1. AFS Essay
2. Picture of the Applicant
3. Prior Year 1040 (Parent / Spouse or student, (if independent))
4. Student Aid Report
5. High School Transcript(s)
6. College Transcript(s) (if current college student)
7. DD214 or Written Statement of Good Service
8. Applicant Signature
9. Parent or Spouse Signature
Scholarship Application Instructions, Academic Year 2022 – 2023
Please read these instructions before completing your application. The deadline for submitting an application is April 15, 2022. You must complete all information, submit the online form, print, and sign the application. Include all required documentation and the sign printed application. The signed application and all documentation need to be included in application package. Send the applications package via U.S. Postal Service arrive at Army Scholarship Foundation no later than April 15, 2022 for the application to be deemed complete. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. Do not staple application materials.
APPLICATION FORMS:
There are two separate and distinct applications, depending on your status, choose either spouse or child of a soldier. If you are the son or daughter of a serving regular active duty, active duty Reserve, or active duty National Guard US Army member in good standing, OR the son or daughter of a former US Army member who has retired, received an Honorable Discharge or Medical Discharge, or was killed/died while serving in the US Army, complete and return the application entitled ASF Application Form – Child, either the Microsoft Word .doc file or the Adobe .pdf file. If you are the spouse of a serving enlisted regular active duty, active duty Reserve, or active duty National Guard US Army member in good standing, complete and return the application entitled ASF Application Form – Spouse, either the Microsoft Word .doc file or the Adobe .pdf file. Complete only the one version of the application form for which you qualify. The form must include complete student information, including full SSAN, address, email, phone and other required items as listed on the application. We must be able to contact you with any questions or award notifications.
ELIGIBILITY:
One-year scholarships are awarded annually and are limited to undergraduate studies at accredited educational/technical institutions. Scholarships are not automatically renewable. Current scholarship recipients must reapply each year with a complete application and are limited to a total of four awards. An Applicant must be:
• A member of one of the two categories of people listed in bold type in the section entitled TWO TYPES OF APPLICATION FORM above;
• Child(ren) of a soldier can not be older than 23 years by the application deadline and must be U.S. citizens. Spouses of soldiers do not have an age limit, but must be a U.S citizen;
• A high school senior, high school graduate, or a registered undergraduate student at an accredited college or post high school vocational/technical institution.
REQUIREMENTS:
1. CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE:
A Statement of Good Service is an attestation on unit letterhead signed by the unit commander or representative, or by the personnel office. The statement should certify that the service member is currently serving honorably on active duty with that unit. You must submit the Statement of Good Service from the Commanding Officer of your parent or spouse who is currently serving in the Army. If your parent is no longer on active duty, submit a copy of your parent’s Honorable Discharge from the United States Army or a copy of your parent’s Form DD Form 214 (Certificate of Service). Note: The DD 214 must show the “character of service.” The soldier’s service must be HONORABLE. Designations such as “general” or “uncharacterized,” or any service other than honorable will make the applicant ineligible.
The application must indicate a clear linkage of the student applicant with the service member upon whom eligibility is based. For example, if names differ on the DD214, IRS 1040, or other supporting items from the applicant’s name, then explanatory materials must be submitted to indicate the relationship between the soldier and the applicant. An example might be adoption papers. If you as applicant are now on active duty or have been discharged from the Armed Forces, you must also submit a statement of good service from your commanding officer or a copy of your own DD 214 or other official evidence of an Honorable Discharge.
2. FAMILY FINANCIAL INFORMATION – IRS Form 1040 and Student Aid Report (SAR):
You must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. The FAFSA collects financial and other information required by most colleges, universities, and technical schools. A paper FAFSA is available from high school guidance offices, libraries, college financial aid offices, Army Installation Education Centers, or from the Federal Student Aid Information Center (1-800-4-FED-AID). Completing the FAFSA takes approximately one hour. You can fill out and submit the FAFSA electronically if you have access to the Internet. Visit the website at www.fafsa.ed.gov. If you do this, do not list our name on the FAFSA form to have the information sent to us automatically. The applicant must mail a paper copy to us. Once you have submitted the FAFSA, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) in a few weeks. THIS IS THE REPORT YOU MUST SUBMIT TO US. Make a copy of the SAR, Part 1 and Part 2 (all pages), and include it with this application.
