Scholarships for Children of Veterans

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How Do I Get Scholarships for Children of Veterans?

If you are the child or grandchild of a veteran, many college scholarships are set aside for you. Scholarships for children of veterans often honor the fallen and their service.  

Many awards come from the branch of the military in which the veteran served. As such, you may find unique scholarship opportunities from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force or Coast Guard. 

Scholarships for children of veterans come with criteria for eligibility. One aspect relates to your parent. Another, to you and your education.    

Some scholarships for children of veterans support students pursuing a specific undergraduate major. While others (e.g. AMVETs) may be available to a more general pool of applicants who meet their criteria. 

The Lt Col Romeo and Josephine Bass Ferretti scholarship is one example. The Air Force Association awards these $2,500 scholarships. And they go to eligible students pursuing a STEM degree at college. 

With respect to your parent, you may need to be the son or daughter of one of these groups. 

  • Regular active duty 
  • Active duty Reserve National Guard active duty 
  • U.S. Army members in good standing 
  • Former U.S. Army members who received an honorable or medical discharge 
  • Your parent was killed while serving in the U.S. Army 

Apart from your family status, other criteria streamline the pool of applicants. So, you may need to be a high school senior, high school graduate, or registered as an undergrad.  

You may also need to show you enrolled at an accredited college, post high school trade or technical school. Here are a few other common criteria you might need to meet. 

  • Have a specific GPA (E.g. 2.0) 
  • Be a U.S. citizen and / or show proof of residency 
  • Meet an age rule (E.g. you are before your 24th birthday) 
  • Not have earned a bachelor’s degree from a college or university 

How Do I Apply to a College Scholarship?

You can expect to complete an application form and support it with other documents. You may have to submit an essay, photo, and certificate of good service (or a parents’ DD214).  

Merit based awards may ask for other material too. Things like a resume of your community service and school transcripts.  

Need based awards usually rely on info from your FAFSA. So, they may ask for a completed SAR (Student Aid Report). Though some forms want to see tax forms instead. 

Are There Government Scholarships and Aid for Children of Veterans?

As the child of a service member, your parent may transfer post 9/11 benefits to you. You must request this while serving as an active member of the Armed Forces.  

Children of fallen members may be eligible for two other VA programs. They are called the Fry Scholarship and Dependents Educational Assistance (DEA).  

You are not usually allowed to receive both awards. That’s unless your parent died before August 1, 2011. Then you might have to use one benefit at a time. Also, the combined benefits reach a cap at a total of 81 months of full time training. 

The Fry Scholarship is also called the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship. It provides Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits to the children service members. You may be eligible if the service member died in the line of duty after September 10, 2001.  

DEA is the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance program. It offers education and training opportunities to eligible dependents of Veterans. To be eligible, the veteran must be disabled due to a service related condition. Also you may be the child of veterans who died while on active duty or as a result of a service related condition. 

Why Should Children of Veterans Apply for Scholarships?

Scholarships for children of veterans may help pay for your college and continuing education. There are various scholarship awards if you qualify.

As the child of an American soldier or of a fallen hero, you may face many challenges. Some of these issues relate to deployment like moving often and separation from loved ones.  

About 46 % of veterans have children. Many (12%) are also members of Disabled American Veterans (DAV). About 67% have a parent(s) with some college who did not earn a degree. 

Many college scholarships are competitive. Ones that are open to both military and non military applicants, they may be harder to get. Try to find local scholarships which you may be able to easily win.

Military scholarships are one of the support systems in place to help. They may also bridge the gap between shrinking state funding and the price of college.  

Also, a public college’s average tuition, fees and housing cost about $17,237. However, it’s more expensive at private colleges. 

Scholarships for sons, daughters and grandchildren of veterans are only for you. Since they are not loans, you also don’t need to worry about repaying the money.  

There are many sources of scholarships to look into. Colleges, nonprofits and the military community may offer scholarships for children of veterans. Make sure to look into these valuable resources. They may help make your dream of a college degree come true.  

