17 Scholarships for Students Who Have Lost a Parent

Ever wondered if there were scholarships for students who have lost a parent? We created this article to guide you through applying for scholarships for people who lost one or both of their parents or legal guardians.

Did you know that 1 in 20 Children Lose a Parent Before Turning 16? I guess you don’t. What’s the point? These kids who lost their parents (s) may be unable to continue their education due to financial dilemmas.

Different organizations and foundations have been established to help people in this situation.

This brings us to the 2024 list of scholarships for students who have lost a parent.

Are there scholarships for kids who lost a parent?

Yes, there are scholarships for kids who lost a parent. There are many of them, but I decided only to list the available and legit ones after vetting them.

These scholarships are free to apply for, and most can even be obtained online. Make sure you check the requirements before starting your application.

1. Life Lessons Scholarship

For most American Families, a college education is already a major financial challenge. Still, it becomes more difficult for a student when a parent dies, leaving little or no life insurance.

For this reason, Life Happens established the Life Lessons scholarship program to support high school seniors and college students who have lost their parents. Over the years, they have spent more than $2.8 million helping kids with deceased parents or guardians.

Scholarship Requirements

• You must be at least 17 – 24 years old
• Your parent or legal guardian is dead
• Applicant must be a legal resident of the US or Puerto Rico
• You are expected to attend college, trade school, or university in the US or Puerto Rico in the upcoming fall semester.
• You are going for a graduate or an undergraduate degree

Starting Date:	February 2024
Application Deadline:	March 2024

How To Apply

You are to submit an original 500-word essay or a video explaining how the demise of your parent or guardian has impacted your life.

Make use of the link below to visit the application page. Winners will be posted on their website.

2. Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship

The Children of the fallen heroes scholarship program were founded to help students whose parents or guardians died in the line of duty while serving as public safety officers.

These grants are awarded to part-time and full-time undergraduate students without bachelors or professional degrees.

Scholarship Requirements

• You must be Pell-eligible and possess a Pell-eligible EFC
• Applicants must be less than 24 years of age or enrolled at an institution of higher education at the time of their parent or guardian’s death.
• You must have a parent or guardian who was a public safety officer killed in the line of duty.
• You are expected to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.
• You must submit proof that your parent was a public safety officer and died in the line of duty.

Scholarship Type:	Undergraduate
Scholarship Value:	Maximum Pell Grant

How To Apply

1. Visit the financial aid and scholarships page on your institution’s website.
2. Download the application form for the Children of fallen heroes scholarship.
3. Please fill out the form and submit it with the required documents.

3. Mary Ellen Locher Scholarship

The MaryEllen Locher Scholarship is a college scholarship program for children who have lost a parent to breast cancer, have a parent who is a breast cancer survivor or is currently in treatment.

The foundation was established in 2002 by Mary Ellen Locher, a news anchor and health reporter in Chattanooga. Mary was battling breast cancer when she founded the organization. Unfortunately, she lost the battle in 2005.

Over the past 19 years, more than 540 scholarships have been awarded to students who lost a parent to breast cancer. The scholarship is only for one academic year, not renewed. However, past winners can reapply every year.

Scholarship Requirements

• You must be residing within a 50-mile radius of Chattanooga
• Your parent must have been diagnosed with breast cancer
• Other things like grades, financial need, and community service will be considered

How To Apply

1. Use the application link below to access the portal.
2. Select if you are a first-year applicant or a renewal applicant.
3. Download the application form.
4. Fill out the form with all the required information and submit it.

The winners or recipients of the Mary Ellen Locher Scholarship for 2024 will be posted on the chi memorial foundation website.

4. Dependent Student Scholarship Program

Dependent Children Scholarship Program provides financial support to students who are children of a Tennessee law enforcement officer, fireman, or emergency medical service technician who has been killed or totally and permanently disabled during duty.

Scholarship Type:	Undergraduate
Deadline:	July 15, 2024

Requirements

• Your parent must be a Tennessee resident and have been on duty when the incident occurred.
• You must be a full-time undergraduate student attending an eligible Tennessee institution.
• You must be a dependent of a Tennessee law enforcement officer, fireman, or emergency medical service technician.
• You must have completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) & possess a valid EFC.

5. David J. Ewing Scholarship

Young David Ewing was only 8 when his mum died at age 35 from colon cancer, leaving him and his siblings in this cold world.

PepsiCo Inc. established the David J. Ewing scholarship foundation to honor David (he lost the battle to cancer at age 36). Ewing Scholarships has been helping students who seek success in life despite the death of a parent.

Requirements

• You must have a deceased parent(s) who died during their working years.
• You are expected to meet the minimum entrance and continuing academic performance standards of an accredited institution in the US.
• You must enroll as an undergraduate student in one of the degree programs offered by the institution (freshmen and sophomore students may enroll as undecided majors).
• You must maintain full-time enrollment unless during your final semester(s)
• You must complete the 2024 FAFSA

Scholarship Value:	Varies
Deadline:	March 1, 2024

6. MedEvac Children’s Scholarship

MedEvac Foundation offers financial assistance to children who have lost a parent or had a parent seriously injured in an air medical or critical care ground transport accident.

They offer only two scholarships (1 for a child who has lost a parent in an air medical transport accident & 1 for a child who has lost a parent in a critical care ground transport accident) annually.

