Scholarships For Military-Affiliated Students

Purpose

This is a series of donor-funded scholarships to make college more accessible and affordable for eligible military-affiliated students.

Eligibility  

Open to current KU students on all KU campuses in good academic standing or newly admitted students for the Summer/Fall semester, in one of the following categories: 

• Honorably discharged service member/veteran  
• Current service member (Reserves and National Guard members, Active Duty undergrads)  
• Honorably discharged veteran of the uniformed services with DoD or VA disability rating associated with a combat or hostile-related injury sustained in the line of duty. 
• Honorably discharged veteran of the uniformed services with a service-connected DoD or VA disability rating of 50% or greater. 
• Purple Heart recipient, regardless of DoD/VA disability rating. 
• The primary caregiver of a service member or veteran with a significant service-connected disability. 
• Spouse/dependent of a veteran with a DoD/VA service-connected disability rating of 100%, especially those not eligible for the Kansas Hero's Scholarship (i.e. those whose veteran parent/spouse is not a Kansas resident). 
• Surviving spouse or dependent of a service member who died in the line of duty or a service member/honorably discharged veteran who died as a result of service-connected disabilities. 

How to Apply

Applications have closed for the 2023-24 academic year. Please check back in early 2024.

• If you have never applied for a KU scholarship through AcademicWorks, sign and date the general application.

Application

Applicants must provide the following in their application in PDF format. Contact us if you need help creating PDF files.:

• Resume
• Personal narrative: Provide a two-page summary discussing your academic goals and your expected time to achieve those goals. Also address how your academic goals align with your professional goals, and how the scholarship's financial gift will assist you in meeting these goals. 
• Summary of military service: Provide a one- to two-page summary discussing your/your sponsor’s military service (any information not included in your personal narrative). In addition to some background info, please include:
  • If you/your sponsor has a service-connected disability of 50% or greater or a Purple Heart: How the injury/illness occurred and how this has impacted your life (and/or your sponsor's life, if applicable) - only to the level you are comfortable explaining.
    • You may also include information like duties performed, areas where you demonstrated leadership, deployments/duty stations, awards/distinctions, etc.  
  • If there is no service-connected disability of 50% or greater or Purple Heart, include information like duties performed, areas where you demonstrated leadership, deployments/duty stations, awards/distinctions, etc.  
• One of the following: Personnel record/DD-214/NGB Form 22/DD-1300 “Report of Casualty” (excluding or redacting social security number is recommended) 
• If applicable: Veteran’s percentage letter or disability rating letter from the VA. 

Types of Scholarships Awarded  

Scholarship amounts vary. Availability of each of these scholarships varies by year. Students will be considered for all that they are eligible for based on their submitted documents and donor intent.

• Keener Family Scholarship 
• Paul & Donna Peters Scholarship
• Heart of America Patriot Foundation Scholarship 
• Delbert Moore Family Scholarship
• Bill & Shanthi Eckert Scholarship
• KAMO Adventures Scholarship
• Global Social Impact Scholarship
• First Command Educational Foundation Scholarship
• Scholarships for wounded, ill, injured and their families – for those with service-connected disabilities, Purple Heart recipients, caregivers, spouses/dependents of those with 100% service-connected disabilities, and spouses/dependents of those who died in the line of duty or who died as a result of service-connected disabilities.
• Student Veteran Scholarships – for exceptional servicemembers and veterans, with an emphasis on those who are/were junior enlisted. These student veterans possess strength in character, academic excellence and exceptional growth as demonstrated by their military career.       

View our current scholarship recipients

Purpose

Donor funded scholarships to recognize and financially assist spouses and dependents of current military and prior-service veterans.

Eligibility

Open to current full-time KU students on all KU campuses in good academic standing or newly admitted students for the Summer/Fall semester, in one of the following categories (*Post-9/11 GI Bill users at the 100% rate and Kansas Hero's Scholarship recipients are not eligible for this scholarship.):

• Spouse/dependent of an honorably discharged service member/veteran
• Spouse/dependent of current service member (Active Duty, Reserves, National Guard)

How to Apply

Applications have closed for the 2023-24 academic year. Please check back in early 2024.

• If you have never applied for a KU scholarship through AcademicWorks, sign and date the general application.

Application

Scholarships are awarded according to academic merit and financial need. Applicants must provide the following in their application in PDF format. Contact us if you need help creating PDF files:

• Personal narrative: Provide a one- to two-page narrative discussing your academic and professional goals and the extent of your financial need, as well as how your military affiliation has impacted your life, e.g., something you’re proud of, how the military world has shaped your career aspirations, etc. 
• Resume

Amount

$250

View our current scholarship recipients

For the 2023-24 academic year, we will accept new applications starting Aug. 1, 2023.

