Kentucky in 2026
Fourteen awarded.
None to Kentucky.
Five Williams awards, six Patriot awards, three CSMAC awards. North Carolina took two. Mississippi took two. California took two. Kentucky took none.
Those awards are not harder for us to win. Members from other states applied and ours did not. EANGUS puts more than $200,000 a year into scholarships. This page is a list of the ones you can apply for.
Open right now
Three windows,
closing soon.
$1,500 across two awards, for a college, university, or trade school. One application covers both. Start your application
One full academic scholarship each year, undergraduate or graduate, program of your choice. Open to EANGUS members, spouses, and dependent children. Spouses are eligible, which most families miss. Apply
One full-tuition scholarship awarded on a per course basis. Open to EANGUS members, dependents, and Auxiliary members. Apply
Awarded through Kentucky
$1,500, and a
very small pool.
In 2024 the Executive Council approved an additional $1,000 award because only two members applied. Both applicants received a scholarship.
The Council does not guarantee that every year, but the point stands. The pool is small and the money is real. Depending on the applicant pool both awards may go to one recipient or be split between two. One application covers both.
USAA Scholarship
USAA funds one $1,000 scholarship for every EANGUS state association each year, awarded to an enlisted member or dependent at the state level. Separate from the national programs, and it does not compete with them. EANGKY selects the recipient.
SGM Virgil S. Van Arsdale Scholarship
Kentucky funds this award directly. It may be presented alongside the USAA scholarship to the same recipient or awarded separately.
Who the scholarship is named for
Virgil S. Van Arsdale, known as Scotty, enlisted in the 149th Separate Armored Brigade of the Kentucky Army National Guard in 1948. He served thirty years and retired as a Sergeant Major.
In 1972 he was one of the founders of the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States. He went on to serve as Historian of EANGUS and Parliamentarian of EANGKY, holding office at both the state and national level. Away from the Guard he worked as a construction electrician at the LG&E Mill Creek Plant.
He died in Louisville on 8 March 2006 at the age of 77. Kentucky is one of a small number of states whose name appears on the EANGUS founders roll, and it appears there because of him. The founding conference
The Kentucky awards
How to apply.
One application covers both awards. You do not choose between them and you do not apply twice.
- First
Check that you are eligible
Open to enlisted members and retired enlisted members of the association, and to the spouse or child of an enlisted member, a retired enlisted member, or a deceased enlisted member. If you are applying on someone else's membership, their dues must be current.
- Then
Pull your transcript
Most recent transcript, official or unofficial. If you have not started college yet, your high school transcript is what we need.
- Then
Write the essay
Between 500 and 750 words covering what you are studying and why, how the National Guard has shaped your family, and what you intend to do with the degree. Write it yourself. We are reading for a real answer, not a polished one.
- By the deadline
Submit
Applications arriving after the deadline are held for the following cycle. The By-Laws set the annual deadline at 1 July.
- After
Review and selection
The Committee on Scholarships, three members appointed by the President, evaluates every application and selects the recipients. The Executive Council sets how many scholarships are awarded, and the Committee on Finance verifies the funds. Recipients are notified as early as possible.
National · Reopens early 2027
One application,
three awards.
The 2026 window closed 15 April. These reopen early in 2027 and the window is short. One EANGUS application enters you for all three awards below. There is no separate CSMAC form.
Plus a $10,000 AFBA bonus for one applicant. Awarded to EANGUS members or dependents. The number awarded each year depends on contributions. Undergraduate degrees only. Previous winners may not reapply. Paid directly to your school. Sponsored by USAA and AFBA.
Funded entirely by individual contributions rather than corporate donations. The number awarded depends on what members give. Undergraduate degrees only. Previous winners may not reapply. Paid directly to your school.
Awarded each year by the Command Sergeants Major Advisory Council. Open to EANGUS Army National Guard members and their dependents. Recipients are drawn from the Williams and Patriot applicant pool, so no separate application is needed.
One scholarship for a currently serving Army National Guard member and one for a currently serving Airman. Covers tuition and technology fees for up to 60 semester hours or 36 consecutive months in one online degree program. Textbooks and other fees are yours. Recipients must begin coursework within six months of the award.
Open to EANGUS members and their dependent spouses and children. Undergraduate or master's degree, online or on campus. The 2026 window ran 1 March to 31 May.
Before you apply
Six things
people get wrong.
You must be a member, or your sponsor must be
Dependents and spouses apply on the strength of the Soldier's or Airman's membership. Check that dues are current before you start.
Spouses are eligible more often than people assume
AMU and University of Phoenix both include spouses. So does the Auxiliary for Grand Canyon.
Money goes to the school, not to you
The direct EANGUS scholarships pay tuition to your institution.
Previous winners cannot reapply
This applies to the Williams and Patriot scholarships. If you have not won yet, applying again in a later cycle is fine.
Trade school counts
The Kentucky awards apply to a college, university, or trade school. A lineman program, an A&P school, or a certification course counts the same as a degree.
Deadlines move
EANGUS has extended and shifted these windows more than once. Confirm the current date on the EANGUS scholarship page before you rely on anything here.
Apply
Applying is most
of the battle.
Fourteen national awards went out in 2026 and none came to Kentucky. That is a decision our members made by not applying.