Table of Contents
- Scholarship Benefits
- Seven Tips to Find and Apply for Scholarships
- Tip #1: Know Where to Look
- Tip #2: Don’t Limit Yourself to Military Scholarships
- Tip #3: Search Within Your Military Community
- Tip #4: Don’t Just Apply to the Big Scholarships
- Tip #5: Make Applying for Scholarships Your Part-Time Job
- Tip #6: Tailor Your Essay
- Tip #7: Use Perfect Grammar Every Time
- Top Military Scholarships for Spouses and Children
- Air Force Association
- Army Emergency Relief
- Association of the United States Army
- Coast Guard Foundation
- Fisher House Scholarships for Military Children
- Folds of Honor
- Fry Scholarships
- Navy Wives Clubs of America
- ThanksUSA
- The Society of Daughters of the United States Army
- Wings Over America
- More Ways to Pay for Education
Even though the cost of higher education has been increasing faster than inflation for decades, higher education doesn’t necessarily have to be accompanied by debt. Grants and scholarships for military children, military spouses and other military-connected students are available throughout the year, and unlike loans, they never need to be paid back.
Scholarship Benefits
The best part of scholarships is that they never need to be paid back.
The second-best scholarship news is that some require minimal effort. Sorting through scholarship applications and deadlines online might be the most time-consuming part. After you know what you’re applying for and when it’s due, any scholarships simply require your basic personal information and a short essay or personal statement.
Seven Tips to Find and Apply for Scholarships
Read on to learn seven tips for finding and applying for the best scholarships for military-connected students.
Tip #1: Know Where to Look
Searching for scholarships can feel overwhelming because there are thousands of scholarships out there and many resources for finding them available online. You don’t want to spend your time sorting through pages and pages of scholarships you aren’t eligible for. That’s why it’s helpful to use tools to help you find and sort through any military-connected scholarships you qualify for.
Militaryscholar.org, a military scholarship database hosted by the Fisher House Foundation, can point you in the direction of many military-specific scholarships you may qualify for.
Other scholarship databases such as Fastweb.com can help match you with both military and non-military scholarships.
Tip #2: Don’t Limit Yourself to Military Scholarships
While being connected to the military can be a large part of our identities, it’s not the only thing that qualifies you for scholarships. Business associations and nonprofit organizations with different goals all offer scholarships aimed toward certain populations. In fact, there are scholarships out there for just about anything you can think of. Are you a first-generation college student? Are you a golf-lover? Are you left-handed? Do you love community service or poetry-writing?
Expand your search beyond military-specific scholarships to find the most opportunities.
Tip #3: Search Within Your Military Community
Associations, clubs and organizations frequently have membership- or location-based scholarships available. Your local spouses’ club may have an annual scholarship fund set up to help spouses and dependents pursuing higher education, for example. Don’t overlook opportunities near you.
Tip #4: Don’t Just Apply to the Big Scholarships
The larger the scholarship award amounts, the more people are likely to apply for it. Expressing interest in and applying for less well-known scholarships will increase your chances of standing out.
Tip #5: Make Applying for Scholarships Your Part-Time Job
Don’t apply for just one scholarship or even apply for scholarships at only one time of the year. Scholarship due dates are rolling throughout the year, and new scholarships become available monthly. Make it part of your weekly routine to research and apply for scholarships.
It may be the most lucrative part-time job you ever have.
Tip #6: Tailor Your Essay
Readers can easily tell if someone has repurposed an essay or tweaked it to meet their requirements. Nothing gives you away faster than forgetting to change the organization’s name or submission date in your application and essay.
Tip #7: Use Perfect Grammar Every Time
When it comes to grammar and spelling mistakes, make sure you’ve corrected them. Bad grammar makes a negative impression on the reader, and scholarship reviewers often quickly move on to the next applicant once they’ve found an error.
Top Military Scholarships for Spouses and Children
Many more scholarships exist online for military-connected students than are on this list. Use this as a jumping-off point to getting scholarship money for your higher-education pursuits.
Air Force Association
Where: Air Force Association
Who: Dependent on scholarship opportunity; available for Air Force and Space Force active duty, retired, veterans, spouses and children
What: Multiple scholarships available for varying amounts
When: Application cycle runs from Dec. 1 until April 30
Army Emergency Relief
Where: Army Emergency Relief, MG James Ursano Scholarship Program
Who: Children of Army soldiers obtaining their first undergraduate degree
What: Award amounts vary
When: Application cycle runs from Jan. 1 until April 1
Association of the United States Army
Where: Association of the United States Army
Who: Dependent on scholarship opportunity; available for active duty, retired, veterans, National Guard and Reserve service members, as well as spouses and children
What: Multiple scholarships available for varying amounts
When: Applications open in February
Coast Guard Foundation
Where: Coast Guard Foundation
Who: Spouses and children of enlisted Coast Guard members, children of fallen Coast Guard members and enlisted Coast Guard members
What: Award amounts vary
When: Dates posted in February
Fisher House Scholarships for Military Children
Where: Fisher House Scholarships for Military Children
Who: Children whose parent(s) are serving or have served in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force or Coast Guard
What: $2,000
When: Applications due by Feb. 17
Folds of Honor
Where: Folds of Honor
Who: Military spouse or children of a member of the Armed Forces
What: Award amounts vary; available for a spouse or child obtaining a first bachelor’s degree; available for child primary and secondary education tuition or tutoring services
When: Application cycle runs from Feb. 1 until March 31
Fry Scholarships
Where: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship
Who: Spouse or children of active-duty service member who died in the line of duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001; proposed Fry Scholarship Enhancement Act of 2021 would also include spouses and children of service members who die from service-connected disabilities within 120 days of serving
What: Up to 36 months of benefits, including money for tuition, housing, books and supplies
When: Continual basis
Navy Wives Clubs of America
Where: Navy Wives Club of America
Who: Spouses and children of enlisted members of the Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard
What: Multiple scholarships available for varying amounts
When: Applications due by March 31
ThanksUSA
Where: ThanksUSA
Who: Military spouses and college-age children obtaining their first undergraduate degree
What: $3,000
When: Application cycle runs from March 1 until April 15
The Society of Daughters of the United States Army
Where: The Society of Daughter of The United States Army
Who: Daughter, granddaughter, stepdaughter or adopted daughter of a career commissioned or warrant officer in the United States Army
What: $1,500
When: Application due by March 15
Wings Over America
Where: Wings Over America Foundation
Who: Navy Aviation dependent child or spouse
What: Award amounts vary
When: Pre-qualification deadline is Feb. 1
More Ways to Pay for Education
- These tips and tricks and accompanying scholarship lists are a great place to start your journey to pay for higher education. Don’t let that be the end of it though. To qualify for more grants, scholarships, work-study jobs and federal loans, you need to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
- If your parent who served qualified for GI Bill benefits, it’s possible for them to transfer the benefit to you. Find out more about military benefits, including the GI Bill, with The Military Wallet.
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Kayla says
My father is 100% DAV. Do you know of any scholarships for graduate programs and private College?
Mike Elkins says
Do grandchildren of retired military personnel eligible for any of these scholorships?