Scholarship Application

Timeline

  • Applications are open January 1st through February 28th every year.
  • We generally work to make decisions by May 1st. Recently, with COVID-19, funding has been more sporadic and scholarships have been rolling out in several phases later in the year.

How to Apply

All applicants should fill out the form by clicking “Scholarship Application” on this page or by visiting apply.stripestobars.org. Applicants unable to access the digital application should reach us via email or phone and we will find a way to accommodate.

In order to apply you will need the following:

  1. Aviation Medical Certificate – Obtain an appropriate medical certificate for your long term goals. The medical class of your certificate should reflect your end goal. In most cases pilots on a career track (those planning to make money as a pilot) will require a First or Second Class certificate. Non-career pilots (i.e. hobbyists, volunteers) may only need a BasicMed or Third Class certificate. In all cases a valid, non-expired proof of medical examination is required. Please email us at help@stripestobars.org if you are having trouble navigating the FAA requirements and our mentors will do their best to guide you on what is needed for our applications.
  2. Service Record – Obtain a copy of your DD-214 (Discharged veterans) or Service Record (Current Servicemembers)
    • Please ensure social security numbers are redacted in all supporting documents.
  3. Letter of Recommendation – Obtain a Commander’s letter of recommendation (Current Servicemembers) or professional letter of recommendation (Discharged veterans). The most effective letters are written by a higher up who knows you and your work ethic well, and who can speak to your past commitments and achievements. We prefer letters that are written specifically for this scholarship.
  4. Professional Résumé – Construct a professional résumé.

Submit your complete application with supporting documents at apply.stripestobars.org.

Eligibility

  1. Applicants must be currently serving, in good standing, or have previously served in one of the eight federal uniformed services with a discharge under other than “dis-honorable“ status.
  2. Applicants must obtain an aviation medical certificate (1st class required for career track, 3rd class for non-career track).
  3. Although prior criminal history is not an automatically disqualifying event*, Stripes to Bars reserves the right to evaluate each application in it’s entirety to determine eligibility.
    * Prior criminal history will be reviewed during the process of obtaining a medical certificate
  4. Have access to a flight training facility, equipment and instructor.
  5. Have transportation and schedule availability to allow flight lessons weekly (schedule to be determined between student, equipment, and instructor availability).

Selection Criteria

  1. Applicant must submit a complete application with all supporting documents.
  2. The award determination will be made on the selection committee’s evaluation of the overall quality of the application and the scholarship essay questions.

Awards

  • All scholarships are awarded on an individual basis, as funding is available and dispersed at the discretion of the selection committee.
  • Funds will be paid directly to the flight training facility at which the scholarship winner will conduct their flight training.
  • Scholarship selection shall be made without regard to race, national origin, sex, or disability**

**Disabilities preventing applicants from obtaining an aviation medical certificate will be solely determined by an Aviation Medical Examiner.