction for nine northwestern Pennsylvania counties lacking a community college.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education last week approved plans by the Rural Regional College of northern Pennsylvania to enroll students in the fall in a partnership with Gannon University in Erie. The college has been offering limited courses.

Officials say the college is neither an online school nor a traditional brick-and-mortar college but instead aims to keep costs down by using video conferencing technology linking faculty to students at places such as libraries or community education centers.

The “community college-like” institution aims to provide “affordable and accessible education opportunities” for Cameron, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, McKean, Potter, Venango and Warren counties.

The college will require only a high school diploma or GED and will charge $180 per credit and $60 per credit for dual-enrollment students currently in high school.