20 Scholarships for Military Children
If one of your parents is an active duty service member in any of the military branches, such as the United States Army, the United States Armed Forces, the United States Coast Guard, the National Guard, the Air Force, or any other branch of military duty, there are scholarship opportunities to help with receiving higher education and a college degree.
Children of active-duty military service members scholarships are financial awards that are only open to applicants who are children of veterans or active-duty members.
What Qualifies as a Military children Scholarship?
It is usually very easy to tell when a scholarship is meant specifically for children of military service members. All scholarships have certain requirements that applicants have to meet to be considered for the award.
Make sure that applicants encouraged to apply are children of veterans or active-duty members. There are a lot of scholarships for military spouses or other active-duty military family members besides children.
Types of Military Children Scholarships Available
There are different types of scholarships and financial aid that are open to only children of active service members or all students for applications. Here is a short list of the types of scholarships available.
Major-based
Major-based scholarships are financial awards that are only available to students who have declared a particular major. These scholarships can be as broad as only Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) majors, or they can be as specific as only open to a specific college degree major.
Athletic
Athletic scholarships are decided based on a student’s athletic ability usually within a given sport. Oftentimes, coaches from interested schools will scout out students who are performing well during their sport’s season and decide whether or not to make an offer.
Athletic scholarships can also be sponsored by an organization other than a sports team where applicants have to write about their experiences playing for their team.
Identity-based
Scholarships with the qualification partially based on the applicant’s identity are open only to people within those groups. These scholarships exist to try and help students from disadvantaged backgrounds and marginalized communities. They also give awards to students who share the same characteristics as someone who has passed in their honor.
Best Scholarships for Military Children to Apply to
Military families of active duty military service members often have to adjust their lives to their parent’s service obligations, especially if they are deployed for long periods. But covering the cost of college or university tuition can be a hard adjustment for families to make financially.
To support our service members and their children in their pursuit of higher education, we have gathered a list of college scholarship opportunities for children of active military service members to apply for.
Michael J. Burns Military Children Scholarship
To honor the life of Michael J. Burns, this memorial scholarship aims to honor Michael J. Burns’ legacy of giving by awarding $1,000 to one student from a military family who needs financial assistance to pursue their higher educational goals.
- Amount: $1,000
- Application Deadline: September 1, 2022
- Winner Announced: September 30, 2022
Veterans of Hawaii Scholarship
Between physical injuries, homelessness, or unemployment, it can be difficult for veterans or their children to afford college. To honor and support our veterans and their families, the Veterans of Hawaii Scholarship seeks to award $500 to four veterans or the child of a veteran.
- Amount: $500
- Application Deadline: October 1, 2022
- Winner Announced: October 31, 2022
Ben Brock Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship aims to honor the life of Ben Brock by awarding $5,000 to a lifelong learner who is an active duty military, veteran, or family member of active military or veterans.
- Amount: $5,000
- Application Deadline: March 1, 2023
- Winner Announced: April 1, 2023
Veterans’ Writing Group of San Diego Ernie Pyle Award
In honor of Ernie and the Veterans’ Writing Group, this $2,000 scholarship seeks to support military veterans and those who are active in the military to pursue their education and cover their college expenses.
- Amount: $2,000
- Application Deadline: August 7, 2022
- Winner Announced: August 31, 2022
Military Student Debt Grant
This scholarship seeks to support military veterans by helping them pay off their debt and take care of their mental health with $2,015.
- Amount: $2,015
- Application Deadline: August 7, 2022
- Winner Announced: August 31, 2022
Supermom Scholarship
To acknowledge and support the unique needs of single mothers, the Supermom Scholarship will award $2,000 to an undergraduate or graduate student who either is a single mother or has been directly impacted by one.
- Amount: $2,000
- Application Deadline: August 31, 2022
- Winner Announced: September 30, 2022
Affordable College Prep’s First Time Winners Scholarship
Applying for scholarships can be a long and disappointing process, especially if you haven’t won any. If you are a high school student who has never won a scholarship before, the Affordable College Prep’s First Time Winners Scholarship wants to allow you to write about what you’ve learned from the application process for the chance to win $500.
- Amount: $500
- Application Deadline: November 1, 2022
- Winner Announced: December 1, 2022
Elevate Mental Health Awareness Scholarship
In memory of Sheri Rosser, this scholarship will award $500 to a student of any education level who has struggled with mental health themselves or has had someone close to them struggle with their mental health.
- Amount: $500
- Application Deadline: October 30, 2022
- Winner Announced: November 30, 2022
Chantel S. Husted Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship seeks to honor the memory of Chantel S. Husted by supporting students interested in pursuing careers in mental health or social services.
- Amount: $6,050
- Application Deadline: July 19, 2022
- Winner Announced: August 20, 2022
Health & Wellness Scholarship
The Health & Wellness Scholarship seeks to grant $500 to a student who thinks that maintaining their health, even throughout college, is important.
- Amount: $500
- Application Deadline: September 1, 2022
- Winner Announced: October 1, 2022
“Equal Opportunity” Scholarship
The $1,000 Equal Opportunity Scholarship exists to support two motivated high school graduating seniors, undergraduate, or graduate school students who want to improve their lives and the lives of the people around them.
