The Ohio War Orphans Scholarship Board met on July 21, 2021, to approve new applicants as well as funding levels for academic year 2021-2022. It has been decided that students attending Ohio public institutions will be funded 84% of tuition and general fees, and students attending private institutions will receive an annual award amount of $7,532 for the year. Please keep in mind that schools must wait a minimum of 15 days after the start of the term before requesting funds, which will be transferred electronically and applied to the student’s account.
Students must attend full-time, and prior recipients must meet appropriate cumulative GPA requirements (minimum 2.00).
What is it? The Ohio War Orphan & Severely Disabled Veterans’ Children Scholarship Program awards tuition assistance to the children of deceased or severely disabled Ohio veterans who served in the armed forces during a period of declared war or conflict.
Is there a deadline
Is there a deadline? The application deadline is May 15th of every year. The 2021-2022 WOS application year has closed, as of May 15, 2021. The deadline for the 2022-2023 academic year is May 15, 2022. A complete application MUST be received or postmarked by May 15th in order to be considered for the scholarship for the 2022-2023 academic year. Any applications postmarked after May 15, 2022 will be considered for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Who is eligible? To receive War Orphans Scholarship benefits
Who is eligible? To receive War Orphans Scholarship benefits, a student must be an Ohio resident and enrolled for full-time undergraduate study and pursuing an associate or bachelor’s degree at an eligible Ohio college or university. Applicants must apply between the ages of 16 and 24.
How much aid is available? Scholarship benefits cover a portion of instructional and general fee charges at two and four-year public institutions and a portion of these charges at eligible private colleges and universities. The benefits are determined each year based on the number of eligible applications.
How do I apply? Application is made to the Ohio Department of Higher Education, State Grants and Scholarships Department.
Where do I get an application? Click here to download the application. All instructions to complete the application are on the back of the form. Applications are also available from the Ohio Department of Higher Education, State Grants and Scholarships Department, high school guidance offices, veterans service offices, and college Financial Aid Offices.
What is the Student Acknowledgement Form? The Student Acknowledgement Form ensures that all students awarded and utilizing the Ohio War Orphan & SDV Scholarship,’ are properly accounted for and eliminates the reapplication process. By completing this statement, you (the student), are aware, if there has been a year or more of no payment activity on your scholarship, it may be deactivated. However, once you are ready to use the scholarship, please contact the Program Manager, for details on placing your scholarship back in an active status. You must be under the age of 25 to reactivate your status.
Click here to download the Student Acknowledgement Form. This form is required. Your application will not be complete without this form, unless approved.
For more information, contact Ramah Church at (614) 752-9528 or rchurch@highered.ohio.gov(link sends e-mail).
Application Tips
Note: These Application Tips and the Student Acknowledgement Form only apply to students who have not yet applied for the scholarship.
Please legibly fill out & complete the ENTIRE application, so that the information entered is accurate and complete.
Each applicant must submit a separate and complete application; ex, siblings must submit separate complete applications with documentation.
Applications must be notarized and signed by both student and parent.
The deadline is May 15 of every year. Applications postmarked after May 15, 2022 will not be included in the 2022-2023 award year but will be considered for the 2023-2024 award year. No exceptions. Please make sure to get your COMPLETED application in on time.
The application process requires FOUR forms: A COMPLETED application, VA Award Letter, DD214, and Student Acknowledgement Statement. Please only submit additional documentation upon request.
The Veteran Award Letter needs to indicate an Overall Combined Rating or Overall Service Connection of 60% or more. The entire packet of each disability rating is not needed; only the overall service connection percentage is needed.
The DD214’s service dates must coincide with the dates listed in ORC 5910, which are also listed on the back of the application under definitions, section 2. Service time during 05/06/1975 to 08/01/1990 do not qualify unless you have received the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.
Residency Section must be completed in its entirety.
If a veteran’s DD214 shows a place of entry and home record “outside” of the state of Ohio, the student will need FIVE years of Ohio residency. The five years is a total of one year prior to completion of the application and four out of any 10 years in the state of Ohio. Therefore, a minimum of five years.
If you submit an INCOMPLETE or INELIGIBLE application and clearance documentation is required, i.e.) DD214, Veteran Award Letter, etc., please ensure the document(s) are legible and reference the STUDENT NAME, ACADEMIC YEAR, CONTACT INFORMATION, and REASON FOR SENDING. This clearance documentation MUST be submitted by the deadline date of May 15th, or the specified date indicated by the Program Manager in the correspondence. If these requirements are not followed, the clearance documentation will not be reviewed or considered.
In order to receive confirmation that the application has been received or additional information may be needed, e-mail addresses are strongly encouraged for an expedited response time. Please include the STUDENT’S EMAIL ADDRESS that is FREQUENTLY CHECKED. Also, ensure to have the student CHECK THEIR EMAIL for the application status within 1-2 weeks after the application has been submitted.
