6 Surefire Ways to Get Military Spouse Scholarships

In the same ironic fashion that I mention Alanis Morissette's hit 'Ironic' 20 years too late, military spouse scholarships always seems to evade us until after we need them. With ever-rising school costs, finding free money to offset school bills is better than eating chocolate cake on a Sunday afternoon. There are many scholarship opportunities out there but even more importantly, there are many military spouse s cholarships out there that you are eligible for simply because you are a military spouse! What an easy way to cut down the competition! However, you still need to make sure that you are applying to the right ones.

Here are a few simple ways to find and get scholarships when you need them:

1. Make it a priority [caption id="attachment_4936" align="alignnone" width="640"] photo [/caption] It takes time to find military spouse scholarships . Many times scholarships are only awarded once a year. Carve out time to research early so you have time to prepare a strong package and don't miss a deadline. Many people miss out on scholarship money simply because they weren't paying attention or were too caught up in military life.

2. Seek out the right military spouse scholarships Once you start researching, you will find there are a lot of military spouse scholarships available. Now comes the time to decide which ones are worth your time and energy. Consider your eligibility.

Are you okay with applying to a scholarship that aren’t even eligible for? Check it out before you apply.

The level of competition. Who else will be applying? Will you be a competitive applicant? The number of applicants versus the number of awards. Do they issue military spouse scholarships to 1% or 50% of the applicants? The strength of your application. Are you able to put in the time and energy required to prepare a strong application? The time and energy required for the potential payback. Are you willing to apply for a $100 scholarship that requires a 10-page essay and submit 10 letters of recommendation? What if it was for $10,000? 3. Look big There are big scholarships out there for military spouses! You will uncover many with just a few mouse clicks.

A few big ones:

Home Depot awards a $10,000 Orange Honors Scholarship ( more info ) National Military Family Association (NMFA) has awarded $2.5 million through $500-$2,500 scholarships ( more info ) Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) awards up to $4,000 ( more info ) 4. Look small Perhaps several smaller military spouse scholarships is a better route for you than one larger scholarship. Smaller scholarships for military spouses usually involve a shorter application and are less competitive simply due to the fact that they do not entice the interest of the masses. Look around your local community and within organizations in which you are involved.

5. Think like the scholarship committee Before fretting about expertly crafting your application, spend some time thinking about why this scholarship is offered. Why in the world would this organization just give money away? If you can pinpoint their reason for giving then you can align your application and it will be more in tune with the application review committee’s interests.

6. Look for Military Friendly Schools Some universities specifically want YOU just because you are a military spouse. These schools will be much more likely to work with your needs and desires as you are looking to continue your education. They've already done the work, now you can just scroll through and take your pick. (at the top of the page, checkmark " only Military Friendly Schools ") Take a lesson from Alanis Morisette and don’t let the ironic phenomenon that causes us to say, “Boy, I wish I had known about that scholarship BEFORE I went to school,” leave you empty handed. Put these little known ways to get military spouse scholarships into action to ease the financial pain of becoming a better, more educated you.