Our List of the Best Scholarships and Grants for Military Spouses

If you're a military spouse looking to go back to school, you might be thinking it's too expensive for you.

What if you knew you could go back to school for free? Would it make the choice easier?

You may not know it, but there are actually a ton of financial aid options that don't include taking out massive amounts of loans. This is especially helpful to know if you are a recently widowed military spouse looking to find a new way to support your family.

Whether you want to apply for a short-term program or a four-year degree, military spouse scholarships are available for most programs.

Although MedCerts only accepts the MyCAA benefit towards tuition, there are a few other options available to you.

To save you some time, we compiled a few of the best scholarships for military spouses:

1. MyCAA (My Career Advancement Account)

Amount: Up to $4,000 (in $2,000 increments per fiscal year)

If you are a spouse of an active duty service member, you may qualify for this free educational benefit. The MyCAA scholarship financially supports military spouses as they pursue higher education in the form of licenses, associates degrees, certifications, or other credentials. Think phlebotomy technician, massage therapist and more.

Get more MyCAA eligibility requirements details from an education consultant.

2. ThanksUSA Scholarship

Amount: $3,000

This organization provides need-based college, technical and vocational scholarships to help children and spouses of service members achieve their educational goals.

Spouses can apply for this scholarship if they are enrolled part-time in an undergraduate program. This scholarship may also be used for non-degree licensure and certification programs regardless of whether an undergraduate degree has already been completed.

The application deadline is coming up soon. Learn about eligibility details here.

3. Fry Scholarship

Amount: Up to 36 months of benefits at the 100% level

The Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship (Fry Scholarship) offers Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits to surviving spouses and children of service members who died in the line of duty while actively serving after September 11, 2001. Eligible spouses may receive a full tuition, plus a book allowance and monthly living stipend.

Note: Spouses do lose eligibility to this benefit upon remarriage. If eligible before January 1, 2013, you’re limited to 15 years before you lose the benefit. This time limitation is removed if you became eligible on or after January 1, 2013.

Check out eligibility requirements here.

4. General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant

Amount: $500 to $4,000

The General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant program is a needs-based scholarship to help cover education costs for spouses and dependent children of active duty U.S. Air Force service members. The grant is also available to surviving spouses of US.. Air Force members who died while on active duty or in retired status.

Learn more about eligibility requirements here.

Check Out All of Your Military Scholarship Options

This list is just a starting point for you to fund your education.

Be sure to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to get details on what financial aid you may qualify for federally. Additionally, you are eligible to use up to two sources of federal funding for your education.

If you don’t plan to attend a four-year university, check out MyCAA first after filling out your FAFSA. The MyCAA scholarship might be all you need to go back to school.

Aside from the above scholarships, your spouse may have leftover G.I. Bill allowances you can use for school. If you need more funding, get in touch with your local American Legion and VFW to see if they offer military spouse scholarships. These usually have much less competition than national scholarships.

One final tip: As you start looking for scholarships to fund your education, be sure to carefully read eligibility requirements. Many scholarships have very specific details instructions that need to be followed. Applicants who don’t follow instructions run the risk of their application being considered incomplete or disqualified. Don’t let this happen to you!

Do you have questions about the MyCAA scholarship? Connect with us to learn more!