Finding ways to fund higher education can be a daunting task, especially for active duty students who are juggling the demands of military service with academic pursuits. However, there are numerous scholarships available specifically for active duty students that can help alleviate the financial burden of pursuing a degree.
Here, we have compiled a list of 20 scholarships that are specifically tailored for active duty students. These scholarships cover a wide range of academic fields and offer varying amounts of financial aid, making it easier for active duty students to achieve their educational goals without worrying about the cost.
Kim and Harold Louie Family Foundation Scholarship Program – Varies
Kim and Harold Louie Family Foundation Scholarships are annually awarded to high-achieving students entering higher education. Each applicant must be going into freshman year, plan on attending as a full-time student for at least two years, have a grade point average between 3.7 and 4.0 on a 4.0 scale, and have a minimum SAT score of 1300 or a minimum ACT score of 27. Special consideration will be noted for applicants whose parents are U.S. veterans or are currently in the U.S. military, have a demonstrated financial need, or are first-generation college students.
Daughters of the Cincinnati Scholarship – $16,000-$20,000 (disbursed over 4 years)
Daughters of the Cincinnati offers annual renewable scholarships to the daughters of career-commissioned officers in the U.S. military. Applicants must be female, high school seniors, and have at least one parent who is on active duty, retired, or deceased while on active duty.
AFCEA DC STEM Scholarships – Varies
Each year, AFCEA Washington, DC awards STEM scholarships to graduating high school seniors. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, live within the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (greater DC area), be either graduating from high school or transitioning from a two-year community college to a four-year college or university, and be accepted to a U.S. accredited college or university in a four-year, full-time STEM curriculum. Students whose family members include current members of the military, Veteran, and AFCEA DC chapter members are encouraged to apply.
Heroes’ Legacy Scholarships – Varies
The Fisher House Foundation, a charitable foundation dedicated to providing housing for military and veteran families, runs the Heroes’ Legacy Scholarships program, which honors not just who have fallen in battle, but those who have died or have become disabled through their active military service since September 11, 2001. To qualify, applicants must be the dependent unmarried children under age 23 of active-duty personnel, Reserve/Guard and retired military members, or survivors of service members who died while on active duty and meet one of the these criteria: one of the parents died, became disabled, or received a permanent and total compensation rating of 100% from the DOD or Department of Veteran Affairs, while serving on active duty on or after September 11, 2001 in any branch or component of the US Armed Forces; they must be enrolled or planning to enroll full-time in an undergraduate degree program leading to a bachelor’s degree, or a community college program designed for direct transfer into a four-year program; they satisfy the minimum cumulative GPA requirement (3.0 on a 4.0 for high school seniors, 2.5 for college students).
Fisher House Foundation Scholarships for Military Children – $2,000
The Fisher House Foundation, a charitable foundation dedicated to providing housing for military and veteran families, runs a Scholarships for Military Children Program that provides scholarships for students whose parents are serving in or retired from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, or Coast Guard. In order to qualify, they must be enrolled or planning to enroll full-time in an undergraduate degree program leading to a bachelor’s degree, or a community college program designed for direct transfer into a four-year program.
Folds of Honor Scholarship – Up to $5,000
Folds of Honor, a nonprofit organization, has two scholarships that support military families. The Children’s Fund Scholarship is for primary and secondary education students and can be used for private school or tutoring services (from an established, licensed business). The Higher Education Scholarship is for postsecondary students. The award amount is up to $5,000 per academic year and is based on a student’s “unmet need.” Recipients must reapply each year to get the scholarship in successive years. To qualify for the Children’s Fund Scholarship, applicants must be enrolled or planning to enroll in an accredited private school or tutoring institution, be at least five years old (by September 1st of calendar year applying in) and enrolled in full-time Kindergarten program, and be a dependent of a service member. To qualify for the Higher Education Scholarship, applicants must be enrolled or planning to enroll in a two-year, four-year, or postgraduate program of study at an accredited college or university, or be enrolled or planning to enroll in an accredited technical or trade school program, which results in a certificate or license, and be a dependent or spouse of a service member.
