There are scholarships established for military family members also called military dependent scholarships. It is simply a way to support and say thank you to our heroes who lay down their lives daily for our safety. Are you in search of this type of scholarship? Go no further! I will provide you with all you need.
My friend Sarah whose dad was a military officer will always look dejected and sad during classes. I asked one day that she should open up to me, and I got a shocking revelation- there was little or no money for Sarah to continue her educational pursuits.
I urged Sarah to cheer up and suggested that we can find scholarships to help out. Together, we started exploring the internet to know what was obtainable, and we found out something nobody had told us before.
And what is it? Military-dependent scholarships! We dug in further, and today, I can tell you that Sarah is happily studying with scholarships for military family members. In this article, I have come to show you the scholarships we found out including the ones Sarah applied to.
You are still with me, right? Let’s get started already. But before that, there are other scholarships that students who can’t afford to pay their fees can shoot for. we have the no essay scholarships in Canada as well as Vegetarian scholarships.
Table of Contents
Requirements for Military Dependent Scholarships
Yes, there are different criteria to meet for different military scholarships, but below are the general ones you should have before even dreaming of applying for the scholarships.
Read through carefully.
- You must be an offspring of military personnel whether active-duty, retired, or dead.
- You must not be above 23 years.
- You must have a good GPA. 3.0 is the benchmark for high school and 2.5 for colleges.
- You must have secured admission to study in an accredited university in the United States or at least planning to do so.
- If you are the wife of military personnel, you must possess a minimum GPA of 2.0, and be attending at least a part-time institution that is recognized.
- You must have a military-dependent ID card that is current.
Having seen the scholarship requirements, here are the various scholarships designated for families of military personnel.
Military Dependent Scholarships
I will list and also give a brief overview of the scholarships so that you can see all it entails, however, I would like you to read with undivided attention. Share with your friends too who you think will be interested in the topic.
- Scholarships for Military Children
- American Legion Legacy Scholarship
- AMVETS Scholarships
- Army Scholarship Foundation
- Children of Warriors National President’s Scholarship
- Wings over America Scholarship
- Maj. Gen. James Ursano Scholarship
1. Scholarships for Military Children
This is the first scholarship I bumped into when researching with Sarah. It was established in order to reward the military families’ roles to the force’s readiness to fight for the nation, and also to celebrate the commissary’s role in the military family community.
The scholarships for military children is awarded annually at each commissary as managed by the Defense Commissary Agency all over the globe. It is good to note that at minimum, one awardee will be selected from every commissary unit with qualified applications.
To apply for this scholarship, below are the criteria you should meet;
- You must be enrolled in a full-time undergraduate program or a junior college from which you can apply for a direct transfer.
- You must possess a minimum CGPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale if you are applying for high school, and a CGPA of 2.5 if you are applying as one of the college freshmen.
- You must submit all required transcripts.
- You must also be asked to write a 500-word essay with an assigned topic.
2. American Legion Legacy Scholarship
American Legion Legacy Scholarship gives scholarships to the children of post-9/11 veterans who lost their lives on active duty, and also those who have a 50 percent or greater combined VA disability.
The scholarship is awarded based on need and has about $20,000 for children of fallen heroes as well as $5,000 for children of the disabled. It is good to know that awardees can reapply for the awards up to six times.
To be eligible for this scholarship, you must meet the following requirements;
- You must be a child or legally adopted kid or dependent child of a fallen post-9/11 service member as defined by the United States Armed Services of active duty, United States military and National Guard, and military reservists who died on active duty on or before September 11, 2001.
- You must be a high school senior or graduate who recently got admission to attend an accredited institution in the United States.
- You must have the FAFSA showing the expected family contribution.
- You must have the official (Form DD1300) military death certificate.
- You must have the official disability rating paperwork from the VA if you are applying as a child of a disabled post-9/11 veteran.
3. AMVETS Scholarships
AMVETS Scholarships offers college funding to the spouses as well as the children and grandchildren of the nation’s veterans, active duty, guard, and reserves. This scholarship is aimed to help the recipients study without hassle if they didn’t get federal/ state grants.
The scholarships are awarded annually with $4000 offered to children and grandchildren of veterans and active duty, $4000 offered to the veterans and active duty in the United States military, and $4000 also offered to the spouses/ widows of veterans and active duty in the United States military, National Guard or Reserves.
To be eligible, you must have a GPA of 3.0 and also demonstrate financial need.
4. Army Scholarship Foundation
This foundation was established in 2001 by a group of U.S Army veterans with the aim of providing college funding for the children as well as the spouses of current and former U.S Army members. It is a volunteer-driven scholarship program where all the proceeds from the sale of their book titled “Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Bliss” are donated to the foundation.
The scholarship awards range from $500 to $2,000, and for you to be eligible, you must satisfy the following;
- You must be a child or spouse of active duty, reserve, or former Army member who was discharged honorably.
- You must be currently enrolled to study an undergraduate program at an accredited institution in the United States.
- You must possess a minimum GPA of 2.0.
- You must not be above 24 years old.
5. Children of Warriors National President’s Scholarship
This is another scholarship designed to help military family members. It was established to honor the servicemembers who preserved our freedom by assisting the children to pursue higher education. This scholarship is sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary, and about 15 qualified students are awarded annually.
Each year, three $5,000 scholarships are awarded to each geographic division, making it a total of 15 scholarships. These funds can be used by the students to pay for the tuition, books, fees, room, and others. The eligibility requirements are as follows;
- You must be studying an undergraduate program at an accredited university.
- You must be a direct descendant of the veterans who served in the United States Armed Forces.
- You must have completed 50 hours of volunteer work within the community during your high school years. This is usually verified.
- You must complete your application before the deadline.
- You will be judged according to this ratio- 30% for character/ leadership, 30% for Essay/ application, and 40% for academic prowess.
6. Wings over America Scholarship
This is among the list of military-dependent scholarships. The scholarship gears at helping Navy dependents from the aviation community to acquire postsecondary education.
A total of 50 scholarships with most valued at $5,000 are awarded annually to deserving students who are in trade schools, community colleges, or four-year universities. It is good to note that this scholarship award is for tuition only at accredited institutions.
To be eligible, you must satisfy the following;
- You must be a dependent child or spouse of active duty, retired, deceased, or honorably discharged U.S Navy personnel who serve or have served in the U.S Navy Aviation.
- You must be attending a college or trade school.
- If you are applying as a dependent child, you must be unmarried and not above 23 years.
- If you are applying as a spouse candidate, you must be enrolled or planning to enroll part-time or full-time in an accredited institution taking at least 6 credits every semester.
7. Maj. Gen. James Ursano Scholarship
This scholarship is specially designed for dependent children of soldiers to acquire their first undergraduate degrees. The scholarship is based on a strong demonstration of financial need and can be renewable for up to four academic years, provided there is satisfactory conduct on the side of the recipient even though you need to reapply each year.
The amount varies yearly depending on the number of applicants, total approved scholarship budget, Applicant’s Student Aid Index, average cost of attendance, and many others.
It is important that this scholarship was renamed from the AER Scholarship for dependent children to the Maj. Gen. James Ursano Scholarship in honor of his exceptional life of service to soldiers.
Conclusion
Just like I told you earlier, these scholarships I listed here are the military-dependent scholarships you can apply to for college funding. All you have to do is to meet the requirements and shoot in your application.
Just like my friend Sarah, I’m hopeful you will emerge as one of the awardees and study without hassle.
I wish you the best of luck!
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