The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania law regarding veterans' preference is very strong.  This law states that in any Civil Service appointment or promotion for a public position the veteran will be given extra credit for their past or present military service.  Persons entitled to this preference would have been honorably discharged after 1953.

Pennsylvania's Veterans Preference Law applies to System universities in the hiring of all instructional and non-instructional faculty, administrative and management positions that are filled by means of search-and-screen procedures.  Furthermore, Slippery Rock University complies with the Viet Nam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974.

It is recommended that those veterans' applying for instructional and non-instructional positions should complete a "voluntary" pre-employment inquiry form that allows the candidate to identify their veteran status.