[Page 5] Top 116 Aviation/Aeronautical Scholarships in February 2025

These scholarships are aimed at financially supporting the academic and career goals of students who are currently studying, or interested in pursuing, aviation or aeronautics. 

To apply for certain aviation scholarships, you might have to be currently enrolled in a relevant degree program. However, there are plenty of scholarships that award prospective students who intend to pursue aviation, aeronautics, or a related field. 

If you’re interested in aeronautical engineering, there are also a lot of less-specialized scholarships that are open to students in any STEM field that you would likely qualify for too. 

No matter who you are, there are scholarship opportunities for aviation students out there that fit you perfectly. You can improve your chances of winning scholarships by finding the opportunities that best match your qualifications and creating a strong and unique application that highlights what makes you special.

To refine your search and find aviation scholarships that also match profile criteria like your home state, grade level, and more, get personalized scholarship recommendations on the Mos app. 

For an overview of just a few great scholarships open to aviation students, plus some helpful tips for how to find and win aviation scholarships, keep reading! 

Ten Aviation and Aeronautical Scholarships Mos Loves

1. EAA Aviation Scholarship

   • The EAA Aviation Scholarship is for those who are interested in pursuing flight or a career in aviation or aviation-related/STEM fields. To qualify, you need to be involved in your school or community, and interested in the world of aviation. Interested? Apply!

2. Pat Napolitano Memorial Scholarship for Aspiring Technicians

   • The Pat Napolitano Memorial Scholarship for Aspiring Technicians is available to all graduating seniors or current college students pursuing their Aviation Technician Certification. 

3. Bob Reeve Aviation Management Scholarship

   • The Alaska Airmen awards $3,000 to an individual seeking a career in Aviation Management, Dispatch, or ATC. High school seniors with intentions of attending an accredited aviation-related program (must provide proof: acceptance letters, letters of reference from school counselors, etc.) are also eligible.

4. Johnny Davis Memorial Scholarship

   • The Johnny Davis Memorial Scholarship offers $1,000 to a high school senior or college student who plans to attend an accredited school in an avionics or aircraft maintenance program. To qualify, you must be a AEA Member.

5. Marshall Temple Memorial Scholarship

   • The Marshall Temple Memorial Scholarship is perfect for students majoring in or interested in avionics or aircraft maintenance programs. To qualify, you must be an AEA member.

6. Lee Tarbox Memorial Scholarship

   • The Lee Tarbox Memorial Scholarship provides $2,500 for high school seniors or college students majoring in an avionics or aircraft maintenance program. To apply, you'll need to submit an essay. 

7. Native Forward Aerospace Career Enhancement (ACE) Scholarship

   • The Native Forward Aerospace Career Enhancement (ACE) Scholarship offers $5,000 to an enrolled member or a descendant of a federally or state-recognized American Indian Tribe or Alaska Native group. Documentation from the Tribe is required through Native Forward’s online tribal eligibility certification (TEC) form. Applicants must be enrolled full-time at an accredited institution pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree within Washington state’s public higher education systems, with a declared major in engineering and other high-demand degrees that support professional and technical careers in the aerospace industry and planning to enter a professional or technical career in the aerospace industry upon graduation. Applicants must also possess an unweighted cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Apply or ask your Mos advisor to learn more!

8. Garmin–Jerry Smith Memorial Scholarship

   • The Garmin–Jerry Smith Memorial Scholarship offers $1,000 to a high school, college or vocational/technical school student who plans to attend or is attending an accredited school in an avionics or aircraft maintenance program. To qualify, you must have a minimum GPA of 2.5. To apply, you'll need to submit an essay. 

9. Pioneers of Flight Scholarship

   • Pioneers of Flight Scholarship offers $1,000 to college students in their sophomore or junior year who are enrolled in a full-time aviation degree program at an accredited four-year college or university. You must show high academic achievement with a 3.0 GPA or better, on a 4.0 scale and demonstrate an interest in pursuing a career in general aviation. An essay and a recommendation are required.

10. Navigate Your Future Scholarship

    • The Navigate Your Future Scholarship offers $2,500 to a senior in high school enrolled or accepted into an aviation-related program and planning a career in the general aviation field. You'll need a personal statement and a recommendation letter for the application.

