2011 DeCA scholarship applications available

FORT LEE, Va. — As families and friends come together to celebrate their favorite winter holidays, it’s also time for parents to remind students to apply for the 2011 Scholarships for Military Children program.

Scholarship applications are available in commissaries worldwide and online at http://www.commissaries.com. Choose the “News & Info” tab and then the “Scholarship Info” tab. Applications are also available at http://www.militaryscholar.org.

Since the program was announced in 2000, it has awarded $8.3 million in scholarships to more than 5,400 children of service members.

“The Scholarships for Military Children program was created to recognize the contributions of military families to the readiness of the fighting force,” said the Defense Commissary Agency’s Acting Director and CEO Thomas E. Milks. “It also celebrates our role in the military community, as the scholarships are awarded annually through each commissary operated by DeCA.”

Only dependent, unmarried children, younger than 21, or 23 if enrolled as a full-time student at a college or university, of a service member on active duty, a reservist, guardsman or retiree, or survivor of a service member who died while on active duty or while receiving military retirement pay, may apply for a scholarship. Eligibility is determined using the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System database.

Applicants should ensure that they, as well as their sponsor, are enrolled in the DEERS database and have a current military ID card. The applicant must be planning to attend, or already be attending, an accredited college or university, full time in the fall of 2011 or be enrolled in a program of studies designed to transfer directly into a four-year program.