SERVE - Veterans and First Responders
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SERVE Scholarships

SERVE: Veterans & First Responders Scholarship Application process for 2026.

The SERVE: Veterans & First Responders Scholarship Program awards scholarships to individuals who have positively impacted the Veteran, family of Veterans, Public Safety, and/or family of Public Safety communities. Applicants must be attending/enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at a higher education institution.

By applying to this scholarship, you agree to provide proof of enrollment at a place of higher education for '26-'27 school year, and any other required documentation for verification purposes in the event you are chosen as a winner.

All applicants need to provide up to date contact information as part of the process. Our inability to contact you in a timely manner will forfeit any award.

In addition, you consent that your essay and/or answers to scholarship prompts can be verified through software to be truly authentic, unique, and not written with the aid of an AI system or algorithm. We reserve the right to use software verification of authenticity.

2026

Positive Impact

SERVE: Veterans & First Responders Scholarship

Undergrad or Grad

Writing Prompt

How does your chosen field of study (e.g., healthcare, STEM, business, entrepreneurship, public relations, social work, counseling) equip you to serve veterans and/or public safety communities? Share one real experience that shaped your commitment and outline a clear plan for how you will apply your education to produce positive, practical results.

Length required: 1,000–1,500 words

How to Apply

Please send the email to: g47140@att.com

Subject: 2026 SERVE: Veterans & First Responders Scholarship

Email must contain:

  1. 1Name
  2. 2Email address where we can contact you during summer/fall 2026
  3. 3Phone Number
  4. 4School you will be enrolled in '26-'27 school year
  5. 5Explicitly state either "Undergrad" or "Grad" (post-grad if applicable)
  6. 6What year in school (freshman, sophomore, etc. / or 1st year Graduate / Post-Grad)
  7. 7Field of study that impacts the community (healthcare, STEM, business, entrepreneurship, public relations, social work, counseling)
  8. 8Confirm word count 1,000–1,500 (how many words is your essay?)
  9. 9Attached essay in Doc or Docx format (attached, not in body of email). Do not provide PDF or any other format.
  10. 10Attached documentation confirming 25+ community service/volunteer hours and most recent transcripts showing GPA

Deadline for Entries

11:59 PM · July 12, 2026 · Central Time

No applications will be accepted past this deadline.

Rules

  1. 1Must be an undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in a higher education institution.
  2. 2Entry is free and a student may only enter one time per year.
  3. 3The essay should be a minimum 1,000 words but no longer than 1,500 words in length, and must be in English.
  4. 4Document should have 1" margins and be written in 12 Pt. Times New Roman, double-spaced formatting.
  5. 5Must be able to display a commitment to serving and positively impacting the Veteran, family of Veterans, Public Safety, and/or family of Public Safety community.
  6. 6Must submit an essay of 1,000 words answering the writing prompt.
  7. 7Those seeking to study in a field that impacts the community (healthcare, STEM, business, entrepreneurship, public relations, social work, counseling).
  8. 8Have 25+ hours of community service (preferably supporting Veterans and/or Public Safety needs).
  9. 9Must abide by all writing prompts.
  10. 10GPA of 3.0 minimum.
  11. 11No offensive, harassing, incendiary, or defaming content may be used. This includes but is not limited to recent cultural events that may cause panel members discomfort to grade and is decided at the discretion of the SERVE Scholarship Committee Directors.

Methods of Judging

All eligible essays will be evaluated by a panel of SERVE: Veterans & First Responders members. The following criteria will be used:

25
Points

Answers & addresses the topic prompt

20
Points

Originality

20
Points

Grammar, Spelling, Errors

20
Points

Creativity & depth of thought

15
Points

Organization & structure

The panel will determine the top winners based upon a scoring rubric.

Terms and Conditions

By submitting an entry to Scholarship Contest, the entrant automatically agrees to be bound by these Terms and Conditions. Entrants attest that any entry submitted to the SERVE: Veterans & First Responders scholarship essay contest will be fully original and is one that has never been submitted, published anywhere else, or used to apply for any other scholarship(s). We reserve the right to subject every entry to a plagiarism-scan, in order to verify originality. Once an entry is submitted, entrant agrees that all ownership rights to that essay are transferred to SERVE: Veterans & First Responders and all copyright laws protect ownership by SERVE: Veterans & First Responders. Entrant understands and agrees that s/he may not reproduce, transfer, share, republish, or otherwise use or distribute the entry essay in any way, without express written permission. Entrant agrees that the organization may use his/her name in publishing the contest entrants and/or winners. SERVE: Veterans & First Responders shall protect all other personal information of every contestant and shall not provide personal information to any third party. Entrant's personal information is used for the express purpose of verification and is deleted after money is distributed.