The Mrs. Patty Shinseki Spouse Scholarship Program is a need-based scholarship program established to assist the spouses of active duty and retired soldiers and surviving spouses of soldiers who died either on active duty or in a retired status in obtaining an undergraduate degree. The purpose of the program is to assist spouse/surviving spouse in gaining the education required to allow them to qualify for increased occupational opportunities. The program was renamed after Mrs. Shinseki in December of 2019.

Spouses of retired Soldiers drawing retired pay or the surviving spouse of a soldier who died in retired status are eligible for The Mrs. Patty Shinseki Spouse Scholarship Program. The student also 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

• Be the spouse of an active duty or retired soldier or the surviving spouse of a soldier who died while on active duty or while retired

• Maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale

• Not be a member of the National Guard, Reserves, or other military branch

• Student must be registered in DEERS

• Student may not already be fully funded by other sources. Any Mrs. Patty Shinseki Spouse Scholarship Program recipient who also receives funding from other sources (i.e. GI Bill, scholarships, My CAA, VA benefits, etc.) may not be eligible to receive their full scholarship from Army Emergecy Relief (AER).

The Mrs. Patty Shinseki Spouse Scholarship Program scholarships are awarded annually for up to four academic years to attend post-secondary school part time (minimum of 6 credit hours per semester/term) or full time (minimum of 12 credit hours per semester/term) as undergraduate level students. All students must complete an online application and submit all supporting documentation each year.

Spouse financial assistance is awarded based need, as evidenced by the Student Aid Report (SAR) from the FAFSA application.

The Mrs. Patty Shinseki Spouse Scholarship Program is not an entitlement or automatically approved, and does not apply to second undergraduate or graduate level courses.

Individuals who receive free tuition as a result of their employment will not receive tuition assistance from AER. However, they may receive assistance for fees, supplies, or books for classes in which they are enrolled.

Application is available on the AER website, https://www.armyemergencyrelief.org. There is not a deadline to apply, however, a timeline will be followed for the 2024-2025 academic year so be sure to apply in time to receive your funds when needed.

For more information, please visit the Spouse Education Assistance Program at:
https://www.armyemergencyrelief.org/scholarships/spouse/

Mrs. Patty Shinseki Spouse Scholarship Program guidelines:
https://www.armyemergencyrelief.org/resource/2024-2025-mrs-patty-shinseki-spouse-scholarship-program-guidelines/