Requirements

• You must be enrolled or accepted into an accredited college, university, or vocational-technical school.
• You must be a dependent of a medical transport crew member that lost their life due to an air medical or critical care transport accident.

Starting Date:	Currently Closed
Scholarship Worth:	$5,000

7. The PinkRose Foundation Scholarship

This is similar to the Mary Ellen Locher scholarship mentioned above. PinkRose helps students who have lost a parent to breast cancer.

Since the PinkRose Foundation was established in 2003, they have financially helped more than 90 college students.

Requirements

• Acceptance letter to college or certificate program
• A copy of your parent’s death certificate indicating breast cancer as the cause of death
• Completed Pink Rose Breast Cancer Scholarship Application

Scholarship Value:	$1000
Deadline:	December 30, 2023

8. Aretta J. Graham Scholarship

The Aretta J. Graham Scholarship offers financial aid to students who have lost one or both parents, lives in a single-parent household, or are single parent themselves.

This scholarship is only available to the University of Illinois, College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES) students.

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9. Marine Corps Foundation Scholarship

The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation has awarded more than 50,000 scholarships to military children in about 55 years. These scholarships help these students who have lost a parent to war by covering the cost of attending undergraduate, post-high school, and career & technical education programs in the United States.

Requirements

• You must be a child or step-child of one of the following:
  • Active duty, Reserve, or veteran* U.S. Marine
  • A Marine killed while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps
  • Active duty, reserve, or veteran U.S. Navy Corpsman, Navy Chaplain, or Religious Program Specialist who is or was attached to a U.S. Marine Corps unit or who was killed while serving with a U.S. Marine Corps unit*
• A minimum GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale is required.
• Applicants must attend or plan to attend a school listed on the National Center for Education Statistic’s College Navigator website for the upcoming academic year.
• Your family’s annual gross income must be $109,000 or less.
• You are not expected to possess an undergraduate degree at the time of application.

10. George Bartorl Memorial Scholarship

The George Bartorl Memorial scholarship was set up to honor George Bartorl, who lost the battle with terminal brain cancer at age 59. His children established the program, and for more than 17 years, they have helped a lot of kids who lost a parent to brain cancer.

Requirements

• You must be a college student in the US.
• You have lost a parent to brain cancer or have a parent battling

Scholarships Available:	2-3
Worth:	$3000
Deadline:	October 1st, 2024

11. Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers and Firemen Scholarship

The Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers and Fireman Scholarship Program provides financial support to students whose parent was Mississippi firefighters or law enforcement officers before they died.

Requirements

• You must be less than 23 years of age.
• Applicants must be enrolled full-time at the undergraduate level at any state-supported (public) college or university in Mississippi.
• You must be a dependent child of any Mississippi law enforcement officer, full-time firefighter, or volunteer firefighter who died or suffered fatal injuries which occurred in the performance of the official and appointed duties of his or her office or who became permanently disabled as a result of injuries or wounds which occurred in the performance of the official and appointed duties of his or her office.
• A minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale is required, and this must be maintained each term.

12. The Barbara S. Iannacone Memorial Scholarship

John Iannacone and Marian Stonis created the Barbara Memorial Scholarship Program in memory of their mother, a widow determined to give her children a college education.

Preference is given to full-time students who promise outstanding academic success and overcome adversity. Students who have suffered the loss of a father are given more preference.

Requirements

• You must have a minimum GPA of 2.50
• You must be enrolled at Penn State Brandywine for the 2024 school year.
• You are expected to have good academic standing at the time of application

13. Rezvan Foundation Scholarship

The Rezvan Foundation offers financial aid to students who have spent time in foster care. The scholarship covers the funding of the full tuition of each recipient.

Requirements

• Your GPA must be at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale (the higher, the better)
• You must be a minor and a legal resident of the US
• You must be currently enrolled in an accredited high school
• You are expected to have applied for at least two other scholarships and FAFSA

Scholarship Worth:	Up to $100k
Deadline:	February 28th, 2024

14. American Police Hall of Fame Educational Scholarship

The American Police Hall of Fame Foundation provides financial aid to children of fallen officers finishing high school. The scholarship is available for all four years of their higher education.

15. Regis L. Mullen Accident Injury Scholarship

The Mullen Accident Injury scholarship awards scholarship to a student who lost his family member or someone he depended on to an accident caused by another’s negligence.

Requirements

• A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required
• You must be a citizen of the United States
• A copy of your letter of acceptance from the institution is needed
• Your institution must be located in the US and recognized by the US Department of Education
• Your EFC score is required to establish your financial need
• You lost a parent due to another’s negligence

Scholarship Worth:	$2500
Deadline:	March 1, 2024

16. Breathing For Tomorrow Lung Cancer Scholarship

This program supports people who have lost a parent to lung cancer but are not done with their undergraduate studies.

Requirements

• You must be enrolled in an accredited U.S. college or university.
• A minimum GPA of 3.5 is required
• Write an essay on the topic given (at least 1500 words)

Worth:	$2500
Deadline:	N/A

17. Strong Arm Leukemia Scholarship

The Strong Arm Leukemia Scholarship Program was established to provide financial aid to college students battling or losing a parent to leukemia.

Requirements

• You must be enrolled in an accredited college or university as an undergraduate or graduate student in the United States.
• Your life has been affected by leukemia, or you lost a family member to it

Scholarship Value:	$1,000
Deadline:	July 15, 2024

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