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Top 20 Firefighters Scholarships in February 2023
Passionate about helping people and interested in becoming a firefighter, but worried about the financial costs? Don’t worry, there are many firefighting scholarships available for you!
Whether you’re a seasoned firefighter or thinking about attending a four-year university, fire academy, or vocational school, we have you covered when it comes to scholarships!
Jump ahead to…
- Top scholarships for firefighters
- Scholarships for children of firefighters
- How to win firefighters scholarships
- Resources for firefighters
- Frequently asked questions
- Keep on reading
Top 20 Firefighters Scholarships in February 2023
The Scholarships360 Research Team reviews all scholarships individually and strives to exclude any scholarship where any of the below applies:
- The scholarship requires a fee to apply
- The scholarship provider’s privacy policy allows for the misuse of student data
- The scholarship requires paid membership in an organization (with certain exceptions for reputable trade organizations and others)
- Student are required to sign up for a site or service to apply*
- The scholarship seems primarily used for lead generation** or idea harvesting purposes***
- The scholarship website has many grammatical errors and/or advertisements
- The scholarship or scholarship providing organization seem untrustworthy
- There is no evidence the scholarship was previously awarded
- The scholarship has not been awarded in the past 12 months
- There is no available contact information
If you believe a scholarship has been published in error, please reach out to [email protected] and we’ll take a look!
* There are certain exceptions to this, for example if the sponsoring organization is a major corporation or nonprofit with its own scholarship application system.
** Lead generation scholarships will require students to sign up for an app or website and require minimal (if any) application requirements.
***Idea harvesting scholarships will require students to submit blog posts or other materials that companies may use for marketing purposes.
$10,000 “No Essay” Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Easy scholarship open to all US-based high school, college, community college and graduate students.
$2,000 Nitro College Scholarship – No Essay
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to all high school, college, community and graduate students.
$25,000 No Essay Scholarship
Sponsored
Open to high school and college students, as well as anyone looking to attend college or graduate school in the next year.
Pearl Mae Scholarship
Offered by Pearl Mae Foundation
Open to students seeking careers in healthcare or first responder fields.
ESA Scholarships for Children of First Responders
Offered by Electronic Security Association
Open to high school seniors who are the children of first responders (firefighters, police, paramedics, and EMTs).
Charles W. Riley Firefighter and Ambulance and Rescue Squad Member Scholarship Program
Offered by Maryland Higher Education Commission
Open to active firefighters (including volunteers), ambulance, or rescue squad members who are seeking a fire-service-related degree.
Daniel A. Terry Scholarship
Offered by California Fire Foundation
Open to college-bound, high school seniors and graduates who are the children of California firefighters who died in the line of duty.
Phillip L. Turner Fire Protection Scholarship
Offered by Fire Apparatus Manufacturers' Association
Open to college sophomores, juniors, seniors and master's students pursuing a degree in Fire Protection Engineering or Fire Administration.
Public Safety Officer or Employee’s Child Survivor Grant Program
Offered by Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development
College students under 24 years old in Missouri who have been left disabled or killed in the line of duty or who have a relative who has.
“Follow Your Own Path” Essay Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Open to all postsecondary students, regardless of the type of training/education they are pursuing.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Jan 31, 2024$25k “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to high school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students.
“Outstanding Undergraduate” Essay Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Open to current undergraduates at four-year universities in the U.S.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Jan 31, 2024Chief Larry Williams Scholarship
Offered by South Carolina State Firefighters Association
Members of the South Carolina State Firefighters Association who are seeking further training or education.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Oct 31, 2023Sam Carbis Scholarship
Offered by South Carolina State Firefighters Association
Open to members of the South Carolina State Firefighters Association who are training to be volunteer firefighters in the state.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Oct 31, 2023First Responders Children’s Foundation Scholarships
Offered by The First Responders Children’s Foundation
Open to children of a first responder who is pursuing a degree at any accredited college or vocational school.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Jun 15, 2023Fire Family Scholarship
Offered by Fire Family Foundation
Open to the children of current or former firefighters who are currently or will soon be attending a postsecondary institution.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
May 16, 2023$10,000 CollegeXpress Scholarship
Sponsored
Annual $10k scholarship from CollegeXpress open to all high school students.
Niche $2,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship from Niche open to all high school, college, and graduate students.
Scholarships for children of firefighters
ESA Youth Scholarship
- Eligibility: Children of first responders (firefighters, police, paramedics, and EMTs)
- Amount: Varies
Fire Family Scholarship
- Eligibility: Biological or adopted children of a firefighter. Must be a high school senior, at least 16 years old with a GED, or be enrolled in college or trade school. Applicants cannot be older than 26 and must have at GPA of 3.2 or above
- Amount: $5,000
- Opens: March 2023
How to win firefighters scholarships
Winning a scholarship comes down to crafting a compelling application. Since you are applying for scholarships that are aimed at firefighters, you’ll want to make sure that your interest and experiences related to firefighting are emphasized in your application.
Specifically, you’ll want to make sure that any relevant experiences are captured in your scholarship resume. The resume is a fantastic way to guide the scholarship committee through your history, including important achievements, experiences, and educational accomplishments.
Another part of the application process that’s important is the essay. The goal of the essay will vary according to the specifications of the scholarship application, but generally you’ll want to share a story, moment, or experience that is central to who you are as a person (and in the case of a firefighters scholarship, something that is aligned with this interest).
The best way to get your essay writing process started is by reflecting on important experiences or moments from your life that really define who you are. Once you’ve done some reflection, you can get to work outline and write your scholarship essay. To get started, here are some resources from our scholarship essay experts (but we suggest starting with the how to write a winning scholarship essay guide):
- How to write a 250 word essay
- How to write a 500 word essay
- How to write essays about yourself
- How to start a scholarship essay.
Resources for firefighters
There are several membership organizations and associations dedicated to supporting firefighters. These organizations can connect you to a community of other firefighters as well as other scholarships and continuing educational opportunities. Here are a few organizations that you might check out:
National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC)
The National Volunteer Fire Council is a nonprofit membership organization that is focused on supporting volunteer fire services, as well as EMS and rescue services. Through NVFC you will be able to access free online training, insurance, scholarships, and a members only online community.
International Association of Fire Fighters
The International Association of Fire Fighters or IAFF represents more than 330,000 full-time professional fire fighters and paramedics around the world. In addition to advocacy and lobbying work on behalf of their members, the IAFF also offers online training opportunities, as well as scholarships.
Local organizations
Some states have state-specific organizations that are dedicated to supporting firefighters. For example, in North Carolina, the North Carolina State Firefighters’ Association offers educational opportunities, as well as scholarships for students. Additionally, your local fire department may also offer scholarship opportunities like the F. Michael Sacca Scholarship offered by the Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company in Ocean City, Maryland.
Frequently asked questions
Does being a firefighter pay for college?
Unfortunately, being a firefighter does not pay for college. However, there are many different ways to become a firefighter, and some programs are cheaper than others. Attending a university is generally more expensive than attending a fire academy or training school. However, such costs can be offset with scholarships and by attending in-state public universities.
Do firefighters get paid more with a college degree?
Firefighters with a bachelor’s or master’s degree will receive higher wages in some fire departments, but not all. Thus, an individual who wants to pursue firefighting should be confident in their decision to go to college for reasons unrelated to future salary.
Do firefighters qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness?
Yes – as long as they fulfill the requirements for making payments and maintaining their employment, firefighters can qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. After 10 years of repayments and continued employment, or with permitted lapses, they will not have to repay any more federal loans.