Tips and Strategies for Applying for Aviation and Aeronautical Scholarships

Here’s a guide of what to consider when you’re applying for scholarships, how to apply, and a few practical tips on how to set yourself apart as a strong applicant.  

• When to Start Applying for Scholarships? Right Now!

If you want to win as much money as possible, you should start your scholarship search as early as possible. That way, you can avoid missing out on deadlines and give yourself plenty of time to get your application materials together. 

Basically, the best time to start applying to scholarships for aviation students is right now! 

• Research Your Scholarships

The fact that you’re reading this guide means that you’re already doing your research. Great work! 

Plenty of organizations and foundations offer scholarships to aviation students that belong to specific demographics or who live in specific areas. 

Use this page to search for scholarships for aviation students that fit your profile, your financial goals, and your academic interests. 

It pays to be strategic about the scholarships you apply for instead of just applying for every single listing without checking the requirements first. For example, if you live in California it would be a waste of your time to apply for a scholarship that’s only for students in Minnesota. 

• It’s a Numbers Game 

Ultimately, the best way to boost your odds of winning scholarship money is to apply for as many opportunities as you can. 

This might seem to contradict the previous point, but it’s all about hitting the right balance between narrowing down your search and maximizing the amount of applications you actually send. 

Think about it this way: 

• Applying for one scholarship you qualify for is better than applying for ten scholarships you don’t qualify for. 

• Applying for ten scholarships you do qualify for is way better than applying for just the one.

• Make a Game Plan   

Being a student can be overwhelming. 

You’re busy all the time with commitments that include—but aren’t even limited to—class, studying, homework, social events, and jobs. It can be difficult to set aside time to apply for scholarships, which is why lots of students end up missing deadlines for scholarships they'd have a great chance of winning. 

To avoid falling behind on your academic and financial goals, be intentional about how often you apply for scholarships, what time you work on your applications, and much time you spend on them. Think of it as starting a new, healthy habit—like flossing your teeth or meditating. 

Set a personal goal for how many scholarships you want to apply for a week. 

Then, find a time in your schedule where it would be easy to integrate your new scholarship habit. For example, if you study every Tuesday night from 7-8, spend 15 minutes of that study time for scholarships. If you use Mos, that’s enough time to apply for 5 or more scholarships! 

• Track Your Scholarship Applications   

Once you identify all the opportunities you qualify for and make an application plan, keep track of your scholarship journey. The Mos app makes this easy by letting you save scholarships and track your application status, but you can also do this on your own with a physical list or a spreadsheet online. 

However you want to keep tabs on your scholarship applications, make sure to track their deadlines and application requirements. 

• Tailor Your Application 

Every scholarship will ask for its own set of application materials. 

Because of this, you shouldn’t just reuse the exact same essay or personal statement for every scholarship you apply for. 

Your application should highlight why you’re applying for the specific scholarship you’re applying for, not just why you’re applying for a scholarship in general. Explain how, if you receive the award, it will help you achieve a career or educational goal that aligns with the mission of the organization that’s offering the scholarship. 

For example, if you’re applying to a scholarship that was founded by or dedicated to a particular person, you should demonstrate that you’ve done research on who that person is, explain how their legacy inspires you, and outline the ways the scholarship would help you continue that legacy. 

That doesn’t mean that you have to start from scratch with every single application. You can use a previous essay or personal statement you’re proud of as a template for your future applications as long as you make meaningful changes to it that tailor it to a specific opportunity.  

For more on how to write a good personal statement, check out these resources: 

• Purdue Owl: Writing the Personal Statement

• College Essay Guy: How to Write a Personal Statement (Tips + Essay Examples)

• Highlight Your Achievements and Leadership Skills 

A scholarship application isn’t the place to be humble. 

Some scholarships for aviation students ask for examples of your leadership skills, community involvement, or other achievements. Scholarship committees don’t know anything about you outside of the contents of your application. If there’s a certain accomplishment or quality you’re proud of, the only way to make sure they know about it is to tell them. 

That might seem obvious, but some students default to downplaying their own accomplishments. When you’re reading over your application form or your essay, make sure you include all of the (relevant) stuff you’d want the scholarship committee to take into consideration. 

If you’re having trouble with this, try doing a brain dump on a sheet of paper. Write down every single extracurricular activity, school event, hobby, volunteer position, and leadership role you can remember having. Then, circle the ones you’re the most proud of in red and circle the ones that are relevant to the scholarship you’re applying for in blue. Anything you circled twice should definitely make its way into your application. 

