Fisher House Foundation Scholarships For Military Children
Before you spend hours on this
Will this scholarship actually lower your cost?
Not always. Many colleges reduce your financial-aid package when you win an outside scholarship — sometimes dollar-for-dollar — so the money can end up saving the school instead of you. It's called scholarship displacement. Two free tools tell you where you actually stand:
General guidance, not financial advice — your school's financial aid office is the only authority on how they treat outside awards. Always confirm with them before deciding.
Best fit for
Any military dependent in high school or college. The locality of the competition is the key insight — if you live in a smaller military community (or a base abroad), your odds are particularly strong.
What they actually look for
The Fisher House Scholarships for Military Children award $2,000 to one student per commissary location each year — meaning your competition is LOCAL (kids whose parents shop at YOUR commissary), not national. The applicant pool is small at any given commissary, and the odds are dramatically better than the national headcount suggests. About 700 winners/yr nationally.
What you'll need
- Dependent (child) of an active-duty, retired, or deceased US military service member — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, or Space Force
- Under age 23 + unmarried + currently in high school OR enrolled in college
- Sponsor must be / have been a service member (not just military civilian employee)
- Short essays on military family life and goals
- Transcript + military ID copy
- Apply through your local commissary (yes — through the commissary, not online)
When to start
Application opens in winter (typically December-January), closes late February. Pick up the application from your nearest commissary's customer service desk OR download from militaryscholar.org.
Watch out for
The form must be SUBMITTED at a specific commissary location — even though you can download it online, your scholarship is tied to which commissary you submit through. Pick the commissary you actually shop at, not the one with the lowest perceived competition (commissaries verify your military ID matches their location).