Aviation Scholarship

Apply for an Aviation Scholarship for college 2025. If you love flying and want to go to flight school, check out one of these opportunities to get some financial assistance. Also see one reader's experience with aviation student loans.

Aviation Scholarships

Edward W. Stimpson Aviation Scholarship from General Aviation Manufacturers Association

Application Deadline April each year

Award Amount $2000

Earn an aviation scholarship for college for students graduating high school who wish to pursue a career in aviation. For more information about the Edward W. Stimpson Aviation Scholarship and to apply online see www.gama.aero.

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Joshua Esch Mitchell Aviation Scholarship

Application Deadline March of each year

Award Amount $500 to $5000

These aviation scholarships are offered through the Grand Rapids Community Foundation. Open to US citizens enrolled as sophomores or higher at college or university in any state that provides an accredited flight science program. Applicants must have a current pilot license and be studying general aviation, aviation management or aviation safety, with a GPA of 2.75 or higher. For Scholarships for Aviation Students additional requirements and online application see www.grfoundation.org/scholarships

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Women in the Wings Scholarship

Application Deadline ~ September of each year

Award Amount 2 scholarships of $1000 and 1 scholarship of $500

This aviation scholarship is open to high school seniors and college women who are interested in the aviation field. For additional requirements and scholarship information about this Women in the Wings Scholarship program see bold.org

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International Council of Air Shows Aviation Scholarship

Application Deadline December of each year

Award Amount $2000

These aviation scholarships are offered to students working on an undergraduate degree in aviation or related field, e.g. professional pilot, maintenance/engineering, airport administrator. Essay required on aviation career goals. For more information about this General Aviation Scholarship see www.icasfoundation.org

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Pioneers of Flight Aviation Scholarship Program

Application Deadline ~ December of each year

Award Amount $1000 per year, renewable

This aviation scholarship is open to college juniors and seniors interested in general aviation (not a major commercial airlines), and have a GPA of 3.0 or better. Essay required on their goals in general aviation. For additional requirements and scholarship information about these General Aviation Scholarships see www.nata.aero

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Can I afford $200,000 worth of loans after graduating?

Aviation school loan experience shared by Carly from New Hamshire

Growing up, my parents lived paycheck to paycheck. They stressed the importance of college so that I would be better off than they were. When it came time, I choose a unique field (aviation) at a private college that cost roughly $50,000 per year. My mother was familiar with the loan process and applied for me. I knew nothing about loans other than my mom presented me with documents and told me to sign. Each year, I applied for scholarships and worked to begin repayment on my loans. Even so, I graduated with over $60,000 worth of debt. Now I am working three jobs to pay off my student loans and I am worse off than my parents ever were with this amount of debt. My advice for college students……

- Apply for scholarships!!! There are thousands of them, all you have to do is search the internet. Many ask for essays about your future plans or how you plan to use the money. Keep track of ones you have applied to and if you don’t win this year, you can try again next year. A big misconception about scholarships is that they are only for high school seniors going to college next year. Not true, there are scholarships for every year of college!

-No matter what field you choose, your first and second year can easily be done at a cheaper community college. My first two years at my $50,000 private college were mostly beginner classes like Public Speaking and Humanities courses. I could have done these classes at a community college for thousands less and lived at home.

-Understand your loan terms before you sign them!! I had no idea how much money I was borrowing in student loans. My mother did most of the work for me and all I had to do was sign for them. It wasn’t until my last two years that I realized how much debt I had and how much interest had already accrued.

-Work part time through college!! I was a full time student, worked part time, was active with church and clubs on campus, and still managed to get good grades. And I never pulled an all-nighter! It takes time management but working part time through college and making payments on your loans while still in school is helpful. I paid off a $8,000 loan (at a 9.7% interest rate) while I was still in school. Over the 2 years, I paid $4,000 just in interest, meaning the loan actually cost me $12,000!!

-After you graduate and your loans are in repayment, pay extra if you can!! As it stands right now, my expected pay off for my aviation student loans is around $120,000 over the next 14 years. If I pay extra now, it will save me from paying loads of accrued interest later.

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