PA Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program (PEGP)

The Pennsylvania Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program waives tuition, fees and on-campus room and board at the state's public colleges for children of people who died protecting Pennsylvanians. It covers children, by birth or adoption, of police officers, firefighters, rescue or ambulance squad members, corrections employees and active National Guard members who died in the line of duty after January 1, 1976, and of sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, Guard members and others on federal or state active military duty who died in the line of duty after September 11, 2001. The waiver applies to the balance left after all other grants and scholarships. Students must be Pennsylvania residents, 25 or younger when they apply, and enrolled full time in an associate or bachelor's program at a Pennsylvania community college, state-owned university or state-related university. To apply, families mail the PEGP application with a certified birth certificate and a letter of admission, and file the FAFSA and PA State Grant application, by March 31.

Other deadlines near this one

How hard is the PA Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program (PEGP) to win?

A large applicant pool chases this award. Apply if the student is a genuinely strong fit, but build the plan around better-odds awards first. The provider does not publish applicant or winner counts, so Solyo shows no odds figure for this award.

Odds: not published by the provider
Paperwork: ~3 hrs to file

What drives the odds here

Odds on a scholarship are mostly a question of how many students can enter. Each rule below changes the size of that field.

Fewer rivalsOpen only to Pennsylvania residents
Fewer rivalsRequires a military or national-service connection
Fewer rivalsRequires a specific life circumstance
Fewer rivalsOpen to a single grade level only

How Solyo estimates this: We model the applicant field from how narrow the eligibility rules are, then divide the awards available by that field. Requirements such as essays and recommendation letters improve a serious applicant’s odds, because most browsers never complete them. These are estimates derived from each award's published structure, not reported acceptance rates, which almost no scholarship provider discloses. Treat them as a way to rank where the hours go, not as a guarantee.

Who can apply for the PA Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program (PEGP)?

These are the eligibility rules Solyo verified against the official award page, translated into plain English. Your student must meet each one.

Must be a resident of Pennsylvania
Must attend a college in Pennsylvania (the award does not travel out of state)
Open to high school seniors
For students who lost a parent in military service
For parent first responder line of duty death
Age 25 or younger

Confirm these before applying

Parent must have died in the line of duty as a Pennsylvania police officer, firefighter, rescue or ambulance member, corrections employee, sheriff, deputy, or National Guard or other active-duty service member, within the dates set by law
Student must be 25 or younger and enroll full time at a Pennsylvania community college, state-owned or state-related university

What the application takes

No essay, recommendation letters, or transcript are required. This is one of the lighter applications in the directory.

Deadline and application cycle

The current deadline is March 31, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around March 31 each year. Applications open October 1 (FAFSA opens). The application needs a letter of admission, so apply to college early enough to have one before the March 31 mailing.

2027-28 FAFSA opens: October 1, 2026
PEGP application, birth certificate and admission letter mailed: March 31, 2027

Remind me before March 31 Apply on the official site

Free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge a fee. We use your student's information only to build their plan.

Common questions about the PA Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program (PEGP)

How much is the PA Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program (PEGP) worth?

The PA Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program (PEGP) awards tuition, fees and on-campus room and board at Pennsylvania public colleges (after other grants) and is renewable in later years.

When is the PA Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program (PEGP) deadline?

The current deadline is March 31, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around March 31 each year. Applications open October 1 (FAFSA opens). The application needs a letter of admission, so apply to college early enough to have one before the March 31 mailing.

When do PA Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program (PEGP) applications open?

Applications open October 1 (FAFSA opens), and close March 31, 2027. The application needs a letter of admission, so apply to college early enough to have one before the March 31 mailing.

Who is eligible for the PA Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program (PEGP)?

Key requirements: Must be a resident of Pennsylvania; Must attend a college in Pennsylvania (the award does not travel out of state); Open to high school seniors; For students who lost a parent in military service. 2 more criteria are listed on this page.

Does the PA Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program (PEGP) require an essay?

No essay is required. The application is light on requirements. Expect to spend about 3 hours on it.

How hard is it to win the PA Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program (PEGP)?

A large applicant pool chases this award. Apply if the student is a genuinely strong fit, but build the plan around better-odds awards first. The provider does not publish applicant or winner counts, so Solyo shows no odds figure for this award. What is known: open only to Pennsylvania residents and requires a military or national-service connection. Plan on about 3 hrs of work.

Is the PA Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program (PEGP) free to apply?

Yes. The PA Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program (PEGP) is free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge an application fee, and Solyo verifies every listed award against its official page.