Military members, veterans, and their families have special opportunities when it comes to funding higher education. Given the high cost of attending college, they’re well worth checking into.
Find out about student loans for military dependents: children, spouses, and sometimes other relatives of active duty service members.
Table of Contents
Key Points
• Military dependents (spouses, children, and sometimes other relatives of service members) have access to specialized financial aid options for higher education.
• Federal financial aid, including Pell Grants and subsidized student loans, may be available to military dependents.
• Organizations such as the American Legion, AMVETS, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Veterans of Foreign Wars offer scholarships and grants specifically for military families.
• ROTC programs provide no-cost scholarships at over 1,000 colleges in the U.S.
• Private student loans can help cover educational expenses if federal aid and scholarships are not enough, but they may come with higher interest rates and fewer borrower protections.
What Are Student Loans?
First things first: What are student loans, and how do student loans work?
Student loans are a type of financial product wherein a bank or other lender gives a student up-front money with which to pay for college and other educational expenses. Student loans can be used to cover tuition, textbooks, and even living expenses such as housing. Student loans are available through the government as well as through private lenders, and can be taken out by parents or students themselves.
Student loans, like all forms of debt, come at a cost: Interest accrues from the time the first loan check is disbursed. In the case of Direct Subsidized loans, the U.S. government covers the interest so long as the student is enrolled at least half-time and for the first six months after the student stops attending.
Although student loan interest rates tend to be lower than, say, credit card interest rates, the charges can still rack up over time. This is part of the reason Americans are saddled with a whopping $1.8 trillion in student loan debt.
đź’ˇ Quick Tip: You can fund your education with a competitive-rate, no-fees-required private student loan that covers up to 100% of school-certified costs.
Who Is a Military Dependent?
Military dependents are relatives of an active-duty service member, or sometimes a veteran, who can qualify for benefits based on their family member’s service.
Some family members, such as military spouses and children under the age of 21, automatically qualify as dependents. Other family members, such as parents and adult children, may also qualify if they meet certain criteria. Military dependents may receive death benefits, low-cost housing, and other discounts due to their status.
Financial Aid Service Organizations for Military Dependents
Here are some of the financial aid options open to military members and their dependents.
Government-Sponsored Financial Aid
For most students, including military dependents, the government is the first place to turn for financial aid: Along with the opportunity to take out Subsidized Direct Loans, you may be eligible for grants and scholarships thanks to your service or your family member’s. To apply for federal aid, you’ll need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) annually.
For instance, if your parent or guardian died in service in Iraq or Afghanistan after 9/11, you may be eligible for the maximum federal Pell Grant regardless of your family’s income.
If you already have federal student loans, you may also be eligible for military student loan forgiveness, depending on the type of loans you have and what you or your family member’s service history looks like.
Additionally, the Army and Navy Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, or ROTC, offers no-cost scholarships at over 1,000 colleges across the United States. See the official Federal Student Aid website (StudentAid.gov) for full details.
Recommended: I Didn’t Get Enough Financial Aid: Now What?
American Legion
The American Legion offers college funding to the children of veterans who died or became disabled as part of post-9/11 service through their Legacy Scholarship program. The scholarship awards up to $20,000 and can be renewed up to six times.
AMVETS
AMVETS offers scholarships of $4,000 for military dependents, including sons, daughters, and grandchildren of veterans or active-duty personnel, as well as spouses, to help with educational expenses. These scholarships, awarded based on need and academic merit, are designed to bridge financial gaps after other aid is applied.
💡 Quick Tip: It’s a good idea to understand the pros and cons of private student loans and federal student loans before committing to them.
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Paralyzed Veterans of America offers scholarships of up to $2,500 for full-time students and $1,000 for part-time students to its members, their spouses, and their dependent children under 24 years of age. Awardees may apply a second time, but are only eligible to receive the scholarship twice in a lifetime.
Veterans of Foreign Wars
The organization Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) also offers student veteran support in a variety of ways, including its Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship, which awards qualified applicants up to $5,000 per semester (per family), as well as the Student Veteran Support Grant, which is designed to be used for events and outreach efforts that assist veterans who are currently enrolled in college. The Student Veteran Support Grant can be used for up to $500 per event up to twice per fiscal year for a total of $1,000.
Recommended: Types of Federal Student Loans
Private Student Loans for Military Dependents
Finally, military dependents may also choose to look into private student loans to fund their education.
Private student loans are, as their name suggests, not backed by the government and are instead offered by private banks, credit unions, and lenders. They do come with certain advantages — for example, they generally don’t carry the same lifetime maximums as publicly funded student loans, and you may have more flexibility when it comes to your loan term and repayment schedule.
However, private student loans sometimes carry higher interest rates than federal loans do, and your (or your cosigner’s) credit report will be pulled in order to qualify you — which isn’t the case for loans from the government. Because private loans lack the borrower protections afforded to federal student loans, they are most often considered as a last resort option.
The Takeaway
As a military dependent, you have a lot of options to consider when it comes to financial aid. Be sure to look into scholarships offered by the American Legion, AMVETS, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the VFW. Military dependents should also apply for a Pell Grant, which doesn’t need to be repaid. And federal subsidized student loans give borrowers a break on some accrued interest.
For some, private student loans offer an attractive combination of accessibility and flexibility. (Keep in mind, though, that private student loans tend not to be eligible for student loan forgiveness and other programs.)
If you’ve exhausted all federal student aid options, no-fee private student loans from SoFi can help you pay for school. The online application process is easy, and you can see rates and terms in just minutes. Repayment plans are flexible, so you can find an option that works for your financial plan and budget.
FAQ
Do military dependents get free college?
Not automatically, but there are programs specifically designed to help military members and their dependents pay for college.
Does the military pay spouses’ student loans?
No, the military does not have programs that directly pay off a spouse’s existing student loans. Military loan repayment programs are incentives offered to the service member as part of their enlistment contract, not their spouse.
However, military spouses can take advantage of other benefits and federal programs to manage or potentially forgive their student debt.
Can military dependents get FAFSA?
Yes, military dependents can qualify for federal financial student aid using the FAFSA®, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The FAFSA is a good first place to turn when looking for financial aid because it can match you with low-cost, need-based options like Direct Subsidized Loans.
Photo credit: iStock/Liudmila Chernetska
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