Scholarships for Service: 40 Options for Military Members and Veterans

A college education is an expensive proposition no matter who you are. Fortunately, there is a wide range of financial aid resources available to help. If you’re currently serving in the military or a military veteran, there are a lot of great funding opportunities exclusively for you. You’re probably already aware of the education support available through the GI Bill, but what you might not know is that additional funding resources are available in the form of scholarships created specifically for military members and vets. You just have to find them.

That’s where this guide comes in. It introduces you to 40 of the best scholarships available for current and veteran military students, including those interested in pursuing education and careers in public service. It also includes valuable tips for winning the scholarships you’re after as well as links to a number of military and veteran-related resources designed to help you throughout your college experience and beyond. Keep reading to explore the wealth of scholarship opportunities and resources you can access to help turn your college dreams into a reality.

40 Military Scholarships You Can Apply for Now

This section profiles 40 scholarship opportunities for current military and veteran students. Check the requirements for each carefully, and don’t hesitate to apply if they meet your unique academic and career needs. Consider this list as a starting point in your scholarship search because there are more to be found. While this list also includes the most recent information for each scholarship, details like award amounts, eligibility requirements, and application deadlines often change, so be sure to check the scholarship websites themselves for any updates. Good luck!

General Scholarships & Grants for Active Military Members

Scholarships for Military Veterans

Scholarships for Military Veterans

Scholarships for Military Veterans

Increase Your Chances of Earning a Scholarship

Finding the scholarships you’re interested in is just the first step. Now you have to go out and win them. Below are seven valuable application tips to help you stand out – and above – in your scholarship competition.

Do Your Research

Each scholarship is unique in terms of its purpose, requirements, and target student population (including military service members). You’re unique, too, so your task is to seek out those scholarships whose purposes, requirements, etc. that best match who you are. That will take some time, but it’s to your benefit to put in that effort up front to make sure you don’t waste more time later by applying to scholarships that aren’t right for you.

Follow Instructions Exactly

There are two things you can do to guarantee that your application submittal will be tossed out immediately by a scholarship selection committee. You’ll have to read further down this list to find out what the second one is, but the first is not following all application instructions and meeting all submittal requirements exactly. So, be sure you understand all the fine print of a scholarship application and meet all instructions and requirements precisely as they are given before making your submittal.

Showcase What Makes You Unique

Ultimately, selection committees award scholarships to candidates who distinguish themselves from all other qualifying candidates. So how do you distinguish yourself? Showcase what makes you unique. You’ll do that for the most part through your statement of purpose or personal essay. The key here is to not be shy in touting your accomplishments (e.g., awards, extracurricular activities, volunteer work, etc.) career goals, and passion for your chosen academic discipline. That most certainly includes anything that has to do with your military service. It’s what the committees want to know, so make sure you tell them.

Source Strong Letters of Recommendation

You’re not the only one who can tell a selection committee why you deserve a scholarship award. Others who know you well can also tell them through letters of recommendation. Your task is to seek out letter writers with a solid reputation who not only know you well but will speak highly of you. It’s perfectly okay – critical, in fact – that you discuss the content you want with your letter writers. Make sure they have clear and detailed knowledge of your talent, accomplishments, and passion for your field of study and are willing and able to communicate all of it in their letters. Also, be sure that your recommenders do not miss the submittal deadline.

Edit Your Application

This is a very important piece of advice: Never submit the first draft of your application or any of its accompanying materials. Rewriting and editing are essential to a quality scholarship application as much as they are to the work of professional writers. The good news is that you don’t have to go it alone. Seek out the help of a writer friend, English teacher or major, or anyone else you can find who can read over your application materials and make quality recommendations for improving their content. A general rule of thumb is to spend at least as much time on the editing process of your application as you do on its writing.

Submit it On Time

As mentioned above, there are two things you can do to guarantee your scholarship application gets tossed by a selection committee. The first is not following instructions exactly (see above), and the second is missing a deadline. Failure to submit your scholarship application or any requested supporting materials by the stated deadline usually terminates any chance you have of winning that scholarship. So, don’t do it. It’s that simple.

