Retirees Association Plans to Award $40,000 in Scholarships

The National AAFES Retired Employees Association (AREA) is doing an incredible job supporting the future leaders from the Exchange family. Since 1985, AREA has awarded nearly $1 million in scholarships to nearly 420 deserving students. This year, AREA is again offering $40,000 in scholarships once again, with two $5,000 scholarships and ten $3,000 scholarships up for grabs.

Here’s a quick rundown of the program:

Who’s eligible: Graduating high school seniors accepted to an accredited college or university. Applicants must be children of active, retired or deceased Exchange U.S. payroll associates or military personnel assigned to the Exchange. Retired sponsors must be active AREA members.

What to know: Applicants need an ACT score of at least 23 or an SAT score of at least 1,200. If SAT/ACT scores are not required by the institution being applied to, exception information along with your high school grade point average will need to be submitted. A high school GPA of 3.33 (B+) on a 4.0 scale or 87-89 (B+) on a 100-point scale is required.

Applicants must plan to attend an accredited college, university, community college/technical school, or a U.S. military academy for undergraduate studies in 2025.

When: The application process opened Jan. 1; submission deadline is noon  Central Time on March 21, 2025.

For more detailed information and questions about this program including eligibility, the application process, a link to download the application form, and much more, please visit our website at Scholarships – Army & Air Force Exchange Service Retired Employees Association

If you have specific questions, contact scholarships@aafesretired.org.

How you can support: The scholarship program is funded by donations from active and retired associates, and you can support it by donating online.

Your donations are tax-deductible. Click here to learn more: https://aafesretired.org/scholarships/donations.