Grants for Veterans

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Are There College Grants for Veterans?

Many providers offer grants for veterans of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard. These function like scholarships and provide funds you do not need to repay if you abide by the terms.

Grants help veterans on two fronts. One is to make college and career education more affordable. Another is to support their transition from military to civilian life.

To get a college grant as a veteran, you need to qualify. This may mean being an eligible active-duty, reservist, honorably discharged or retired veteran.

There are also grants where you need to have a certain amount of service time. A specific GPA range, record of community service and financial need are other common criteria.

You may find grants within your branch of the military. You can also find ones if you are a member of a veteran group. One example is the Military Order of the Purple Heart scholarship. It is for Purple Heart members and their eligible spouses and dependents. Eligible applicants must be high school seniors who are fully enrolled in an accredited college.

The Pat Tillman Military Scholars program awards veterans or spouses of active and deceased veterans. Eligible applicants must submit two 400 word essays, recommendation letter, FAFSA, and other documents. The awards range from $1,500 to $23,000.

Why Veterans Should Apply For College Grants?

About 84.2% of all undergraduate veterans in the U.S. receive benefits. Grants for college may help offset the cost of college when you go back to school. The average amount of all federal tax benefits for veterans is about $2,900.

Most student veterans are adults between the ages of 24 and 40. At these ages, almost half are also parents with the expenses that go along with having a family.

Receiving a grant may be a motivator to return to school. In 2015, the average time between high school graduation and college enrollment for veterans was 5 years.

Also, it may be possible to use college grants together with GI Bill funding. But in the case of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, any outside funds may reduce the amount the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pays toward tuition. 

List of Grants for Veterans

To help narrow your search, here is a list of college grants for veterans you might apply to. There are 13,317 grants for veterans worth $23M.

Imagine America Military Award Program (MAP)

This scholarship is available to any qualified active duty, reservist, honorably discharged or retired veteran of a United States military service branch for attendance at a participating career college. Students must demonstrate financial need.

Total: $1000

Awards: 2850

Deadline: December 31, 2020

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Indiana National Guard Supplemental Grant (NGSG)

This award is available to Indiana resident undergraduate students who are enrolled at an eligible college or university in Indiana. The student must be a member of the Indiana Air and Army National Guard to qualify.

Total: $4518

Awards: 726

Deadline: April 15, 2021

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AWF Graduate Program Legacy Scholarship

The AWF Graduate Program Legacy Scholarship is available to an undergraduate woman who has served or is serving honorably in the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserve, Army National Guard or the child of a woman who served honorably in the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserve or Army National Guard.

Total: $2500

Awards: 10

Deadline: January 15

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Vietnam Veteran Survivor Grant

This award is available to Missouri undergraduate students who are children and spouses of Vietnam veterans who served between 1961 and 1972 and whose deaths were attributed to, or caused by, exposure to toxic chemicals during the Vietnam conflict. The veteran must have been a Missouri resident when first entering the military service and at the time of death.

Total: $5790

Awards: 4

Deadline: 

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Illinois Veteran Grant (IVG) Program

This scholarship is available for Illinois resident undergraduate and graduate students who have served at least one year of federal active duty service in the Armed Forces of the United States and have received an honorable discharge for each period of federal active duty service.

Total: $1309

Awards: 8701

Deadline: 

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Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants

This award is for U.S. students who are currently enrolled at an accredited postsecondary institution in the U.S. The student must a dependent of a member of the Armed Forces who died as a result of performing military service in Iraq or Afghanistan after Sept. 11, 2001, and who is not receiving a Pell Grant.

Total: $5550

Awards: 1000

Deadline: 

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Troops to Teachers

The Troops to Teachers Grant is available for Former and retired members of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, Reserve components and National Guard may be eligible.

Total: $10000

Awards: 10

Deadline: 

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Built from Scratch Trades Training

The Home Depot and The Home Depot Foundation are committed to educating more people in the skilled trades and helping them find careers in the home improvement industry. With hundreds of thousands of open roles in the trades nationally, we can’t tackle this work alone. Industry leaders like Home Builders Institute (HBI), Construction Education Foundation of Georgia (CEFGA) and Atlanta Technical College (ATC) are helping us prepare skilled people for these opportunities.

Total: $5000

Awards: 10

Deadline: 

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