Say Thank You and Follow Up

Once you’ve submitted your scholarship application, wait 7 to 10 days and send a follow-up email to the scholarship sponsor. This follow-up confirms that your application was received, nothing more. That means to not ask about your chances of winning the scholarship, whether they’ve made their award selection, or anything else. That would be annoying, and the last thing you want to do is annoy the scholarship selection committee. Once they make the award, it’s a good idea to again follow up with a brief note thanking them for the award if you won it or for considering you if you didn’t. You can do this with an email, but it’s better to send a handwritten letter. Be sure to send thank you notes to your letter of recommendation writers as well.

Additional Resources for Military Members & Veterans

Scholarships aren’t the only benefits for current military and veteran students heading back to school to earn a college degree or certificate. There are lots of other resources aimed at supporting vets and those in the military throughout their postsecondary education and beyond. Here are several of the best that you can access online today.

• American Legion Veterans Education Center
  The American Legion offers loads of great news, information, and tools focused on helping veterans get the education they need to succeed in their careers and life after military service. Included is a Veterans Education Benefits by State listing with links to state-sponsored education benefits and this excellent search engine of VA-Approved Colleges for Military and Veterans.
• Department of Defense Career Ready Portal
  This site provides descriptions and links to additional Department of Defense resources for active duty service members and veterans preparing for careers in civilian life. Included are links to education-related resources like tuition assistance, certifications and licenses aligned with civilian occupations, job training opportunities, and more.
• Paying for Your Education
  This federal government resource offers tons of valuable information and tips for getting the most out of your service-related education benefits and services for the transition from military to civilian life. You’ll also find links to practically all the resources discussed in this guide.
• SALUTE Veterans National Honor Society
  This site is for the academic honor society of current military and veteran students attending two-year and four-year institutions of higher education. Chapters are active on almost 300 college and university campuses throughout the U.S. Individual memberships are available to active duty military and honorably discharged veterans with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• Service to School (S2S)
  S2S is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to empower military service members and veterans to make informed decisions about their education and help them gain admission into the colleges and programs they want by providing free college and graduate school application counseling.
• Student Veterans of America (SVA)
  The SVA is a nonprofit with over 1,600 on-campus chapters throughout the U.S. and overseas dedicated to “empowering student veterans to lead and live their best lives.” Visitors can access a wide range of resources. Included is SVA’s Advising Center which offers personalized career and academic coaching, tools, and other support services to current service members, veterans, and their families.
• Support & Solutions for Children of Military Personnel
  Military families face many unique challenges when it comes to the education of their children. This STEPs guide identifies and offers solutions to several of the most common of those challenges and provides links to resources designed to support the success of military children and their families.
• VA Benefits Administration Education and Training
  Another great government website, this one from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, with information and access to a variety of education-focused resources for active military and veterans. Included is a GI Bill Comparison Tool that allows users to search for and compare postsecondary education providers and the GI benefits they provide.
• VA College Toolkit: Information for Veterans
  This VA clearinghouse site offers links to both campus-based and external resources designed to support the success of veterans and current service members in their college education, particularly related to their mental health and emotional well-being.
• Veterans Guide to the Troops to Teachers Program
  Another great STEPs guide, this one offers a detailed look at the Troops to Teachers program that provides support to military members and veterans in making the transition from their military careers to teaching careers in civilian life.
• Veterans Upward Bound
  Veterans Upward Bound is a U.S. Department of Education program providing information and tools designed to support veterans in developing academic and other skills needed to get accepted into and succeed in postsecondary education programs. Services include counseling, tutoring, mentoring, and academic instruction in core subjects.
• Warrior-Scholar Project (WSP)
  The WSP is a nonprofit organization that “equips service members and veterans for success in higher education” through academic workshops, career boot camps, and other events and activities. College preparatory boot camps are one and two weeks long and offered in the disciplines of STEM, business and entrepreneurship, and the humanities.