Raytheon Missiles & Defense SPY-6 Scholarship – $10,000
The Raytheon Missiles & Defense SPY-6 Scholarship helps Navy veterans afford higher education. Applicants must be Navy or Navy Reserve veterans, be entering sophomore, junior, or senior year of undergraduate study or be enrolled in graduate school, attend an accredited four-year college or university in the United States full-time, and be in good veteran standing.
Google SVA Scholarship – $10,000
Together, Google and the Student Veteran of America (SVA) offer scholarships to student veterans who are pursuing university degrees in the field of computer science. Applicants must be currently enrolled, or on track to be enrolled, as full-time undergraduate or graduate students at a university in the United States, be of student veteran or active duty status, have received an honorable discharge or are in good standing, maintain good academic performance, and be pursuing a computer science or computer engineering degree, or a degree in a closely related technical field.
25th Infantry Division Scholarship – Up to $1,500
The 25th Infantry Division Association, an organization of veterans who served in the U.S. military’s 25th Infantry Division, offers a scholarship open to the children and grandchildren of active members of the Association, as well as the children of members of the 25th Infantry Division who died in active combat with the Division.
AFCEA War Veterans Scholarships – $2,500
The Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) annually offers multiple War Veterans Scholarships to persons on active duty in the uniformed military services and to honorably discharged U.S. military veterans (including Reservists and National Guard personnel). To qualify, applicants must be currently enrolled and attending classes in an undergraduate program, part-time or full-time, in an eligible STEM major degree program at an accredited four-year college or university in the United States. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, be a sophomore or junior at the time of application, be majoring in a STEM field, and meet a minimum 3.0 GPA requirement. The scholarship is also open to students who are actively pursuing a credential/licensure for the purpose of teaching STEM subjects at a U.S. elementary, middle/intermediate and high schools are eligible.
Colonel Kathleen Swacina Scholarship – $1,500
The COL Kathleen Swacina Scholarship Fund awards one female college student a $1,500 scholarship to be applied toward the student’s ongoing higher-level academic education at an accredited four-year school. Community college students in their first two years are eligible if they will continue on to an accredited four-year college or university. Applicants must be: a member of the U.S. Armed Forces or enrolled in a ROTC program, an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, or a direct descendant of an AFCEA member or an honorably discharged member of the Armed Forces; enrolled as a full-time college student at an accredited institution attending schools in or residing in the states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, and Alabama, including community colleges; maintain a 2.8 GPA; and major in a STEM-related area of study. Each year, the scholarship has two deadlines: the spring scholarship opens in January and closes end of May and the fall scholarship opens in October and closes end of November.
Air Force ROTC Scholarship – 100% college tuition and authorized fees at any public or private institution with an Air Force ROTC detachment
The U.S. Air Force ROTC Scholarships help students afford four-year college programs, including enlisted airmen programs. The program is meant for high school students enrolling in college, currently enrolled college students, or active-duty enlisted airmen. To qualify, applicants must be U.S. citizens or need to obtain U.S. citizenship by the last day of the first term of their freshman year, have a high school GPA of at least 3.0, have a high school diploma or equivalent, and score a minimum of 1240 on the SAT or 26 on the ACT. Additionally, applicants must meet a set of physical standards and agree to serve in the U.S. Air Force or Space Force. There is no formal application process for the In-College Scholarship Program, but college students must maintain a term GPA and a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
Gilman-McCain Scholarship – $5,000
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs sponsors the John S. McCain International Scholarship for Military Families (Gilman-McCain Scholarship), which provides awards of $5,000 for child and spousal dependents of active or activated United States military personnel during the time of application (including Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, Coast Guard, Coast Guard Reserve, Marine Corps, Marine Corps Reserve, Navy, Navy Reserve, Space Force, NOAA Commissioned Corps, and USPHS Commissioned Corps) to study or intern abroad on credit-bearing programs. Applicants must be recipients of any type of Title IV federal financial aid during the time of application or provide proof that they will be receiving Title IV federal financial aid during their study abroad program or internship. The program has two separate application deadlines each year: March and August.