If that’s too hard, ask a friend, professor, or mentor to help you brainstorm a list of your accomplishments. The people who care about you will often be able to list a ton of amazing things about you that you might write off as “not that impressive.”  

• Prepare Your Documents and Transcripts 

A lot of scholarships require you to submit financial documentation, academic transcripts, or both.

Need-based scholarships are aimed at students who don’t have the financial means to pay for college. The federal and state governments are two major sources of need-based aid, which they offer through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). 

The FAFSA is a form that asks for a fair amount of personal information and financial info. Learn what documents you need for FAFSA on the Mos blog.  

Merit-based scholarships are meant to reward a student’s accomplishments—usually academic accomplishments, but there are plenty of merit-based scholarships that reward things like artistic talent or sports prowess too! A merit-based scholarship might ask for a transcript of your grades. 

If you’re currently enrolled in an undergraduate program, training program, or trade school, your transcript will probably be on your student portal.

If you’re not currently enrolled, email your former academic advisor or registrar’s office to ask for a copy of your transcript.

Make sure you have all necessary documents ready before a scholarship’s deadline. Ask for your transcript a few weeks in advance to avoid missing out on money you qualify for.

• Follow Directions Carefully 

Scholarship applications often have specific formatting requirements. 

A few examples of requirements you might run into: 

• Essay word count. Example: A scholarship that specifies that your essay can’t be over 500 words. 

• File format. Example: A scholarship that only accepts application forms that are uploaded as PDFs. 

If you don’t submit an application that matches all of the submission requirements, you run the risk of being disqualified, no matter how strong of an applicant you are. 

Think about it from the scholarship committee’s perspective: if they get a lot of strong applications from students who are all equally deserving of the award, they might end up falling back on technicalities like word count to decide who to eliminate from the candidate pool. Don’t give them any reason to throw out your application. 

Carefully read over all of the submission instructions when you’re putting together your application. If it helps, make a list of every separate requirement and check them off as you apply. Before you hit submit, check your application over one last time just to be safe. 

• Ask for Strong References 

Some scholarships for aviation students will ask you for letters of recommendation from professors, mentors, or other figures in your life. 

When you’re deciding who to ask for a letter of recommendation, think about the people who you’ve known for a longer time and who have witnessed your accomplishments firsthand. A professor who’s seen you work hard and improve over the course of two years is probably a better option than a professor who only had you for one class last year. 

You can set up your recommenders to write you the best letter possible by telling them what kind of qualities or achievements the scholarship provider is looking for, and by sending them a polite email reminder about your recommendation a couple weeks before the scholarship’s deadline.

You can also set yourself up to get a stronger recommendation by building your relationships with your potential references. Regularly going to a professor’s office hours is a great way to distinguish yourself as a diligent student to them.

• Pay Attention to Deadlines 

Scholarships usually have firm deadlines, and it’s pretty rare for them to accept late submissions. 

We already mentioned the importance of tracking deadlines earlier, but one more tip to avoid missing deadlines is to set yourself a personal deadline that’s a day or two before the official deadline. That way, you can avoid the frantic race to finish your application before midnight on the due date, and you have a grace period of a few days to work on your application if life gets busy. 

Other Sources of Financial Aid for Aviation and Aeronautical Students 

Scholarships aren’t the only way to fund your education. 

For information on other financial aid resources, check out The Mos Financial Aid Roadmap: 8 Ways to Get Money for College. 

Apply Faster on the Mos app 

When you apply for more than one scholarship, you have to fill out the same information over and over again. Even if it only takes a few minutes every time, those minutes add up. Plus, it can make the whole process feel like a mind-numbing slog instead of an exciting chance to spotlight the achievements and qualities that make you special as an applicant. 

When you sign up for Mos, you only have to fill out your information once. Then, every time you apply for a scholarship, the app auto-fills your information into the application. This means that applications can take as little as a few seconds! With every scholarship you apply to, your odds of winning money for college from one of them go up (remember, it’s partially a numbers game). And with every scholarship you apply to on Mos, the amount of time you save goes up right alongside those odds. 

Related Scholarship Categories

• Graduate scholarships

• Scholarships for high school seniors 

• Scholarships for women

• Merit scholarships

• California scholarships