The final deadline is March 1. The application form will close at 11:59 pm Eastern time. No exceptions will be made. National Headquarters receives the entries and disperses them to the departments (states) for the first round of judging.
Winners will be announced in May via social media and on the national website www.ALAforVeterans.org.
Letters will be mailed in May to scholarship recipients.
A list of winners will be emailed in May to department secretaries and education chairs.
Who is considered a direct descendant?
We consider a direct descendant a blood or legally adopted relative in the direct line of descent, such as child, grandchild, or great-grandchild.
Can anyone apply for the National Presidents’ Scholarship?
Candidates for this scholarship award shall be direct descendants of veterans who served in the United States Armed Forces during eligibility dates for membership in The American Legion:
April 6, 1917 to November 11, 1918
and any time after December 7, 1941.
Membership in The American Legion Family is not required for this scholarship.
Applicants must be in their senior year of high school.
A student who is not a senior but taking college courses is not eligible.
Homeschooled students may apply providing they are the equivalent of a high school senior.
Students who have already graduated high school and/or are currently enrolled in college are not eligible
Who is considered a non-traditional student?
The ALA defines a non-traditional student as a high school graduate returning to the classroom after some period of time in which his/her formal education was interrupted or a student who is just beginning his/her education at a later point in life.
Is community service required and how many hours?
50 hours of volunteer service is required to be eligible for the Children of Warriors National President’s scholarship.
Verification of the time served must be in writing from the recipient organization(s).
Hours served volunteering for the ALA and The Legion Family are acceptable
For documentation purposes the unit president or post commander should sign off on the hours by writing a letter.
Hours may be spread over the course of the applicant’s high school career.
Hours may be from one organization or spread across several.
If spread across several, documentation must come from each organization.
The exception being if the various organizations were arranged through the applicant’s school. Then a single letter from the applicant’s school counselor listing all the organizations and hours will be sufficient.
A part-time job for which the applicant receives wages would not be considered volunteer service.
What if my recommender wants to submit the letter of recommendation directly to the ALA and I cannot upload it onto the application?
When completing the application, you have two options for submitting a letter of recommendation. You may upload a letter directly to your application or enter your recommender’s name and contact information. If you choose the second option, your recommender will receive an email prompting them to submit a letter on your behalf.
You can check your application status at any time through the scholarship platform. Your status will display as “Pending Letter of Recommendation” until we receive the letter from your chosen reference.
When a veteran’s dd214 form is not available, what else is acceptable as a proof of service? ACCEPTABLE Proof of Service Documentation
Form DD214 (Official discharge certificate)
Official “Honorable Discharge” certificate
Form DD1300 (Official military death certificate)
Official record of burial in a military cemetery issued by the National Cemetery Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs
Current or former military ID card
Current or former LES (Leave and Earnings Statement)
Official logbook entries from a military unit
UNACCEPTABLE Proof of Service Documentation
Obituaries
Pictures of military headstones
Pictures of servicemembers in uniform
Entries in non-military and/or non-official records or books
Membership cards from veterans organizations
VA Healthcare Cards
Where do applicants turn in their scholarship entry?
Applications are submitted online to National Headquarters. No further action from applicants is needed.
What happens to the scholarship entry after it has been turned in?
Scholarship applications are distributed to the department (state) in which the applicant resides for the first round of judging. If the entry is selected by the state, then the entry is judged and certified at the division level.
Applications of military students residing overseas will be distributed to their sponsor’s home state of record for the first round of judging.
How does a scholarship recipient claim their scholarship money?
A Scholarship Certification Form will be enclosed with the winner’s notification form, which must be completed by the student and their school’s registrar (or an equivalent position if no registrar is available).
Once completed, the Scholarship Certification Form should be returned to the Education Program Manager at ALA NHQ.
Funds will then be released in the form of a check to the school.
Does the scholarship winner get the money or does the school?
The check is paid to the school for tuition and/or room and board.
In some circumstances, a special exception may be made. For example, for a student in the Air Force Academy, which has no tuition or room and board, the check was sent to the US Treasury on the student’s behalf to offset expenses (books, uniforms, etc.)
Applicants must also be a student returning to the classroom after some period of time in which his/her formal education was interrupted or a non-traditional student who is just beginning his/her education at a later point in life.
James H Parke Scholarship
What is the James H Parke Scholarship?
Each Veterans Affairs medical center may nominate one Veteran Affairs Volunteer Services (VAVS) Student Volunteer to be considered for this scholarship. The nominee must have completed 100 hours of regularly scheduled VAVS during a calendar year prior to September 1. The nominee must also be in the 10th grade or above and have not reached their 19th birthday to be considered.
Where do I find more information on this scholarship?
Samsung American Legion Scholarship (ALA Girls/Legion Boys State)
Who can apply for the Samsung American Legion Scholarship?
Scholarship applications are restricted to high school juniors who attend the current session of either the Legion Boys State or ALA Girls State program and are a direct descendant -i.e. child, grandchild, great grandchild, etc. -or a legally adopted child of a wartime veteran who served on active duty during at least one of the periods of war officially designated as eligibility dates for membership in The American Legion.
What is the deadline for the application of the Samsung American Legion Scholarship?
Applications for the Samsung American Legion Scholarship are due no later than the first day of the Legion Boys State or ALA Girls State program, using the online application.
Where can I find the online application and/or more information?
Certification of Scholarship by University or College
Where do I find the form to complete the certification?
A Scholarship Certification Form will be enclosed with the winner’s notification form. If an additional copy is needed, please send a request to Education@ALAforVeterans.org
Where do I send the certification once it is complete?
Send the form to the American Legion Auxiliary National Headquarters once it is complete. The address is on the bottom of the certification form.
By what date do I need to send the certification to the American Legion Auxiliary?
Certification needs to be received by the American Legion Auxiliary National Headquarters 30 days prior to needing money. Once it is received, the turnover period for the money to be sent to the school is two weeks. National Headquarters asks for 30 days so that if there is a discrepancy, it can be figured out before the money is needed.
