Scholarships for Military Spouses & Dependents

The Husker Salute Pledge reduces the out-of-state portion of undergraduate tuition by up to eighteen thousand dollars per year for up to four years for first-year students with a military connection who demonstrate ability to succeed at Nebraska. Eligible connections include active service, veteran status, ROTC participation, or dependent benefits verified through DD Form 214, military orders, military ID, or a VA Certificate of Eligibility. Applicants need at least a three point zero high school GPA and must apply for admission by November first with a May first final deadline. Recipients renew with a three point zero cumulative GPA and twenty-four credit hours completed each academic year.

North Carolina residents who are children or spouses of fallen or disabled veterans, children of injured active-duty service members, or qualifying disabled veterans with a VA disability rating of at least 50% may apply for NC Patriot Star Family Scholarships. Applicants must be accepted to or attending an accredited North Carolina post-secondary institution and show qualifying educational expenses not covered by other aid. Scholarship support is about $2,000 per semester toward cost of attendance at eligible North Carolina institutions. Renewals and disbursements depend on continued eligibility and academic standing. Apply through the administering state agency with documentation of military service, disability status, or relationship to the qualifying veteran or service member. Since 2003, the Patriot Foundation has funded scholarships for military communities. In 2020 it entered a public/private partnership with the North Carolina State Legislature to expand support for North Carolina military families.

Military dependents ages 13 to 18 who demonstrate scholarship, volunteerism, leadership, and extracurricular involvement may be nominated for Operation Homefront's Military Child of the Year Award. Legal dependent status is confirmed through DEERS enrollment. Seven recipients are selected annually, one per service branch, each receiving $10,000, a laptop, and travel to the recognition gala in Washington, D.C. Gather academic records, volunteer details, and recommendation letters, then submit through the official platform. Previous award recipients are not eligible.

Special Ops Survivors awards education and career advancement grants up to $2,500 per year, renewable for up to four years ($10,000 maximum), to surviving spouses of Special Operations personnel killed on or after September 11, 2001, while conducting operations in support of a Special Operations mission. Funds pay tuition, books, supplies, professional licensing and certification fees, childcare, and transportation at accredited colleges, technical schools, or licensure programs. Applicants need a 3.0 GPA or a supplemental essay explaining academic potential, plus a 500-word career goals essay. Applications open each spring through the Survivors Circle member portal and close in mid-June with awards announced by early July.

CGMA Education Loans provide interest-free funding up to $7,500 for higher-education expenses for eligible Coast Guard members, spouses, or dependent children under 23. Loans support undergraduate or graduate degree programs, multi-course VoTech certificates approved by the VA or Department of Education, GED completion, and qualifying correspondence courses. Applicants apply online or through a local CGMA representative with proof of enrollment and documented cost estimates. Repayment terms are set when the loan is approved. The program is available year-round to active-duty, reserve, auxiliary, civilian, retired, and surviving-spouse CGMA clients.

Dependents of a veteran, deceased veteran, or disabled veteran living or hospitalized in Illinois or the Chicago District (northwest Indiana, southwest Michigan, and southern Wisconsin) who intend to enroll in an accredited college or career training school may apply. Applicants need a minimum 2.0 GPA. The award is $5,000 per academic year and is renewable for up to four years. Selection is based on financial need, scholastic achievement, community service, and personal goals. Apply through the Kaleidoscope application with a personal essay, two non-family recommendations, parent tax forms, FAFSA Student Aid Report, high school transcripts, and ACT or SAT scores.

Dependent children of active duty, reserve, National Guard, or retired U.S. military personnel with Exchange and Commissary privileges who are high school seniors or graduates entering full-time undergraduate study with a minimum 3.5 GPA may apply. Up to ten $5,000 one-time scholarships are available, with up to two awards per branch of service if qualified applicants are available. Only the first 100 completed applications are processed each year. Apply through Scholarship America with a transcript, proof of parent's military service, an online recommendation, and a statement of educational and career goals. The New York Chapter of the American Logistics Association established this fund.

Unmarried U.S. citizen dependent children of deceased, wounded, injured, or ill veterans in their senior year of high school may apply. The sponsoring veteran must have a VA combat-related disability rating of 70% or higher or have died from combat-deployment injuries. Ten one-time grants of up to $5,000 support accredited college or vocational certification programs. The application window opens February 1 and closes April 15 annually. OSC seeks to support families of wounded, ill, and injured service members through need-based dependent financial assistance for higher education.

Each year AFAS awards at least twenty $5,000 Merit and Grit Scholarships to incoming college freshmen who are dependent children of active-duty or retired Airmen or Guardians with outstanding academic records or who demonstrated grit overcoming a significant academic challenge. There is no separate application: students must complete the General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant application, and finalists are contacted in June to submit end-of-year high school transcripts and a video essay on an assigned topic. Winners are announced in July and funds pay tuition, fees, books, and required materials directly to the school in August. Receiving an Arnold Grant is not required to win a Merit or Grit award.

The Coast Guard Foundation awards merit-based scholarships from $2,500 to $5,000 per year to college-age children of active-duty, retired, or reserve enlisted U.S. Coast Guard members. First-time and returning applicants apply separately through the foundation's CommunityForce portal during the annual February 1 through April 1 window for the upcoming academic year. Selection weighs academic achievement, community involvement, extracurricular activities, and short personal essays along with a FAFSA report. Students may receive support for up to four years of undergraduate study at accredited colleges or trade schools. Awards are paid toward tuition and approved educational expenses.