Theresa Schempp
By Theresa Schempp

Writer/Editor, Marketing Department

As a military servicemember or veteran, you probably know your VA benefits can help you pay for college. However, your benefits may not cover all of your higher education costs. That's where scholarships and other forms of aid come in.

Scholarships are one of the most valuable funding tools and they can help bridge gaps when military education benefits don’t fully cover costs. At University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), we offer significant military-focused scholarship support. In 2025, UMGC awarded more than $21 million in scholarships, including funding dedicated to military-affiliated students.

What to Know About Scholarships for Servicemembers & Veterans

UMGC offers a variety of scholarships to students, including military-specific scholarships for active-duty servicemembers, veterans, military spouses, and dependent children. In fiscal year 2025–2026, UMGC awarded more than 200 institutional and donor-funded military-affiliated scholarships.  

The first step toward being considered for many of these scholarships is filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), ideally as soon as it opens, which is usually in October. 

“FAFSA isn’t just about grants and loans. It can open up options for financial aid that you didn’t know existed,” says Kristen Staten, assistant vice president of financial aid at UMGC. “Even if you aren’t eligible for federal grants, getting your FAFSA on file each year allows you to be automatically considered for many other types of funding, including institutional, donor-funded, and state scholarships and grants.”   

To ensure UMGC provides funding to as many students as possible, there are some restrictions on combining certain UMGC scholarship and grant programs. However, students are encouraged to seek out as many opportunities as possible. 

“Don’t limit yourself by assuming that there are already tons of students who have applied for scholarships—you’d be shocked at how many external agencies reach out asking for help encouraging students to apply for their scholarship programs,” says Staten. “It’s always worth throwing your hat in the ring!” 

Most scholarships require at least half-time enrollment, and UMGC helps students combine scholarships with military tuition rates, credit for prior learning or rank, and other aid, so they can confidently fund their education from start to finish.

What Scholarships Are Available to Military Students?

At UMGC, active-duty military students can apply for a variety of scholarships and education benefits to help them in their education journey. UMGC offers more than 100 donor-funded scholarships to help students achieve their education goals. Each one of these scholarships is administered by the UMGC Office of Financial Aid and has its own set of unique eligibility criteria, and some are specifically for military-affiliated students. If you're eligible for a UMGC donor scholarship, the Office of Financial Aid will invite you to apply in the spring of each year.

In addition to the UMGC donor scholarships, active-military servicemembers can explore other education benefits offered by the military that may be available to them, such as Tuition Assistance or the Montgomery GI Bill® – Active Duty to make their degree more affordable. 

What Scholarships Are Available to Military Spouses, Caregivers and Families?

UMGC is dedicated to helping military spouses, dependents, and families pursue their education dreams, and recognize the commitment and sacrifices they make through a variety of scholarships. The university offers various scholarships specifically for military spouses and families, including:

  • Pillars of Strength Scholarship Program: This program aims to honor the unparalleled selflessness and extraordinary commitment of caregivers of recovering servicemembers and veterans, and includes full tuition, fees, and course-required resources. 
  • UMGC-NMFA Scholarship for Military Spouses: Every year, UMGC awards up to 10 scholarships, worth up to $1,500 each, to spouses of active-duty, Reserve, and National Guard servicemembers through the National Military Family Association (NMFA).

What Scholarships Are Available to Veterans?

Veteran students at UMGC can take advantage of several scholarships and support services specific to their needs and goals: 

  • Student Veteran of the Year Award: This award recognizes student veterans who have excelled in their academic and military careers. The recipient of the General John W. Vessey, Jr. Student Veteran of the Year Award receives a $3,000 refundable scholarship and recognition at the UMGC Veterans Day ceremony. This scholarship is also available to eligible active-duty servicemembers.
  • Veterans Initiatives Office (VIO) Scholarships: Each year, the VIO awards a total of up to six scholarships, worth $1,000 each, to eligible military-affiliated students, including veterans and active-duty servicemembers.
  • Veterans Assistance Fund: This initiative is designed to help military and veteran students enrolled at UMGC cover costs related to their education when Federal financial aid, Tuition Assistance, and VA benefits are unavailable or exhausted. The purpose of the fund is to offset costs related to academics, completion, or transition for individuals who demonstrate financial hardship.

What Other Resources Are Available to Military Students at UMGC?

UMGC has been serving the higher education needs of military students and their families since 1947 and has received national acclaim as a top military-trusted university. Today, we enroll more than 60,000 active-duty military servicemembers, reservists, veterans, and their family members. In addition to scholarships, UMGC also provides military education benefits including:

  • Military Tuition Rate: Reduced tuition rates are available for most programs for active-duty servicemembers, eligible spouses, and dependent children.
  • Credit for Military Rank: UMGC offers up to 12 total credits for select undergraduate business, management, and leadership courses, dependent upon your achieved rank in your U.S. military service, an innovative way to help you get credit for your unique experience as a military student.
  • Yellow Ribbon Participant: As a participant in this program, UMGC is committed to helping student veterans avoid out-of-pocket tuition and fees that may exceed Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefits.
  • VetSuccess on Campus: UMGC was specifically selected by the Department of Veterans Affairs for this program, which provides veteran students with a full-time VA counselor to help ease their transition to civilian life through support and guidance on VA benefits and services.
  • Military Advising Team: Connect with advisors who specialize in assisting military and veteran students.

Through these various scholarships, resources, and financial aid, you can make your dream of earning your degree at UMGC a reality while saving both time and money.

® GI Bill is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. More information about education benefits offered by VA is available on the U.S. government GI Bill website.

Reference on this webpage to any third-party entity or product does not constitute or imply endorsement by UMGC nor does it constitute or imply endorsement of UMGC by the third party.