Army Emergency Relief (AER) Assistance

Overview

Army Emergency Relief is the U.S. Army's own nonprofit organization dedicated to alleviating financial distress on the force. AER provides grants and zero-interest loans to Active Duty and Retired Soldiers and their Families. Over 4 million Soldiers supported since 1942. AER officers are conveniently located at installations around the world. Visit ArmyEmergencyRelief.org to learn more.

Education Programs

AER’s Education Program is a secondary mission to help Army Families with the costs of education. The three separate scholarship programs are:

Stateside Spouse Education Assistance Program
• Applicant must be the Spouse or widow(er) of an active duty or retired Soldier and reside in the United States. 
• Stateside applicants must be full time students. 
• First undergraduate degrees only.
• Active duty military personnel are not eligible.

Overseas Spouse Education Assistance Program Major General James Ursano Scholarship Fund for Dependent Children.

Overseas Spouse Education Assistance Program 
• Applicants must be a Spouse of an active duty Soldier assigned in Europe, Korea, Japan, or Okinawa. 
• Applicants must physically reside with the Soldier at the assigned location. 
• First undergraduate degrees only.
• Off post students are not eligible.
• Spouses may be part time or full time students.

Major General James Ursano Scholarship Fund for Dependant Children 
• Dependent children, stepchildren, or legally adopted children of Army Soldiers on active duty, retired or deceased while in active duty or retired status.

The children of Grey Area Reservists/National Guard are eligible as well.

Scholarship awards will be awarded up to half the cost of tuition. Scholarship awards are based on financial need, as evidenced by income, assets, Family size, and special circumstances.

Applications and instructions are available for all the scholarships on the AER website at https://www.armyemergencyrelief.org/resources/

View all AER forms. 

The Spouse Education Assistance Program is a need-based scholarship program established to assist spouses of Army Soldiers in obtaining a 4-year undergraduate degree. Scholarship applications are accepted from 2 January to 1 May each year for assistance for the following academic year.

Applicants must apply each year and may receive assistance for up to four academic years if they meet the eligibility criteria below.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

• Student must be a part-time (minimum of 6 credit hours per semester or term) or full-time (minimum 12 credit hours per semester or term) student working on an undergraduate degree.

• Student must be the spouse of an active duty or retired Soldier or the widow(er) of a Soldier who died while on active duty or while retired.

• Student must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 grading scale.

• Student must not be a member of the National Guard, Reserves, or other military branch.
• Student must be registered in DEERS.

MG James Ursano Scholarship Program

The MG James Ursano Scholarship Program is a need based scholarship program established to assist children of Army Soldiers in obtaining a 4-year undergraduate degree. Applicants must reapply each year and may receive assistance for up to four academic years as long as they meet the eligibility criteria below.

Scholarship applications are accepted from 2 January to 1 May each year for assistance for the following academic year.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• Student must be pursuing their first undergraduate degree and be enrolled full time as an undergraduate student for the entire academic year at a school accredited by the U.S. Department of Education. (Because financial need is already met, students attending service academies are not eligible.)
• Student must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale
• Student must be a dependent of a Soldier on federal active duty, a retired Soldier, or a deceased active or deceased retired Soldier

To be a dependent, the student must:

• Be under the age of 23 (Eligibility ends at the end of the semester/term in which the student reaches their 23rd birthday. Example – turning 23 in December would mean the scholarship would be awarded for fall term ONLY.)
• Be registered in DEERS
• Remain unmarried for the entire academic year
• Not be a member of the National Guard, Reserves, or other military branch