Pennsylvania Postsecondary Educational Gratuity for Children of Fallen Guard Members

Waives the tuition, fees and on-campus room and board that other grants leave, at a Pennsylvania community college, state-owned or state-related school, for the child of a Pennsylvania National Guard member or other service member on state or federal active duty who died in the line of duty; first-time applicants must be 25 or younger, and a spouse may use it for 10 years.

Also called: PEGP, postsecondary educational gratuity, National Guard, line of duty, room and board, tuition waiver, age 25.

For: Child, survivor.

Where it applies

Written for the jurisdictions listed here.

PennsylvaniaState

The Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program is the benefit for the children of Pennsylvania National Guard members killed in the line of duty, and it is far more generous than the flat Educational Gratuity. PEGP is run by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency. Its military student aid brochure: the program "waive[s] cost of attendance not covered by other grants and scholarships at Pennsylvania community colleges, state-owned universities, and state-related postsecondary institutions", which in practice means tuition, fees and on-campus room and board after other aid. Eligibility covers the birth or adoptive child of a Pennsylvania National Guard member who died in the line of duty since January 1, 1976, and of a National Guard member or other individual on federal or state active military duty who died after September 11, 2001 "as a direct result of performing their official duties" (the same programme also covers the families of police officers, firefighters, rescue and ambulance crews, corrections employees and sheriffs). PHEAA says the law was amended in 2006 to reach service members and airmen killed, or who died of injuries, on federal or state active duty. First-time applicants must be 25 or younger, and "A spouse may receive the benefit up to 10 years after their member's death." The schools are Pennsylvania's community colleges, the ten universities of the State System of Higher Education (consolidated from fourteen in 2022), and Penn State, Pitt, Temple and Lincoln. A student choosing a private college does not receive an equivalent cash amount, so the choice of school changes the value of this benefit more than anything else about it. Apply through PHEAA (PHEAA.org/PEGP), after filing the FAFSA and the State Grant application; PHEAA's page answers only in a script browser. A family that also has a claim under the Educational Gratuity should ask which to use, since PEGP is the larger benefit where it applies.

Thresholds

Thresholds for Pennsylvania Postsecondary Educational Gratuity for Children of Fallen Guard Members
Gate	Rule
A parent in the Pennsylvania National Guard who died in the line of duty	The gate is the line-of-duty death of a Pennsylvania National Guard member since January 1, 1976, or of a Guard member or other individual on federal or state active military duty after September 11, 2001. No disability rating is involved, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.
A child 25 or younger at first application, or a spouse within 10 years	PHEAA: first-time applicants must be 25 or younger; a spouse may receive the benefit up to 10 years after the death. Community colleges, state-owned and state-related institutions only.

Sources

Updated

Last updated 2026-10-24.

What changed then:

Eligibility rule “A parent in the Pennsylvania National Guard who died in the line of duty” now reads: “The gate is the line-of-duty death of a Pennsylvania National Guard member since January 1, 1976, or of a Guard member or other individual on federal or state active military duty after September 11, 2001. No disability rating is involved, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.”
Eligibility rule “The child is 25 or younger” renamed “A child 25 or younger at first application, or a spouse within 10 years”.
Eligibility rule “A child 25 or younger at first application, or a spouse within 10 years” now reads: “PHEAA: first-time applicants must be 25 or younger; a spouse may receive the benefit up to 10 years after the death. Community colleges, state-owned and state-related institutions only.”
And 6 more changes.

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Disclaimer

VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.