Scholarships for Military Children

The Scholarships for Military Children Program was created to recognize military families' contributions to the fighting force's readiness and to celebrate the commissary's role in the military family community.

Our application period for the 2024-2025 academic year is now closed.

The Scholarships for Military Children program intends that a scholarship funded through contributions be awarded annually at each commissary operated by the Defense Commissary Agency worldwide.

Five hundred (500) scholarship grants, each for $2,000, will be awarded for the academic school year 2024-2025. There will be at least one recipient selected at every commissary location where qualified applications are received. Additional recipients are chosen on a prorated basis. Therefore, more applicants may be selected from those commissaries with more significant numbers of applicants.

Our 2023 Winners are posted here!

You may also visit our scholarship search engine for more scholarship opportunities.

Who Can Apply?

The Scholarships for Military Children program is open to unmarried military dependent children under the age 23 who possess a valid Uniformed Services Identification (USID) card. In addition, a student's parent(s)/sponsor(s) must be one of the following: active duty, reserve/guard, deceased, or retired from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, or Space Force.

  • Must be enrolled or planning to enroll in a full-time undergraduate program leading to a bachelor’s degree or a community/junior college designed to allow for a direct transfer into a four-year program.
  • High school applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 basis).
  • College applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5. College freshmen must submit a first-semester college transcript.
  • Applicants or sponsors do not need to live at an installation with a commissary – simply select the commissary where you shop or the one nearest to you.

How Do I Apply?

The Scholarships for Military Children Program expects that the student completes the application themselves and they must attest to this when submitting the application.

  1. Create an account that you can later come back to.
  2. Complete all tabs of the form – a green checkmark indicates completion.
  3. Write a short 500-word essay – the essay topic will be announced when the scholarship opens.
  4. Submit transcripts
  5. High school applicants – transcript indicating a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale (unweighted)
  6. College applicants – transcript indicating a cumulative minimum GPA of 2.5 or above on a 4.0 scale (unweighted)
  7. You must validate your eligibility as a military dependent by entering the benefits number found on the reverse of the Uniformed Services Identification (USID) card. If you qualify for an ID card but do not have one, immediately schedule a visit to a military personnel office with the proper documentation.