Mansfield University receives Guard Friendly School Award from Pennsylvania National Guard Associations

MANSFIELD, Pa. – Mansfield University received the inaugural Pennsylvania National Guard Associations Guard Friendly School designation.

Developed by the PNGAS Education Advisory Council, the PNGAS Guard-Friendly School standards were designed to recognize colleges, universities and trade schools which meet or exceed ten (10) baseline criteria that create a supportive learning environment to assist members of the Pennsylvania Guard pursuing post-secondary degrees. Of the more than 480 schools eligible to receive Pennsylvania Educational Assistance Program (EAP) funds, Mansfield University is among the first 30 to receive the coveted designation as a Guard Friendly School.

“Guardsmen have unique responsibilities that active duty troops and reservists do not have, and this creates different challenges for them when pursuing a degree,” stated Brigadier General (Retired) George Schwartz, Chairman of the PNGAS Education Action Council. “These 30 schools have made a deliberate effort to be flexible, accommodating and supportive of Guardsmen-Students and deserving of recognition. The PNGAS Guard Friendly School designation is a win-win!”

The PNGAS is the only organization solely dedicated to the 19,438 members and more than 67,500 veterans of the Pennsylvania National Guard and their families.

The EAP provides a tuition benefit equivalent to the yearly tuition rate set by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) institutions so that members of the Pennsylvania National Guard can attend one of 488 approved schools based in Pennsylvania. Presently, the EAP is an almost $32,000 tuition benefit for each Guardsman.

With the July 2019 enactment of the Military Family Education Program (MFEP), there is a now a non-lapsing fund providing EAP-like tuition benefits to spouses and children of members of the Pennsylvania National Guard when a Guardsman re-enlists for another 6-year term too. Next year, the MFEP will be an almost $32,000 tuition benefit for spouses and/or children of a Guard member that reenlists for 6-years.

For more information on attending Mansfield University, visit admissions.mansfield.edu.