In addition, you must submit a signed copy of the income tax return for 2021 of your family or your spouse (depending on which version of the scholarship application you are filling out). You must submit official documentation showing non-taxable income. If you are independent as defined by Federal Student Aid, you must submit your own current income tax return and official documentation showing non-taxable income. The IRS Form 1040 must be the tax return which shows the applicant/student is listed as an exemption or deduction.
3. SCHOLASTIC RECORD:
If you are just entering college or a post high school vocational/technical school for the first time in the coming fall, submit a copy of your high school transcript(s). College students with less than 30 hours of college level credit must submit both high school and college transcripts. College students with 30 or more hours of college credits need only submit college transcripts. Your scholastic record must be included with your application. Do not mail it separately. Do not have the school mail it separately. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable providing they clearly show school, dates, courses and grades. Please indicate your college major if at all possible, as some awards are targeted for specific majors.
4. ESSAY
Submit a 300-word essay, selecting one of the following six topics:
A. What are your values and what do you think is important in life? Why?
B. Describe your community service or other activities, explaining how this involvement has influenced your life.
C. Describe an event that affected you in some way i.e. socially, physically, emotionally or spiritually, giving better insight into you as a person.
D. What does the opportunity for higher education mean to you and what will you do with it?
E. How have America’s military values influenced your life?
F. Who is your hero?
5. PHOTOGRAPH
We may display photographs of scholarship winners on our web site or in other Army Scholarship Foundation materials. Submit a photograph of yourself suitable for reproduction. This should be an actual photograph, preferably in color, on photographic paper. Do not staple it to the application. Former Foundation scholarship recipients must send a new photo. Preferred size is 3 ½ by 2 ½ inches; this is also the minimum acceptable size photo. Write your name on the back of the photo; ensure that it does not bleed through to the front of the photo.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION:
Submit any additional information relative to your application that would be of assistance in our evaluation. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: April 15, 2022 Your complete application must be postmarked no later than April 15 to be considered.
COMPLETE APPLICATIONS:
Have you submitted your application and all supporting documents in one envelope? The scholarship committee cannot consider incomplete applications.
□ Your completed application signed by you and your parent or you and your spouse.
□ Your parent’s Statement of Good Service or DD 214, or your spouse’s Statement of Good Service
□ Your own DD 214 if applicable
□ Your parent or spouse’s Federal Income Tax Return IRS Form 1040 for prior year
□ Your Student Aid Report (SAR)
□ Your transcript(s)
□ Your essay
□ Your photograph, minimum 3 ½ by 2 ½ inches in size, in color, with applicant name on the back
By submitting the application, you agree that the application and all materials submitted with the application become the property of the Army Scholarship Foundation and will not be returned. Submitted photo and information may be used in our marketing activities.
YOUR SCHOOL INFORMATION:
Every year, a number of awardees do not receive their scholarships at their schools due to incomplete or incorrect school financial aid office addresses on the application forms, or due to changing schools after submitting the application packages. PLEASE be sure the address information is accurate in order for the schools to receive your award funds on time. If you have not yet finalized the school you will attend, leave that section blank and provide the information as soon as possible. We are unable to accommodate school changes subsequent to semester begin and the issuance of funding. We therefore cannot accept any requests to change schools subsequent to 1 September. Should scholarship awardees subsequently change schools after funds are sent to the prior school, they are welcome to reapply next year.
PREVIOUS AWARDEES:
Prior awardees must submit a complete new application package. If you received a previous award, please indicate all of the years received and Scholarship Names or types of scholarship received on the application form by adding this information in the section asking if you are a previous applicant. Previous awardees must indicate the name of the award(s) received and the year(s) received.
SIGNATURES:
The applicant and a parent (spouse for enlisted spouse applicants) must both sign and date the application. By applying, the applicant agrees that the Army Scholarship Foundation may use scholarship awardee’s name, photograph or likeness in print publications, online publications, presentations, on the web site and in social media, and that such information may be shared or publicized by the Foundation.
Due to the large number of applications, ASF can not acknowledge receipt of each application. ASF will contact all applicants regarding the decision on their applications approximately 120+ days from the submission deadline (April 15).