American Foreign Service Association Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by American Foreign Service Association

Visit AFSA’s Community Force Profile to apply for financial aid scholarships.

Important deadlines
- Merit Award scholarship applications: due by midnight EST, March 9, 2026.
- Financial Aid scholarship applications (undergraduate): due by midnight EST, April 17, 2026.

Quick overview
The AFSA Scholarship Program provides college support to children of American Foreign Service employees. We award:
- Financial aid scholarships for tax-dependent undergraduates.
- Academic merit awards, art merit awards, and a community service award for graduating high school seniors.

Eligibility (short and simple)
- Applicants must be children of Foreign Service employees.
- The employee parent must be a member of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA).
- The parent may be active-duty, retired, separated, or deceased.
- For full eligibility details, visit the application site on AFSA’s Community Force Profile.

If your parent is not in the Foreign Service
There is a separate AFSA high school essay contest for children whose parents are not Foreign Service employees — see the AFSA website for details.

Notes on funding and history
- The scholarship program is funded by bequests and donations from the Foreign Service community; no AFSA membership dues are used.
- To date, AFSA has awarded nearly $7.4 million in scholarships to more than 3,000 young people.

What kinds of awards are available
- Academic merit awards (high school seniors)
- Art merit awards (high school seniors)
- Community service award (high school seniors)
- Financial aid scholarships (undergraduates)

Why apply
We’re proud to celebrate students from diverse backgrounds and follow their academic and career paths after they receive awards. If you’re eligible, we strongly encourage you to apply — AFSA seeks to recognize and support the leaders of tomorrow.

Where to find more information
- Visit AFSA’s Community Force Profile to apply and to read the full eligibility criteria, scoring information, FAQs, and program governance.
- View past recipients to get a sense of who receives awards: AFSA’s 2025 Academic Merit Award winners and 2025 Art Merit, Community Service, and Best Essay Award winners.

If you’re a student: start early, gather transcripts and any portfolio materials, and ask teachers or mentors for feedback on your applications. Good luck — and please reach out to AFSA via the application site if you have specific questions.