A $5,000 scholarship available to dependent children and spouses of active duty and retired service members who demonstrate outstanding academic potential based on GPA, or used Grit (Growth, Resilience, Integrity and Tenacity) in overcoming a specific challenge in their academic journey. Students who have already been vetted through the General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant application process will be evaluated based on cumulative GPA, high school transcripts and video essays on a specified topic.

Students chosen to receive a Merit or Grit Scholarship are announced in July each year. Funds will be disbursed directly to their college or university in August each year, and are limited to use for tuition, fees, books, and curriculum-required materials.

A minimum of 20 scholarships are awarded annually.

Air Force Aid Society (AFAS) education support and tuition assistance is available to dependent children of active duty service members, spouses of active duty service members, and surviving spouses of Air Force and Space Force members who died while on active duty that demonstrate outstanding academic potential based on GPA, or used Grit in overcoming a specific challenge in their academic journey.

Each year, AFAS awards a minimum of 20 Merit and Grit Scholarships. These $5,000 scholarships are available to dependent children and spouses of active duty and retired service members who demonstrate outstanding academic potential based on GPA.

Incoming college and university freshmen students who have already successfully completed the General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant application may be considered for a Merit or Grit Scholarship.

A student can be awarded a Merit or Grit Scholarship without receiving the needs-based General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant.

Application deadline is April 30 of the current academic year.

Selection

Students who have already been vetted through the General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant application process will be evaluated based on cumulative GPA, high school transcripts and video essays on a specified topic.

Submitting an Application for the AFAS Merit Scholarship and General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant:

Please Note: This is a general overview. Please refer to the Application Process and Instructions Document for detailed instructions.

Registration: New applicants (no previous applications) must register as a user before completing an application. New registration involves three phases: registering for an account, creating a profile, and confirming eligibility.

Returning applicants (previously applied) If an application was submitted in the past two academic year cycles, applicants will use ‘Sign in’ to log back into their account, update their profile, and reconfirm eligibility. If you forgot your password since the last login, use the ‘Forgot your Password?’ option.

Confirming Eligibility: Student answers eligibility questions and registers as a user on the Air Force Aid Society’s Education Grant Portal.

Completing an Application: rom the dropdown, confirm if you are applying as the Student or Sponsor or Other Parent on Behalf of Student and complete the following prompts.

Student Information: The Student Information section contains contact information for the student such as mailing address, phone numbers, and email addresses. Mailing address should be student’s home address, not a temporary school address.

Sponsor Information: The Sponsor Information section contains information about the sponsoring U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force member and, if applicable, other parent. Entering the sponsoring member’s mailing address and contact information may be bypassed only if (1) student has no contact with member and the information is not known, AND (2) other parent contact information has been provided.

School Information: The School Information section contains information about the school the student will MOST LIKELY ATTEND, grade, enrollment status, degree, major, grade level and most recent GPA.

Academic Information: The Academic Information section contains information about the level of degree, program of study/major, college grade level, grade point averages (GPA) and Student Aid Index (SAI), which is used to determine financial need.

Document Requirements: Based on student and sponsoring member category, a list of the required documents that must be provided to prove eligibility will be displayed. Applicants must submit 4 (possibly 5) documents to submit a complete application. Scan and save each document as a separate file, to attach/upload to the application.

• Front and back copies of the student’s military ID card
• Copy of sponsoring member’s qualifying documentation, with all but the last four of SSN blacked out, as follows:
  • Children of Active Duty – Attach copy of assignment orders to present duty station. Title 10 Guard/Reserve attach copy of extended active duty orders showing active status through December 1 of the academic year. (All Active Duty members sponsoring spouses for grants must be on active duty status through December 1 of the academic year).
  • Children of Title 32 Guard Performing Full-time Active Duty- Attach orders showing performance of full-tune active duty through December 1 of the academic year.
  • Children of Retired- Attach DD Form 214 Statement of Service with reason for separation listed as “retirement”.
  • Children of Retired Reserve (Not age 60/not receiving retired pay) - Copy of sponsoring member’s retirement order (DD Form 214 Statement of Service); notice of eligibility for retired pay at age 60 showing assignment to Retired Reserve Section and placement on the USAF/USSF Reserve Retired list, or retired pay order showing retired with pay on 60th birthday or later.
  • Children of Deceased – Attach a copy of DAF Form 1613, Statement of Service or Death Certificate.

• Spouses of Active Duty, Title 10 and Title 32 Reservists on extended active duty - Copy of regular Active Duty member’s assignment orders to present duty station or Title 10/Title 32 Reservist’s extended active duty orders showing active duty status through December 1st of the academic year.
• Spouses of Title 32 Guard performing full-time active duty - Copy of sponsoring member’s Title 32 orders/contract showing performance of full-time active duty through December 1st of the academic year.
  • Spouses of Deceased members (widows/widowers) - Copy of deceased member’s DAF Form 1613 Statement of Service or State Death Certificate
• Copy of the most recent transcript (unofficial acceptable). Must include any completed coursework, student’s name, school name, grades, credit hours for each course, and reflect the most recent cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale.
  • If student never attended college, submit high school transcript.
  • Students who are homeschooled are required to provide standardized test results (SAT, ACT, GED) or state-issued documentation of high school completion as proof of meeting 2.0 GPA requirement.
  • If the student has any previous college credits, submit transcripts from all colleges or vocational technical schools attended
• Copy of full FAFSA Submission Summary and Student Aid Index (SAI) from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Note: Confirmation or acknowledgement pages for submitting the FAFSA are not acceptable.
  • Note: Please use Chrome when downloading the FAFSA Submission Summary and Student Aid Index (SAI). AFAS is unable to open documents downloaded from Safari.
• Students applying as a 5th year undergraduate must provide verification of enrollment in a five-year degree program (5th year required for all students in degree program/major).

Submitting the Application: On the last page of the application, applicants will need to check the box to certify and submit their application. If applicants use save and exit, it does not submit the application.

Confirmation: When an application is submitted to AFAS, the applicant is notified via an email from education@afas-hq.org.

Application Status: Once the application is submitted, no edits can be made. Applicants will be able to view the status of their application by logging back into the application. AFAS will notify the applicant if corrections need to be made to the application via email and at that time they will be able to log back in to make those updates. If the applicant does not make corrections, reminder emails will be sent to the applicant. Be sure to add education@afas-hq.org to your contacts and check your email regularly, as well as junk/spam folders.

In June, students being considered for a Merit or Grit Scholarship will be contacted by AFAS with details on submitting their end-of-year high school transcripts and video essays on a specified topic. Students ultimately chosen to receive a Merit or Grit Scholarship are announced in July each year. In August, funds are disbursed directly to the student’s college or university, and limited to use for tuition, fees, books, and curriculum-required materials.

For additional information or questions see the Application Process and Instructions Document or contact AFAS Education Department by email at Education@afas-hq.org, or call 703-972-2647.

Air Force Aid Society (AFAS)
https://afas.org/how-we-help/afas-merit-scholarship/

Application Process and Instructions
https://afas.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/HapArnoldApplication-Procedures-and-Instructions-2025-2026.pdf