Field of StudyLong shot

AOPA Foundation You Can Fly High School Flight Training Scholarship

Offered by AOPA Foundation · Free to apply

This scholarship offers $12,000 to high school students aged 16 to 18 who want to earn their FAA Private Pilot certificate. Applicants must be current AOPA members with a minimum 2.7 GPA and must have already passed the FAA Private Pilot written knowledge exam. Funds are awarded on a prepaid expense card to cover flight training expenses within 12 months.

Other deadlines near this one

How hard is the AOPA Foundation You Can Fly High School Flight Training Scholarship to win?

A large applicant pool chases this award. Apply if the student is a genuinely strong fit, but build the plan around better-odds awards first.

Estimated odds: roughly 1 in 179 applicants
Modelled applicant field: ~16,000 students
Awards each cycle: 90
Payoff per hour of work: $30 / hr

What drives the odds here

Odds on a scholarship are mostly a question of how many students can enter. Each rule below changes the size of that field.

More rivalsOpen nationwide, so the field is large
Fewer rivalsRecommendation letters are required, a step many applicants skip
Fewer rivalsAn official transcript is required
Fewer rivalsRequires at least a 2.7 GPA
More rivalsA five-figure award attracts a bigger field

How Solyo estimates this: We model the applicant field from how narrow the eligibility rules are, then divide the awards available by that field. Requirements such as essays and recommendation letters improve a serious applicant’s odds, because most browsers never complete them. These are estimates derived from each award's published structure, not reported acceptance rates, which almost no scholarship provider discloses. Treat them as a way to rank where the hours go, not as a guarantee.

Who can apply for the AOPA Foundation You Can Fly High School Flight Training Scholarship?

These are the eligibility rules Solyo verified against the official award page, translated into plain English. Your student must meet each one.

Open to high school sophomores, high school juniors, and high school seniors
GPA of 2.7 or higher (unweighted)

Confirm these before applying

Must be 16 to 18 years old and currently enrolled as a high school student.
Must be an active AOPA member residing in the U.S., D.C., Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Must have taken and passed the FAA Private Pilot written knowledge exam before applying.
Must not have already completed a flight training checkride prior to the award date.

Good to know

Fall application period deadline is December 31, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET; applicants are notified by April 15.

Personalized matching

Does your student actually qualify?

Not sure your student clears every rule above? Solyo checks 20+ criteria against their real profile: GPA, state, grade level, intended major, and more, across every award in this directory at once.

Match my student to scholarships

What the application takes

2 letters of recommendation. Ask teachers or counselors early; good letters take time.
Transcript required. Request it from the school registrar ahead of the deadline.

Deadline and application cycle

The current deadline is December 31, 2026. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around December 31 each year. Two application periods a year: fall (October 1 to December 31) and spring (April 1 to June 30), 11:59 p.m. ET.

Applications close: December 31, 2026

Save this scholarship Apply on the official site

Free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge a fee. We use your student's information only to build their plan.

Common questions about the AOPA Foundation You Can Fly High School Flight Training Scholarship

How much is the AOPA Foundation You Can Fly High School Flight Training Scholarship worth?

The AOPA Foundation You Can Fly High School Flight Training Scholarship awards $12,000. 90 awards are made each cycle.

When is the AOPA Foundation You Can Fly High School Flight Training Scholarship deadline?

Who is eligible for the AOPA Foundation You Can Fly High School Flight Training Scholarship?

Key requirements: Open to high school sophomores, high school juniors, and high school seniors; GPA of 2.7 or higher (unweighted).

Does the AOPA Foundation You Can Fly High School Flight Training Scholarship require an essay?

No essay is required. The application does ask for 2 recommendations and a transcript. Expect to spend about 2.25 hours on it.

How hard is it to win the AOPA Foundation You Can Fly High School Flight Training Scholarship?

Solyo estimates the odds at roughly 1 in 179 applicants, against a modelled field of ~16,000 students. The pool stays that size because recommendation letters are required, a step many applicants skip and an official transcript is required. At 2.3 hrs of work, that is about $30 of expected value per hour. This is an estimate from award structure, not a published acceptance rate.

Is the AOPA Foundation You Can Fly High School Flight Training Scholarship free to apply?

Yes. The AOPA Foundation You Can Fly High School Flight Training Scholarship is free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge an application fee, and Solyo verifies every listed award against its official page.

More field of study

Lists this award appears on

Award details are curated by Solyo and verified against the official scholarship page. Deadlines and requirements can change between cycles, so always confirm on the provider's site before applying.