Scholarships for Military Personnel

ROTC Scholarships

Students planning to enter the military directly out of high school but also desirous of a college degree should look no further than an ROTC scholarship. ROTC scholarships are available in the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines. ROTC scholarships are also available to persons who wish to serve the military in a medical capability, such as nurses and doctors. ROTC scholarships usually pay for most or all of a recipient's tuition for up to four years, and also provide stipends for the purchase of books, as well as monthly cost-of-living allowances.

Many available scholarships will fund the educations of active-duty or retired military personnel who served in any branch of the military. For instance, the organization AMVETS, in 2011, offered scholarships in the amount of $4,000 to military personnel pursuing an undergraduate degree. AMVETS also awards the Dr. Aurelio M. Caccomo Family Foundation Memorial Scholarship annually, which is available in the amount of $3,000 to a veteran or reservist from any branch. The Blinded Veterans Association offers scholarship support to blinded veterans from any branch of the service through the $2,000 Kathern F. Gruber Scholarship.

Some military associations offer scholarships only to active duty and retired personnel who have served in a specific branch of the military. For instance, the Air Force Sergeant's Association offers scholarships of up to $3,000 (as of 2011) to personnel who have served in the Air Force and wish to return to school. The Navy Seal Foundation offers annual scholarship money to current and former Navy Seals pursuing an undergraduate degree, including the Harvey Pollak and Children Annual Scholarship, valued at $2,500 per year for up to four years.

Some scholarship programs extend tuition assistance not only to members of the military but also to their spouses and dependent children. The Fisher House Foundation, for example, offers scholarship money of up to $1,000 (as of 2011) to the dependent children of military personnel from all service branches, and scholarship money of up to $2,500 to spouses. Military organizations such as the Navy Seal Foundation and the Air Force Sergeant's Association also offer scholarship money to the spouses or dependent children of personnel from the branches those organizations serve.