Scholarships for Married Students
Get Hitched with a Scholarship Deal
In the past, most students who attended college were single. People chose either college or marriage, but few combined the two.
Today, with classes being much more accessible, there is an increase in college students who are married
This includes students who got married while attending college full time, students who quit college for whatever reason, are now married and wanting to continue their education, and students who are married, never attended college, but now want to further their education.
Married people wishing to attend college often have to face many challenges that single students do not. Many are faced with balancing a marriage, a home life (which often includes children), and a career while finding time to study for their degree. Endowments have recognized that married students often have a more difficult time finding financial aid and therefore have set aside scholarships that require that students be married in order to receive it.
Undergraduate Students
There are many scholarships open to married undergraduate students. In fact, some specifically state that they are only available to married students. At Ohio State, the Ed Bacome Scholarship specifically states that married students are preferred. Idaho State offers the Carl K. Davis scholarship, which also has a preference for married students who have a pre-law major. By searching for scholarships that are only available to married students, you eliminate quite a bit of the competition.
Graduate Students
If you are a married graduate student, you may find getting a scholarship a bit easier. Many graduate programs, especially those in the medical field such as Pharmacy and Nursing, realize that by this juncture in your education, you may be married. The David D. Marshall Memorial scholarship (available from Virginia Commonwealth University) was set aside to benefit married fourth year pharmacy students. The Elizabeth A. Thomas Health Sciences scholarship prefers students who are married, regardless of their financial need.
Military Dependents
If you are the spouse of active duty military personnel, you will find that many scholarships are designed specifically for you. Students who have been married to an active duty military member (having served at least 180 active duty days since 9/11/01) can register at ThanksUSA to receive information about applying for a scholarship. They have provided 1,000 scholarships between the ranges of $1,000 and $5,000 as a way of saying thank you for the service of the military member. Army Emergency Relief offers scholarships up to $2,500 to the spouses of Army soldiers. Military spouses can refer to Military.com for more information on scholarships available.
Christian Colleges
If you are a Christian, you may want to consider attending a Christian college. Many of them offer scholarships to help ease the financial burden of married students. Cornerstone University offers the Bertha Dewey Stock Scholarship Fund for married students preparing to enter full-time Christian ministry upon graduation. The Christ the King Assemblies of God scholarship at Southeastern University is awarded to married students (preferably married students with children) who have maintained a B average and show financial need.