- Amount: $1,000
- Application Deadline: September 1, 2022
- Winner Announced: October 1, 2022
Grandmaster Nam K Hyong Scholarship
This $500 scholarship aims to continue Grandmaster Hyong’s legacy of support and passion for education in the fields of psychology, social work, and education.
- Amount: $500
- Application Deadline: August 21, 2022
- Winner Announced: September 21, 2022
@ESPDaniella Debt Grant
This scholarship seeks to alleviate the burden of student loan debt by helping current students, graduates, and those who dropped out pay off their student debt.
- Amount: $3,300
- Application Deadline: July 8, 2022
- Winner Announced: August 8, 2022
Curtis Holloway Memorial Scholarship
This memorial scholarship, created in honor of Curtis Holloway, seeks to honor his life by supporting a student who has lost a parent or lives in a single-parent household. This scholarship is open to any high school graduating student or undergraduate student at a four-year college.
- Amount: $1,200
- Application Deadline: September 1, 2022
- Winner Announced: September 30, 2022
Freddie L Brown Sr. Scholarship
The Freddie L Brown Scholarship exists to celebrate an undergraduate student with wit and humor that is expressed through creative outlets. This $1,000 scholarship is open to high school and undergraduate applicants.
- Amount: $1,000
- Application Deadline: March 1, 2023
- Winner Announced: April 1, 2023
Jameela Jamil x I Weigh Scholarship
To showcase I Weigh’s commitment to radical inclusivity and allyship, this scholarship seeks to award three students from diverse backgrounds $5,000 each.
- Amount: $5,000
- Application Deadline: August 17, 2022
- Winner Announced: September 7, 2022
Calvin C. Donelson Family
This scholarship seeks to honor the life of Calvin C. Donelson and support students with $1,000 who desire to follow a career path in skilled trades. Any trade school student may apply for this scholarship, but students pursuing carpentry or barbering are preferred.
- Amount: $1,000
- Application Deadline: August 30, 2022
- Winner Announced: September 30, 2022
David L. Burns Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship aims to provide $2,550 to a Missouri student who wants to go into a field to help people struggle with addiction. These fields include, but are not limited to, nursing, counseling, and social work.
- Amount: $2,550
- Application Deadline: November 1, 2022
- Winner Announced: December 1, 2022
Small Seed Big Flower Scholarship
The Small Seed Big Flower Scholarship, sponsored by Bold.org, aims to support first-generation, Black, Indigenous, Person of Color (BIPOC) undergraduate students by providing $1,015 to a student who needs financial assistance.
- Amount: $1,015
- Application Deadline: November 15, 2022
- Winner Announced: December 15, 2022
HRCap Next-Gen Leadership Scholarship
The HRCap scholarship seeks to empower the next generation of multicultural students and leaders who embody critical values such as integrity, diversity, and professionalism by splitting $5,000 between 5 students.
- Amount: $5,000
- Application Deadline: August 1, 2022
- Winner Announced: August 31, 2022
How to Find Military Children Scholarships to Apply for?
The internet is the best place to start if you need help looking for scholarships. There are many websites dedicated to collecting and showcasing scholarships to students who meet certain criteria. Using these websites is helpful because you can filter out scholarships that you know you won’t qualify for. You can also bookmark scholarships that you don’t qualify for now but may be good for upcoming semesters.
Your advisor or other students within your major or degree program are also great resources to use to find scholarships. Your school’s Junior Reserves Officers Training Corps. (JROTC) or other military-associated program directors would also be a great resource to find out more about scholarships for military children.
Other good places to look for scholarships are local businesses or organizations to see if they sponsor scholarships for college students. This is an especially good idea if you live in a city near a military base or military family community.
Tips for Winning military children Scholarships
For college scholarships that require an essay, make sure that your essay answers all parts of the prompt. Look for ramblings or extra information that doesn’t pertain to the subject of the prompt.
Also, make sure that your writing is clear and engaging. Having an essay that is boring and hard to read is an easy way to lose the sponsor’s attention when they try to read your response.
Another way to increase your chances of winning is to go for scholarships with smaller award amounts. Many students go for the big-ticket dollar amounts in hopes of “winning big” and getting the most money possible. But, a lot of students will apply for these same scholarships for this reason. Making the pool of students that you’re competing against smaller gives you a better chance of winning.
Frequently Asked Questions About military children Scholarships
Still, have some questions about scholarships for military children? Here are some answers to common questions that you might have.
Are military children’s scholarships legit?
Yes, scholarships for military children are legit. There are scams out there which is why it is important to be careful when you’re applying for scholarships especially if you are doing so online.
How can I improve my chances of winning military children’s scholarships?
There are several things you can do to improve your chances of winning college student scholarships.
- Make sure you meet all the eligibility requirements
- Make yourself stand out in your response
- Apply earlier than the deadline
- Look for awards that give awards to multiple winners
How many military children scholarships can you get?
Generally, there is no limit to the number of scholarships for college students that you can get, so you don’t have to limit yourself when you are applying.
Are military children’s scholarships taxable income?
Generally, no scholarships are not considered taxable income. However, this is only true if you are enrolled at an eligible college in a degree program and are using the funds for school-related expenses.
What’s the best way to apply for military children scholarships?
Applying online is likely one of the easiest ways to apply for scholarships. You can find and filter the scholarships you apply for as well as keep track of these scholarships after you apply. Other students who are applying at the same time can also share links to scholarships that they think you would have a good chance of winning.
