Army Emergency Relief was incorporated in 1942 by the Secretary of War and the Army Chief of Staff. It is the Army’s own emergency financial assistance organization and is dedicated to “Helping the Army Take Care of Its Own.”
The AER program provides commanders a valuable tool to help accomplish their basic command responsibility for the morale and welfare of Soldiers. It is a private non-profit organization, which provides financial assistance to Army Soldiers in times of valid emergency need. The AER Scholarship Program is a secondary mission to help Army families with the cost of education.
Two scholarship programs are offered by AER – the Spouse Education Assistance Program and the Maj. Gen. James Ursano Scholarship Program. The Spouse Education Assistance Program provides scholarships for spouses of Army Soldiers. Funds are available for spouses pursuing their first undergraduate degree at an accredited college or university. Recipients may be enrolled part-time or full-time. Recipients are eligible to receive the scholarship for up to four years of full-time or up to eight years of part-time enrollment. Funds may be used for tuition, fees, books, supplies, ESL and GED classes, CLEP and TOEFL tests, and DANTES programs.
The Maj. Gen. James Ursano Scholarship Program provides scholarships for children of Army Soldiers. Funds are available for children who are pursuing their first undergraduate degree at an accredited college or university. Recipients must be enrolled full-time and are eligible to receive the scholarship for up to 4 years of full-time enrollment. Funds may be used for tuition, fees, books, supplies, and room and board.
Spouse Education Assistance Program eligibility:
• Applicant must: be the Spouse of either a Soldier on federal active duty, a retired Soldier, or the widow(er) of a Soldier who died on active duty or in a retired status; be registered as the Spouse in DEERS; be pursuing their first undergraduate degree at a school accredited by the U.S. Department of Education; be enrolled part-time or fulltime (part-time = six credit hours per semester/term and full-time = 12 credit hours per semester/term); have and maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale.
Maj. Gen. James Ursano Scholarship Program eligibility:
• Applicant must: be the dependent child of either a Soldier on federal active duty, a retired Soldier, or a Soldier who died on active duty or in a retired status; be registered as a dependent in DEERS; be under the age of 23; be unmarried for the entire academic year; be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student for the entire academic year at a school accredited by the U.S. Department of Education; have and maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale; have a high school diploma or a G.E.D.
Scholarship Procedure
Scholarship applications are available online at www.aerhq.org.
• Complete the online application each year by the applicable deadline date as described in the online instructions on the AER website; complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid each year at www.fafsa.ed.gov and submit the resulting Student Aid Report (scholarship awards are based on financial need as demonstrated by the Expected Family Contribution on the applicant’s SAR from the FAFSA); submit transcripts reflecting grades from the most recently completed college semester (new college freshmen applying for the Maj. Gen. James Ursano Scholarship must submit high school transcripts); submit all other documents as requested on the application website by the deadline date.
Scholarship Timeline
Applications are available on AER’s website the first week of January.
May 1: Application and all supporting documents are due.
May-Jun: Award Letters and Scholarship Agreements are provided to those applicants receiving scholarships.
July 1: Scholarship Agreements are due.
July: Checks are sent to the college or university indicated on the Scholarship Agreement.
For more information go to www.aerhq.org or contact the AER Scholarship Department at (866) 878-6378.
