What benefits are available for your student?

By MyArmyBenefits staff August 2025

As summer begins to wind down and the new school year looms you may be wondering what, if any, benefits are available for your spouse or children in education. Now is the time to begin researching and learning which scholarship opportunities may be available for your dependents. We know there can be many options, all with different requirements, so your first stop on the research train will be the MyArmyBenefits Federal Benefit Library. In the benefit library, you can search for educational benefits by category and choose the Education link, or search by duty status (i.e., retired) under the by component menu.

Scholarships that are available for the children of Retired Soldiers include:

The Heroes’ Legacy Scholarship: Applicants must be enrolled or plan to enroll in a full-time undergraduate program leading to a bachelor’s degree. They must also have a minimum unweighted grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) for college applicants and a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) for high school applicants. The applicant must also be an unmarried dependent of an Active, Reserve Component, or Retired Soldier and must be under the age of 23.

The MG James Ursano Scholarship Program: Applicants must be enrolled, accepted, or pending acceptance as full-time students for the entire academic year in post-secondary school for undergraduate study. The MG James Ursano Scholarships are awarded based on financial need, as evidenced by income, family size and special financial obligations. Scholarships are awarded on an annual basis for up to a maximum of four years of undergraduate study (continuing students must apply each year). Dependent children, stepchildren, or legally adopted children of Retired Soldiers are eligible to apply, as long as they are registered in the Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System (DEERS) and remain unmarried for the entire academic year. The applying student must be under the age of 24 and must not be a member of the Army National Guard (ARNG), United States Army Reserve (USAR), or other military branches.

The Scholarships for Military Children Program: Applicants must be enrolled or plan to enroll in a full-time undergraduate degree program, must be under the age of 23, and must be an unmarried dependent of an Active, Reserve Component, or Retired Soldier. The Scholarships for Military Children program is funded through contributions and handled at each commissary operated by the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA). The program annually awards 500 scholarship grants, each for $2,000. A minimum of one scholarship will be awarded at each commissary location that receives qualified applicants, but based on the number of applications received, more than one scholarship can be awarded. High school applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale (unweighted) and college applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above on a 4.0 scale (unweighted).

There are also multiple scholarship opportunities for spouses of Retired Soldiers who may want to continue their studies or work toward a higher degree. One opportunity is the Mrs. Patty Shinseki Spouse Scholarship Program, which is a need-based scholarship program offered to spouses attempting to obtain an undergraduate degree. The applicant must be a spouse of an active-duty or Retired Soldier, who is collecting retired pay, and must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale. The applicant must also be registered in DEERS and not be a member of the reserve components, or other military branches.

Lastly, there is the Tillman Scholars Program, which is available to not only spouses but also to veterans and active-duty Soldiers pursuing a degree as a full-time student. Each award amount is determined on an individual basis and is intended to meet each scholar's unique need. The exact amount will be based on individual financial need and the strength of the application in comparison to the overall pool.

So, if you, your spouse, or your children are planning for future education opportunities, be sure to look at all the options available and know which are most suited to your needs. Be sure to also visit your state’s benefit fact sheet in the My Army Benefits State-Territory library to see if there are any local scholarship opportunities. For more details on scholarships and all your military benefits, visit MyArmy Benefits and follow MAB on Facebook and Instagram.