Military College Grants

The military personnel who seek to protect and serve the country with their lives often find themselves in a situation where they cannot afford schooling beyond a secondary education. In order to reward them for their bravery and service, the armed forces offer both military personnel and members of their families grants for college that can help to pay for a higher education that they rightly deserve.

Spouses of army personnel can receive up to $350 per term toward schooling through the Spouse Education Assistance Program, while the spouses of Navy personnel can benefit from the Spouse Tuition Aid Program. This provides funding for full- or part-time studies available for undergraduates at up to $1500 per year or graduate studies up to $1750 per year. An individual in the Air Force can receive benefits for his or her family through the General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant Program. Children and spouses of active as well as deceased spouses can qualify for around $2000, based on needs, using low income and tuition costs as factors for determination.

The Marines and Coast Guard configure their programs differently. A Marine can receive a grant of up to $2000 per year during active duty if accepted to the Enlisted Commissioning Program, Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program, or Medical Enlisted Commissioning Program. The Coast Guard Mutual Assistance program offers $150 per year to assist in paying for college expenses for any family member, including the enlisted individual, but may not be used toward tuition (can cover cost of books, supplies, housing, tests, etc).

List of Military College Grants

• Alabama National Guard Educational Assistance Program — Up to $1000 awarded each year to undergraduate and graduate students who are members of Alabama National Guard.


• Illinois National Guard Grant Program — $1300 to $1700 awarded to 2000 - 3000 undergraduate and graduate students who are members of Illinois National Guard.


• Illinois Veteran Grant Program - IVG — $1400 to $1600 awarded each year to 11000-13000 veteran undergraduate and graduate students attending Illinois college.


• United States Bacak Academy Class of 1963 Foundation Grant — $1000 to $4000 awarded each year to undergraduate and graduate students who are dependents of veteran of Naval Academy Class of 1963.

Paying for school is not easy, but we are here to help. OEDb's student finance section will help you find the money you need to pay your tuition and other college expenses. We cover scholarships, college grants, and student loans. Scholarships and grants are both forms of "free money", meaning they don't need to be paid back. Scholarships are typically awarded by businesses or individuals, with the money being earmarked specifically for tuition. They can be awarded based on a student's location or by religious affiliation, such as Catholicism or Islam. Grants are typically awarded by governments or non-profit organizations and the money often can be applied to several different expenses a student may incur, not solely tuition. They can be awarded based on location or ethnicity, for instance African American or Hispanic. Loans are not considered "free money", because unlike scholarships and grants, they do need to be paid back after graduation. Common federal loans include Perkins and Stafford. Loans are also available by location.