Families of Freedom Scholarship

Award Amount
Application deadline
Awarded By:

Scholarship America

Number of Awards & Eligibility: The number of awards offered varies each year. In 2013 (the most recent year for which statistics are available), 776 students received assistance.
In order to qualify, students must meet the following criteria:
  1. This award is for U.S. students.
  2. Must be the dependent or spouse of someone killed or disabled in the Sept. 11, 2001 tragedy. A dependent child must enroll in college by age 24.
  3. Must be a U.S. citizen.
  4. The effective starting date of the program was January 2002. Students may apply for assistance as seniors in high school or in following years. Please note: Limited funds are available for graduate study. Dependent children generally use their four years of eligibility for undergraduate study.

In order to qualify, students must meet the following criteria:

Description: This award is for U.S. undergraduate students that are a dependent or spouse of someone killed or disabled in the Sept. 11, 2001 tragedy. A dependent child must enroll in college by age 24.

Application requirements for the Families of Freedom Scholarship are:

  • Registration
  • Tax return
  • Application form
Additional Information: Families of Freedom will benefit children and spouses of the victims, including airplane crew and passengers, World Trade Center and Pentagon workers and visitors, and relief workers, including firefighters, emergency medical personnel and law enforcement personnel. Applicants must enroll in an accredited two-or four-year college/university or a vocational-technical school in the United States. Students who apply by the May 15 application deadline will be notified by the end of July. All other students will be notified by mail four to six weeks after their complete application and all required supporting documents are received.

Award Amount: The amount of each award varies per semester. The amount of each award depends of the applicant's financial need and the total amount of funding available. Individual scholarship amounts generally will range from $1,000 per academic year for those students with little or no demonstrated financial need to approximately $28,000 per academic year for those with greater financial need. These awards are renewable if the applicant re-applies each term and demonstrates academic progress. A student who applies by the May 15 deadline will receive a check for the first half of the award by Aug. 15; a check for the second half of the award will be sent Dec. 31. For all other students, checks will be mailed within four to six weeks of receipt of the application. The checks will be sent to the student's home address.  The total dollars awarded for this scholarship is $1,000.

Deadline Information:

Deadline for this scholarship is Friday, May 15

Deadline Information:

Deadline for this scholarship is Friday, May 15

Applications are available online from the Scholarship America website. Please note: Prior to applying for scholarship funds, the student must first register with the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund. Instructions for registration are available online at www.familiesoffreedom.org/eligibility.php. The student is required to provide his/her Families of Freedom ID on the application. Applications may be submitted online or via mail (.pdf application available for download from website). In addition to a completed application, the applicant must also submit a copy of his/her most recent 1040 U.S. tax return, a copy of his/her parent's most recent 1040 U.S. tax return if claimed as a dependent, a copy of school billing statement for term of application, a transcript of grades (not necessary for a first-time applicant), and proof of receipt of Social Security benefits if he/she or his/her parent is permanently disabled. Students who want to be notified of their award amount for the entire academic year prior to their fall term start date must submit an application by May 15. This option is only available to full-time undergraduate students attending school for the entire upcoming academic year. All other students, including those full-time undergraduate students who miss the May 15 deadline, must submit an application before the end of the term in which they wish to receive funding.
About Scholarship America:
Contact Information: Teri Campbell, Scholarship Coordinator
Address: September 11 Scholarship Alliance/Scholarship America 1 Scholarship Way St. Peter, Minnesota 56082

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