Army ROTC Scholarships – Tuition & fees, or room & board, with $420 per month for living expenses + $1,200 per year for books
The Army ROTC Scholarships help students afford four-year college programs, including nursing programs. The program is meant for high school students enrolling in college, currently enrolled college students, or active-duty enlisted soldiers. To qualify, applicants must be U.S. citizens, be between the ages of 17 and 26, have a high school GPA of at least 2.5, have a high school diploma or equivalent, and score a minimum of 1000 on the SAT math and verbal sections or 19 on the ACT, excluding the writing test scores. Additionally, applicants must meet a set of physical standards and agree to serve in the Army on Active Duty or in a Reserve Component. Applications open mid-June each year with three deadlines in October, January and March for an academic year.
Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation – Up to $40,000 (over 4 years)
The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation (MCSF) provides need-based scholarships to military children to support them in their pursuit of an associate’s or undergraduate degree or a non-degree career and technical certificate program. To date, MCSF has awarded scholarships worth nearly $185 million in honor of Marines. To qualify, applicants must be the child or step-child of (i) an active duty, reserve, or veteran U.S. Marine, (ii) a Marine killed while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, or (iii) an active duty, reserve, or veteran U.S. Navy Corpsman, Navy Chaplain or Religious Program Specialist, who is or was attached to a U.S. Marine Corps unit or who was killed while serving with a U.S. Marine Corps unit; meet a cumulative GPA of 2.0; and meet the income threshold. Students must submit their application along with supporting documentation, such as tax documents, transcripts, and evidence of military service, by the deadline.
Scholarships for Military Children – $2,000
The Scholarships for Military Children program annually provides hundreds of scholarships for the children of active and retired soldiers. Applicants must the dependents of active duty, reserve, retired, or deceased members of the military and possess a U.S. Uniformed Services Identification and Privilege Card. Additionally, applicants must be enrolled or plan to enroll in a full-time undergraduate degree-seeking program. Community or junior college applicants need to be in a program that will allow transfer directly into a four-year program. High school applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, and college applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
NBCC Foundation Military Scholarship – $8,000
The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) Foundation’s Military Scholarship is annually awarded to honorable veterans or active-duty U.S. military service members and their spouses who are pursuing master’s degrees in counseling. Applicants must be be enrolled full-time in a CACREP-accredited counseling master’s program, demonstrate knowledge of and experience with military personnel and families, commit to becoming board certified by applying for the National Certified Counselor (NCC) credential prior to graduation and to completing the application process, and be committed to providing mental health services to service members and/or veterans within one year after graduating and for at least two years after graduation.
Purple Heart Scholarship Fund – $1,000-$5,000
Each year, the Purple Heart Scholarship Fund awards scholarships to college-bound soldiers who’ve been awarded the Purple Heart. Applicants must be high school graduates or have successfully completed a GED program, be accepted to or enrolled as full-time undergraduate students at an accredited college, university, or trade school at the time the scholarship is awarded, maintain a GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, have been awarded the Purple Heart, and be members of the armed forces in good standing or who have separated from service honorably.
VFW Voice of Democracy Program – $30,000
Each year, the Veteran of Foreign Wars (VFW) runs its Voice of Democracy Program, which gives high school students the opportunity to compete for scholarship money by recording democratic and patriotic-themed audio essays. The contest is open to students in grades 9-12 enrolled in public, private, parochial school, or home study program in the U.S., its territories, or its possessions. Additionally, dependents of U.S. military or civilian personnel in overseas schools are also eligible to participate.
Women Marines Association Scholarship Program – $1,500-$5,000
The Women Marines Association annually awards a range of scholarships to eligible students. Applicants need to be sponsored by a Women Marines Association member. They must have served or be serving in the Marine Corps or Reserve, be a direct descendant, sibling or descendant of a sibling of a member of the Marines or have completed two years in a Marine JROTC program. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required.
In conclusion, the journey to finding the perfect scholarship doesn’t have to be daunting. Whether you’re just beginning your search or looking to expand your options, our comprehensive scholarship directory offers a wide range of opportunities catering to diverse academic interests and backgrounds. For a more personalized approach, consider leveraging the power of TUN AI, our innovative tool designed to match you with scholarships uniquely suited to your profile. Start exploring today and take a step closer to securing the financial support you need for your educational journey.