Scholarship Eligibility Criteria

In This Section

To be eligible for the AFSA Scholarship Fund Program:

  • Be the child of a current or former member of the Foreign Service, whose parent(s) is also a member of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA). It is the responsibility of the applicant and the member to ensure the AFSA membership is valid and does not lapse.
  • Meet the specific criteria (listed below) for the Financial Aid and/or Merit scholarship programs.

Children of AFSA Scholarship Committee members are ineligible for AFSA awards or scholarships.

For those high school students whose parents are not in the U.S. Government Foreign Service, please view information on AFSA’s High School Essay Contest.

Financial Aid Scholarships

To be eligible to apply for an AFSA undergraduate Financial Aid Scholarship, a student must:

  • Be a current high school senior planning to enroll or a student currently enrolled in a full-time post-secondary education program. This includes:
    • College/university (bachelor’s or associate degree programs) OR
    • Accredited trade or vocational school
    • NOT ELIGIBLE are high school postgraduate programs (such as for athletic or military development) or graduate (master’s, doctoral) programs.
  • Be a dependent child of a Foreign Service employee who is an American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) member. The AFSA member must be or have been an employee (active duty, retired, deceased, and/or separated) with a foreign affairs agency as defined by the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (Department of State, USAID, USIA, USAGM, FCS, FAS or APHIS).
  • Have been claimed as a dependent on the most recent IRS tax form by his/her parent(s) or guardian(s).
  • Have a minimum GPA of 2.75.
  • Demonstrate financial need.

Merit-Based Scholarships

To be eligible to apply for a competitive AFSA Merit Award (Academic and/or Art and/or Community Service Award), a student must:

  • Be a current high school senior who intends to enroll in a full-time post-secondary education program. This includes:
    • College/university (bachelor’s or associate degree programs) OR
    • Accredited trade or vocational school
    • NOT ELIGIBLE are high school postgraduate programs (such as for athletic or military development) or graduate (master’s, doctoral) programs.
  • Maintain a satisfactory academic record (a minimum cumulative 3.25 GPA out of a 4.0 scale is needed to apply for Academic Merit Award and a cumulative 2.75 GPA on a 4.0 scale is needed to apply for the Art Merit Award and Community Service Award). Not all that apply will win an award.
  • Be a child of a Foreign Service employee who is an American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) member. The AFSA member must be or have been an employee (active duty, retired, deceased, and/or separated) with a foreign affairs agency as defined by the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (Department of State, USAID, USIA, USAGM, FCS, FAS or APHIS).
  • Not a previous Academic Merit, Art Merit, or Community Service award winner.

General Information

Applicants are required to apply each year for AFSA Financial Aid Scholarships while AFSA Academic, Art, and Community Service Merit Awards are one-time only prizes. AFSA Financial Aid Scholarships are intended to supplement college aid and cannot reduce university scholarships or university grants. Students may apply for all AFSA programs, if eligibility requirements are met. No piece-meal application pieces can be sent, emailed or faxed except where noted. AFSA cannot process any application that is incomplete, and it is the applicant's responsibility to see that all scholarship materials are submitted by March 9, 2026 for merit, and April 17, 2026 for financial aid. Applicants are also responsible for updating AFSA on any address/email changes throughout the year.

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