Penn State Offers Tuition Reduction to Troops
Military.com
Colleges and universities are becoming too expensive for our active-duty servicemembers to afford. Some military-sponsored scholarships and other financial aid programs only cover a little less than half of $13,425 it costs to attend a four-year college, according to the Census Bureau. However, Penn State wants to make getting a good education more affordable and now provides a tuition reduction program for our troops.Penn State's World Campus tuition assistance program is available to all members of the U.S. Armed Forces, and the Coast Guard, in addition to Guard and Reservists who serve on active duty. This new grant-in-aid program lowers the tuition rate to $299 per credit hour for all servicemembers that apply.
"Penn State is continuing a long tradition of serving the men and women in the military..." said Penn State World Campus executive director, Ken Udas, in a press release.
"We want to continue this tradition of doing our best for those men and women who are serving our country." Udas added.
The pilot grant-in-aid program is part of a growing initiative by several colleges and universities that will help make obtaining a degree more affordable for active-duty servicemembers. In fact, the number of states offering tuition reductions and discounts to active-duty personnel and veterans swelled from six to 19, according to an Advanced Military Education report. What's more, other states are working on legislation to enhance veterans' educational benefits.
"Providing tuition reductions and grant-in-aid for soldiers and veterans is a trend in higher education and distance education [and there] there should be no exception," said Craig Weidemann, vice president of Penn State Outreach, in a press release.
"We want to make sure the men and women who are in the military have access to quality educational opportunities no matter where they are serving," added Weidemann.
Penn State's tuition reduction program will begin in the fall of 2008 and is only applicable to active-duty, undergraduate students who attend Penn State's World Campus. For more information or to apply for the grant-in-aid program visit, www.worldcampus.psu.edu.
For more information about veterans education benefits, visit Military.com's Education or Benefits channels.