List of Scholarships for Children of Veterans

There are awards worth below. Apply now to our list of scholarships for children of veterans.

ASF Undergraduate Scholarship

The Army Scholarship Foundation awards one-year financial scholarships (not grants or loans) on an annual basis to qualified and deserving students. The amount of award ranges from $500 to $2000 for undergraduate studies at accredited educational/technical institutions. Click to learn more and apply today!

Total: $2000

Awards: 10

Deadline: April 15

Military Order of the Purple Heart $3,000 Scholarship Program

This award is available for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students who are a Purple Heart recipient OR are the spouse, child, grandchild, or great-grandchild (natural or adopted) of a Purple Heart recipient. Students must also have a grade point average of 2.75 or higher.

Total: $3000

Awards: 1

Deadline: February 15

TSI’s Family of Veterans Cybersecurity Education Scholarship Fund

This contest is open only to military Veterans and their direct family members. Applicants must be legal residents of United States, the District of Columbia or a US territory. Entrants must be sixteen (16) years of age or older at the time of application. Applicants must attend or plan to attend a two-year or four-year college, university or vocational/technical school with an interest in cybersecurity.

Total: $3000

Awards: 3

Deadline: March 31, 2032

Georgia HERO Scholarship Category A

This award is available to U.S. undergraduate and graduate students who are residents of Georgia residents and are attending an eligible postsecondary institution in Georgia. The student must be an active member of the Georgia National Guard or U.S. Military Reserves who were deployed to an active combat zone outside the United States.

Total: $8000

Awards: 197

Deadline: 

Exemption for Orphans of Texas Members of the U.S. Armed Forces or National Guard

This award is available to Texas resident undergraduate students who are dependent children of an individual who died as a result of injury or illness related to service in the U.S. military or the National Guard. Applicants must attend a public college or university in Texas.

Total: $5770

Awards: 2240

Deadline: 

Voice of Democracy Scholarship Program

U.S. high school students in grades nine through twelve who are 19 years of age or younger are eligible for this scholarship. To apply, the applicant must write an essay on the theme listed on the Veterans of Foreign Wars website and record the reading of that essay; submit both essay and CD/flash drive to be considered for this scholarship.

Total: $30000

Awards: 1

Deadline: October 31

North Carolina Scholarship for Children of War Time Veterans

This scholarship is available for undergraduate and graduate North Carolina students who are under 25 at time of application and plan to attend or are attending a North Carolina college. Students must have a veteran parent who is or was at time of death drawing pension for total and permanent disability as rated by the USDVA OR a veteran parent who is a deceased war veteran who was honorably discharged and who does not qualify for any other education assistance offered by NCDVA OR a veteran parent who served in a combat zone, or waters adjacent to a combact zone, and received a campaign badge or medal and who does not qualify for any other education assistance offered by NCDVA.

Total: $450000

Awards: 100

Deadline: February 14

James A. Wells Sr. Veterans Scholarship

The James A. Wells Sr. Veterans Scholarship is available for a U.S. Military Veteran, or to a spouse or child, of a Veteran living or deceased.

Total: $2000

Awards: 2

Deadline: May 17

Folds of Honor Scholarship

This scholarship is available for U.S. students who are in 11th grade or younger and are dependents of an eligible military member. This program is a college scholarship that is awarded now but used in the future when the awardee begins college or other types of accredited postsecondary education.

Total: $5000

Awards: 816

Deadline: April 01

Delaware Educational Benefits for Children of Deceased Veterans and Others

This award is for undergraduate students who are residents of Delaware. The student must be between the ages of 16 to 24 and be the child of: a deceased military veteran; a state police officer whose cause of death was service related; a military veteran held prisoner of war or declared missing in action; or a state employee of the Department of Transportation whose cause of death was job-related.

Total: $7920

Awards: 1

Deadline: 

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