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Veterans, military service members and their families have access to a variety of services, scholarship search sites and government and private paying-for-college resources and programs. It’s just a matter of knowing where to look. The list we compiled below is just a starting point for finding the services and funding you need to attend college.
The Fisher House Foundation
The Fisher House Foundation offers military and veterans’ families a place to stay for free when a loved one is in the hospital. The foundation also administers the Scholarships for Military Children Program, which offers college funding for military members and their families. The scholarship program is open to students who possess a Uniformed Services Identification and Privilege Card and whose parent or parents served in the military. The foundation offers 500 $2,000 scholarships each year. Applications for the 2021 program will open in December.
The Fisher House Foundation also offers a scholarship search tool that could be handy if you or a family member are in the military.
General Scholarship Search Engines
When you use scholarship search sites such as scholarships.com, include “military” as one of your search words. You’ll find dozens of options that you can then take to a veterans service organization, a local college financial aid office or your student’s high school to ask which ones are best to apply for.
National Military Family Association
The National Military Family Association helps with everything from scholarships to childcare for military spouses. The association has a mission to help the entire military family and is an excellent resource for finding financial aid. In particular, NMFA offers military spouse scholarships that can be used for both education and employment activities. The average award is $1,000 and can be put toward college degrees, licensing and business expenses.
Veterans and Military Service Organizations
Veterans and Military Service Organizations help servicemembers, veterans and their families with applying for benefits and may offer their own scholarships and grants to pay for college. The Veterans and Military Service Organization directory has more than 70 pages of organizations and government office listings. Organizations may specialize in serving veterans or military members and their families by specific war or ethnicity. Others serve most of the military and veteran community. Contact the ones that best match your and your family’s needs.
Federal Student Aid Scholarships and Grants for Military Families
The U.S. Department of Education lists common military scholarships for participating in the Navy, Army, or Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). Requirements for the scholarship vary. For instance, the Air Force ROTC looks for students pursuing foreign language or technical education. Whenever you are considering a military scholarship, look into commitment details. Make sure to ask if the scholarship is separate from enlistment bonuses and whether you are required to join the military to be eligible for aid—and, if so, for how long after completing your studies.
Grants for Children of Deceased Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans
If your parent or guardian died during military service in either Iraq or Afghanistan following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, you may be eligible for additional aid. You could receive a larger Pell Grant award, for instance, if you qualify for the grant. If you don’t qualify for the Pell Grant, you may receive Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants. The maximum amount for the service grant is the same as the Pell Grant: $6,345 for the 2020-2021 academic year.
The Fry Scholarship
The Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship awards dependents or spouses of veterans who died in the line of duty on or after 9/11 with their own education benefits similar to the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
To apply, sign into your VA Administration account the same way you would if applying for the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) program. You could qualify for both and then choose based on benefits awarded. If your parent or spouse died before Aug. 1, 2011, you don’t have to choose one program over the other. You just can’t use both at the same time. You’d then get 81 months of full-time education benefits.
There are several eligibility rules to follow to qualify for the scholarship:
- Spouses are not allowed to use the benefit if they’ve remarried
- Anyone over 18 or who graduated from high school after Jan. 1, 2013 qualifies. If you turned 18 or graduated from high school before Jan. 1, 2013, you can qualify until you’re 33.
- If you’re receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), you’ll give up any new payments once Fry Scholarship payments start
The Yellow Ribbon Program
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs offers the Yellow Ribbon Program, which can help veterans, spouses and eligible dependents pay for up to half of the remaining tuition and fees beyond what is offered through the Post-9/11 GI Bill for private school or for graduate school. It also helps Fry Scholarship recipients.
To qualify, you must meet one of these conditions:
- Served at least 36 months on active duty
- Received a Purple Heart on or after 9/11
- Served for at least 30 continuous days on or after 9/11 and were discharged after 60 days with a service-connected disability
- Are a dependent child of a veteran who would have qualified, or you became a Fry Scholar on or after Aug. 1, 2018
Award amounts vary, but it’s not always science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) majors that receive the most match dollars. At Harvard University, students at the school of Dental Medicine can receive a match of as much as $5,000, where $5,000 comes from the school and $5,000 comes from the VA. Graduate School of Design students, however, can receive an unlimited dollar match.
Bottom Line
Government and private entities can be a great resource for military and veterans families when it comes to paying for college and education guidance. Be prepared when you start contacting organizations and applying for scholarships to describe your family’s role in the armed forces. You may need copies of your honorable discharge paperwork or your Uniformed Services ID Card. Start as early as possible so you don’t miss scholarship deadlines.
