Fry Scholarship: Odds, Deadline & Eligibility

The Fry Scholarship pays Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to the child or surviving spouse of a service member who died in the line of duty after September 10 2001. At a public in-state school it covers full tuition and fees; at a private or out-of-state school it is capped at $30,908.34 for the 2026-27 year. It also pays a monthly housing allowance and up to $1,000 a year for books. This is not a competition: an eligible student receives it. A child can use it between age 18 and 33, there is no GPA requirement and no income test. For an eligible family this is normally the single largest line in the college funding plan, and choosing it means giving up Chapter 35 DEA benefits, so the two should be compared before deciding.

How hard is the Fry 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. The provider does not publish applicant or winner counts, so Solyo shows no odds figure for this award.

Odds: not published by the provider
Paperwork: ~3 hrs to file

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 rivalsRequires a military or national-service connection
More rivalsA large award draws far more applicants

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 Fry 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 seniors, current college students, and transfer students
For students who lost a parent in military service
Ages 18 to 33

Confirm these before applying

Parent must have died in the line of duty after September 10 2001.
Choosing the Fry Scholarship means irrevocably giving up Chapter 35 DEA benefits. Compare the two before applying.

Good to know

Provides up to 36 months of entitlement, roughly four academic years.

What the application takes

No essay, recommendation letters, or transcript are required. This is one of the lighter applications in the directory.

Deadline and application cycle

The current deadline is August 1, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around August 1 each year. There is no annual deadline. Apply any time after the student turns 18 or finishes high school, using VA Form 22-5490.

Applications close: August 1, 2027

Apply on the official site →Free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge a fee.

Does your student actually qualify?

See if your student qualifies in 30 seconds. 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 →

Common questions about the Fry Scholarship

How much is the Fry Scholarship worth?

The Fry Scholarship awards full in-state public tuition, or up to $30,908.34/yr private, plus housing allowance and is renewable in later years.

When is the Fry Scholarship deadline?

The current deadline is August 1, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around August 1 each year. There is no annual deadline. Apply any time after the student turns 18 or finishes high school, using VA Form 22-5490.

Who is eligible for the Fry Scholarship?

Key requirements: Open to high school seniors, current college students, and transfer students; For students who lost a parent in military service; Ages 18 to 33.

Does the Fry Scholarship require an essay?

No essay is required. The application is light on requirements. Expect to spend about 3 hours on it.

How hard is it to win the Fry Scholarship?

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. The provider does not publish applicant or winner counts, so Solyo shows no odds figure for this award. What is known: requires a military or national-service connection. Plan on about 3 hrs of work.

Is the Fry Scholarship free to apply?

Yes. The Fry Scholarship is free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge an application fee, and Solyo verifies every listed award against its official page.

Fry Scholarship