Purpose

Thanks to a donation from the Spencer C. Duncan Make it Count Foundation, we offer scholarships to help provide additional money for veterans and military for the purposes of textbooks.

Amount

Up to $250 a semester.

Eligibility

• Prior-service veterans, Guard and Reserve students
  • If you are using Ch. 31 VR&E, you are not eligible since the VA pays for all your books
  • If you are using Ch. 33 Post-9/11 VA benefits, we will consider expenses that exceed your VA book allowance. Please include receipts that show how you exceed the VA book stipend.
• Active duty (undergraduates only)
• ROTC students (only those not receiving any ROTC scholarships)

How to Apply

You may complete the online application beginning Aug. 1. A link to the scholarship application will be posted prior to Aug. 1. Applicants will need to provide copies of receipts/proof of purchase.

Deadline

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis as long as funding is available.

The Military-Affiliated Community Advocates, or MACA, program offers service scholarships to military-affiliated students who support and advocate for the KU military-affiliated community in key offices across campus.

Students eligible to apply:

• Students who identify as veterans, Guard, Reserves, spouses or dependents 

• Full-time or part-time graduate or undergraduate student

• Have been at the KU-Lawrence campus for at least one year

• Will be a KU student for Fall 2023 and Spring 2024

• Maintain a 2.5 cumulative or KU GPA

We are piloting this program in 2023-24 on the Lawrence campus with 2-3 offices. Priority deadline to apply is June 15, but applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis. The program runs Sept. to May.

Learn more/apply to the MACA program.

All Military Affiliations

• Air Force Association scholarships – Military, veterans, spouses, dependents.
• AMVETS – Veterans, active duty, Guard/Reserves, children, and grandchildren of veterans. 
• Army Women's Foundation scholarships – Women who have served/are serving in the Army, Army Reserve, Army National Guard and their children. January deadline.
• CollegeScholarships.org – Provides links to numerous scholarship opportunities based on military service or dependent status.
• Council of College and Military Educators (CCME) – Military, veterans, spouses. Fall deadline.
• Fleet Reserve Association Education Foundation – Those affiliated with the Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard through your own service or that of your spouse, parent, grandparent or great-grandparent. April deadline.
• Military Officers Association of America Education Assistance 
• Tutor.com – Free on-demand, 24/7 online tutoring for DoD service members, civilian personnel, ROTC students and all dependent family members.
• Women Marines Association Scholarship – Women who served in the Marine Corps, have a family member who served in the Marine Corps, or have participated in a Marine Corps JROTC program. February deadline.

Veterans/Military

• Army Nurse Corps Association's Scholarship program – Eligible nursing students serving/previously served in any branch of a component of the U.S. Army. March deadline.
• David Resnick & Associates – Grants for veterans. July deadline.
• Military.com Educational Assistance Programs information
• Raytheon Patriot Scholarship – Any eligible U.S. Army student veteran. April deadline.
• VFW "Sports Clips Help A Hero Scholarship" – E-5 or below military/veterans, given twice a year.
• Women's Overseas Service League – Eligible women who are committed to advancement in the military or other public service careers. March deadline.
• Study.com Scholarship for Military Members & Veterans -- Spring deadline.
• Hill & Ponton Veteran Scholarships – For veterans who plan to enter a career field that would, in turn, help other veterans. Fall and spring deadlines.

Spouses

• Coast Guard Mutual Assistance – Loans and grants for a degree, license or certification
• Corvias Foundation scholarships – Active duty spouses stationed at an installation where Corvias is the housing provider. Up to $50,000. Spring deadline.
• FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship Program – Current spouses or surviving spouses of a uniformed service member; Active Duty, National Guard and Reserve, or retirees entitled to DEERS card possession or eligibility. Spring deadline.
• Military One Source Spouse scholarship database
• Modern Military Association of America – Spring deadline
• National Military Family Association Spouse scholarships – Applications accepted year-round.
• Tillman Military Scholars – Application opens in February.

Dependents & Spouses

• General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant – Air Force dependents of active duty, Title 10 Reservists on extended active duty, Title 32 Guard performing full-time active duty, retired, retired Reserve and deceased Air Force members, as well as spouses of active duty and Title 10 Reservists, and widows/widowers.

• Navy Wives Club of America – Up to 30 scholarships awarded annually, with eligibility for spouses/dependents of the Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps. March deadline.
• Combined Scholarship Fund of Greater Fort Riley – March deadline.
• UDT Seal Association scholarships – Dependents of members. Early Spring deadline.

