I will admit that while the military provides some of the best educational benefits out there, it sometimes does a bad job at making them easily accessible to Soldiers and Veterans. As a National Guard Soldier, the obvious benefits of EAP (Educational Assistance Program) and FTA (Federal Tuition Assistance), however, there are hundreds of other organizational scholarships to help compensate those additional expenses not covered by EAP and FTA. As Leaders, we need to always be concerned about our Soldier’s personal development and education. Here are my Top 5 Veteran Scholarships that you can share with your Soldiers.
5. VFW Military Scholarships – The VFW’s Military Scholarship program provides 25 $3,000 scholarships annually to VFW members who are currently serving in uniform or have been discharged within the 36 months before the December 31 deadline.
4. Military Order of the Purple Heart Scholarship – The Military Order of the Purple Heart Scholarship is available to the recipient of a Purple Heart, a direct descendant of a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, or of a Veteran killed in action or who died of wounds, or a spouse or widow(er) of a recipient of the Purple Heart.
3. American Legion Scholarship- American Legion Auxiliary offers Scholarships for “Non-Traditional Students”. Applicants must be a member of the American Legion, Auxiliary, or Sons of The American Legion and shall have paid dues for the two preceding years and for the calendar year in which application is made. The applicant must also be a student who has had at least one year of college and is in need of financial assistance to pursue an undergraduate degree. Check with your local American Legion for additional scholarship opportunities.
2. Financial Aid for Veterans, Military Personnel, and Their Families 2012-2016- The Department of Defense offers an approved list of scholarships and financial aid options for Veterans, military members, and families. Every year there are tons scholarships that are never paid to students. This resource contains over 1,400 scholarships specifically targeted for service members and their families.
1. Veterans United Scholarship Program through the Veterans United Foundation- A non-profit organization committed to enhancing the lives or Veterans and military families nationwide. This scholarship may be available to active-duty service members, Veterans, spouse of military member or Veteran, surviving spouse of a fallen soldier, or child of a military member or Veteran.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Finding scholarships for Veterans doesn’t have to be as tough as you think. A number of institutions offer financial awards to military veterans, and finding them is merely a matter of knowing where to look. This list should help you get started with your search and to the brothers and sisters who have served our country, I humbly say thank you and good luck on your quest for scholarships and achieving your educational goals.
If you have any questions we may be able to help with, please ask below. Thank you.
Chuck Holmes
Former Army Major (resigned)
Publisher, Part-Time-Commander.com
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
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This is a great information, Which is a great resource to remember. I always believe on a proactive measures and invest some time to research for scholarship. There are a lot of scholarship out there that go for.
That is the biggest thing to remember, Chuck. There is such a large percentage of scholarships that go unclaimed every year!!! A lot of people refuse to apply for scholarships thinking, “There’s no way I will get it”. But in fact the reality is often that you are the only one who applied and get it through default! It is always worth the time to do the necessary work to get a scholarship and like you said, if you get enough you could be going for free!
Justin,
These are some great resources for scholarships for veterans. I truly believe that if you are proactive, and willing to invest some time researching scholarships and completing applications, there is no reason any veteran couldn’t qualify for a free college education. There are so many scholarships out there that go unfulfilled each year.
Chuck