American Legion Post 43 Veteran Scholarship

The American Legion Post 43 of Naperville is proud to offer two $500 scholarships to veteran students who served in the U.S military, pursuing an education at North Central College.

1. Eligibility Requirements:

  • Must be a U.S. military veteran (honorably discharged or currently serving in the reserves).
  • Must be enrolled full-time or part-time at North Central College.
  • Must have completed at least one semester at the college with a GPA of 2.5 or higher.

2. Service & Leadership

  • Demonstrated commitment to service, either through military experience or community involvement.
  • Preference for students who are active in veteran support organizations, campus leadership, or civic engagement.

3. Financial Need

  • Consideration of financial hardship or unmet educational expenses.

4. Essay Component

  • A short essay (no more than 300–500 words) on one of the following:
    o “How my military experience shapes my academic and career goals.”
    o “What does service mean to me, and how do I continue to serve?”

5. Recommendation (Optional but Valuable)

  • A letter of recommendation from a faculty member, advisor, or fellow veteran.

6. Selection Process

  • The Office of Financial Aid at North Central College will provide applications of top candidates for a small committee from Post 43 to review applications and select two recipients.

Donor
American Legion Post 43
Award
$500.00
Deadline
02/01/2026
Supplemental Questions
  1. Please submit a short essay (no more than 500 words) on one of the following prompts: “How my military experience shapes my academic and career goals.” OR “What does service mean to me, and how do I continue to serve?”
  2. What was your branch(es) of service?
  3. When did you serve? (Please give start/end dates of service -- MM/YYYY is acceptable)
  4. Are you a member of the American Legion?
  5. While it is not required, if you would like to submit a letter of recommendation, please share the name and email address of the faculty member, advisor, or fellow veteran you would like to request a letter of recommendation from.
  6. Please use this area to elaborate on why you believe you would be a good candidate for this scholarship (no more than 500 words). Feel free to speak to your commitment to service, involvement in veteran organizations/campus leadership, civic engagement, financial hardship, or any other topics outlined in the scholarship guidelines.
  7. Do you authorize North Central College to share your name, general information, and application responses supporting that you've met the scholarship criteria with relevant campus partners and the donor funding the scholarship? (The Office of Financial Aid will never disclose specific financial data.)
  8. Show 2 more