Dependents

• The Society of Daughters of the United States Army – Daughter, granddaughter, stepdaughter, or adopted daughter of a career commissioned or warrant officer in the Army who is on active duty, retired after at least 20 years active duty service, was medically retired from active duty, or died while on active duty. March deadline

All Military Affiliations

• Air Force Aid Society – Scholarships, grants, loans for veterans, spouses, dependents.
• American Legion Auxiliary Non-Traditional Student Scholarship – Veterans, spouses, dependents who are Legion members.
• Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society – Interest-free loans and grants for veterans, spouses, dependents. Open Nov 1 - May 1.
• Women Marine Corps Association scholarships – Marines and their dependents and siblings, or those who were in Marine Corps JROTC. Early Spring deadline.

Veterans/Military

• AAPG Military Veterans Scholarship Program – Veterans in geoscience programs. Open February-May.
• Kansas Board of Regents Military Service Scholarship – Kansas-resident students who served in any military operation for which they received hostile fire pay. Priority deadline is May 1. This is a restricted scholarship that pays tuition/fees directly, so if a student is Post-9/11 VA benefits eligible at the 100% rate or Ch. 31 VR&E, there is no need to apply for this when using VA benefits.
• AFCEA War Veterans Scholarship – Veterans actively pursuing certification or licensure to teach STEM subjects. May deadline.
• Study.com Nursing Scholarship for Military & Veterans -- Spring deadline.

Spouses & Dependents

• Army Emergency Relief scholarships – April deadline.
• ThanksUSA – April deadline.
• Study.com Military Spouse Scholarship -- Spring deadline.
• Coast Guard Foundation scholarships – Enlisted spouses. Spring deadline. 
• Chief Petty Officer Scholarship Fund – spouses/dependents of former/current Navy Chief, Senior Chief or Master Chief Petty Officers. Spring deadline.

Dependents

• American Legion scholarships
• Corvias Foundation scholarships – High school seniors of active duty stationed at an installation where Corvias is the housing provider. A four-year award of up to $50,000. Spring deadline
• Fisher House – Any military child whose parent(s) are serving or have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. February deadline.
• Gilman-McCain Scholarship – Children of current active duty military member. Used for credit-bearing study abroad or intern abroad programs. August deadline.
• Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation – Dependents of active/reserve/veteran Marines and Corpsmen attached to Marine units.
• Navy Wives Club of America – Dependents of active duty, retired or deceased enlisted Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard. March deadline.
• Scholarships for military children – Check in December of each year for program details.
• Society of the 1st Infantry Division scholarship – Children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of 1st ID veterans. Spring deadline. 
• Study.com Scholarship for Military Children -- Spring deadline.

• Kansas application for a waiver of tuition/fees for dependents and spouses of disabled or deceased military personnel. (Look for the Hero's Scholarship section near the middle of the page).
• Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation – Scholarships and educational resources to military children who have lost a parent in the line of duty.
• Folds of Honor scholarships – Spouses, dependents of America's fallen and disabled service members.
• Folded Flag Foundation scholarships – Spouses and dependents of U.S. military and government personnel who died as a result of hostile action or in an accident related to U.S. combat operations.
• Freedom Alliance Scholarship – Children of military personnel killed/permanently disabled in an operational mission/training accident.
• Heroes' Legacy Scholarship – Unmarried children under 23 of 100% disabled veterans or deceased military members.
• Paralyzed Veterans of America scholarships – PVA members and their immediate family members.
• Patriot Legacy Fund – Dependents under age 23 of a veteran with a VA service-connected disability of 10% or greater. Spring deadline.
• Veterans United Foundation Scholarship – Surviving spouse or child of a deceased service member from a service-related death OR a veteran with a 100% service-connected disability.
• No Greater Sacrifice scholarships – for children of fallen/wounded servicemembers. Spring deadline.
• Purple Heart Scholarship Program – for direct descendants of servicemember killed in the line of duty, spouses/widow(ers) of Purple Heart recipients and Purple Heart recipients who are members of MOPH and their families, including grandchildren. Summer deadline.
• Katherine F. Gruber and Thomas H. Miller scholarships – Spouses, dependents and grandchildren of blinded veterans. Spring deadline. 

• Air Force Heath Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP)
• Air Force ROTC scholarships
• Army Reserve Minuteman scholarship
• Army Medical Scholarships, including HPSP
• Army ROTC scholarships
• DoD SMART Scholarship Program – Pays full tuition and provides housing stipend, health insurance, supply allowance, supplies, summer internships and employment placement at DoD facilities upon degree completion.
• Marine Officer Navy ROTC scholarships
• Navy Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP)
• Navy ROTC scholarships