6 Tips for Winning Aviation Scholarships

Some colleges or universities may have aviation scholarships available to you; however, most college/university scholarships go toward tuition-based costs, not flight training. Flight training costs are extra and are generally assessed by the hour. This is because you are paying a certified flight instructor an hourly rate to teach you. There are also costs associated with using a training aircraft in the college fleet. 

That’s where scholarships come into play. They're offered by organizations and corporations who want to increase the number of pilots for the aviation industry. Corporations, including regional and major airlines, are particularly interested in having a trained and qualified pipeline of future pilots from which they can draw to pilot their corporate, passenger, and/or cargo aircraft. Aviation scholarships are available to pay for the costs of flight training, whether you’re enrolled at a college, university, a flight school, or a fixed base operator (FBO). 

The average cost of flight training ranges from $5,100 to $16,000, and that’s just to earn your private pilot certificate. With a private pilot’s certificate, you can fly VFR (visual flight rules) with up to one non-paying passenger—but for non-commercial purposes only. 

If you want to be paid to fly, you need to continue your flight training and earn a commercial certificate and/or an ATP certification. It can cost upwards of $100,000 to earn all of the certifications—and more importantly, to get the in-flight hours that you need to become an FAA-certified airline transport pilot (ATP). 

If you want to earn a traditional four-year degree and/or pursue graduate studies, you can do this and do your flight training at the same time. There are several accredited colleges and universities that offer aeronautical science and related aviation degrees that also offer on-site flight training. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the University of North Dakota are two well-known programs for this degree.  

If you prefer, however, you can fast-forward your flight career and earn your pilot certificates at a flight school or FBO. Several major airlines recently relaxed their hiring requirements for a bachelor’s degree, including Delta Airlines, American, Southwest, and United. So you now have a direct path to becoming a pilot for the airlines without earning a traditional four-year education. 

The current and projected pilot supply shortage has opened up other routes to the airlines as well. United Airlines recently launched Aviate, an in-house pilot career development program.

There are a number of organizations and corporations that offer aviation scholarships. These include the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), and many others. 

The FAA includes a list of organizations that provide scholarships as well. To find aviation scholarships, visit reputable flight-oriented and aviation-related organizations and associations online. You can also search the internet using keywords, such as “aviation scholarships” or “flight training scholarships.” Your flight training school, college, or university may also have aviation scholarship resources. 

If you’re a woman, there are specific aviation scholarships just for you. Less than 5 percent of airline pilots in the U.S. are women, and there are initiatives across the industry to increase this number. Women in Aviation International, a nonprofit organization aimed at supporting and encouraging women in aviation careers, offers more than 100 scholarships each year, totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. Following are the basic criteria for these scholarships.

Application Requirements: 

Scholarship Amount: Each scholarship amount varies. Not all are for flight training. WAI offers a variety of aviation scholarships to meet the needs of the entire aviation industry, not only the airlines.

Where to Apply: When the application period is open, apply here. Most WAI scholarships are due in October.

If you are a woman of color, Sisters of the Skies, a nonprofit that supports and encourages women of color who want to become pilots through scholarship, outreach, and mentorship, has a number of scholarships just for you. In the past four years, Sisters of the Skies has awarded $500,000 in scholarships for women in aviation.

Application Requirements: Vary based on the scholarship for which you apply. 

Scholarship Amount: Each scholarship amount varies. 

Where to Apply: When the application period is open, apply here. 

Offered by the Ninety-Nines, an international organization that advances aviation and women in aviation through education, scholarships, and support, Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarships are awarded each year to qualified members for five different scholarship types: flight training, academic, technical training, the Vicki Cruse Memorial Scholarship for Emergency Maneuver Training, and the Kitty Houghton Memorial Scholarship. 

Application Requirements: 

Scholarship Amount: Each scholarship amount varies. The Flight Training Scholarship covers up to $20,000 for one pilot training course, certificate, rating, or type rating; and the Kitty Houghton Memorial Scholarship offers up to $20,000 for flight training or education in an aviation-related field. More information can be found here. 

Where to Apply: When the application period is open, apply here. 

The Navigate Your Future aviation scholarship is offered by the National Air Transportation Association (NATA). 

Application Requirements:

Scholarship Amount: $2,500 to be used toward one year of undergraduate study.

Where to Apply: When the application period is open, apply here. 

EAA offers a variety of aviation scholarships, including flight training, post-secondary, and the Ray Aviation Scholars awards. Supported by donors, these endowed scholarships award more than $1 million through EAA programs every year. The scholarships are “awarded to those who show the greatest potential to be actively engaged in aviation,” according to the EAA. Flight training scholarships can be used at any non-university flight school in the U.S. or Canada.

Application Requirements: 

Scholarship Amount: Each scholarship amount varies. 

Where to Apply: When the application period is open, apply here. 

Flight training is expensive and just because you apply for a scholarship doesn’t mean that you’ll get it. To increase your chances of funding success, apply for as many aviation scholarships that you are eligible for—and that relates to your aviation career goals. Keep the following tips in mind as you complete your aviation scholarship applications. 

Scholarship judges may review hundreds of applications. Be succinct in your writing and follow the application instructions to a T. For example, if the application calls for a 500-word essay, do not exceed this word limit. 

Aviation scholarships are awarded to individuals who are passionate about the field of aviation. In the essay/open-ended portion of the application, be sure to tell your unique story and explain how this passion was ignited, and how you plan to contribute to the greater aviation community, above and beyond your future job. If you are involved in aviation associations and/or volunteer at aviation conferences, airshows, etc., be sure to mention this as well.

Sloppy writing won’t win you any points from the aviation scholarship review team. Ask a teacher or mentor to review your application for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and inadvertent typos before submitting it. 

It’s important to provide as much information about yourself and your aviation career goals as possible, so don’t skip any questions/response fields in the application. Unanswered questions offer the perfect excuse for weary aviation scholarship judges to “weed out” your application. 

Yes, flight training is expensive, but don’t gripe about it in the aviation scholarship application when discussing your financial need. Talk instead about the proactive steps you are taking to help fund your training, e.g. working part-time, starting a side business, working at the local airport in exchange for flight hours, etc. Industrious aviation scholarship applicants will fare better than those just looking for a handout. 

When responding to aviation scholarship application questions, be sure to use personal examples. Instead of saying you’re a “hard worker,” explain how you helped with your family business as a teenager; and/or discuss the various part-time jobs that you’ve held, while also earning a high grade point average, volunteering, earning entry-level flight certifications, participating in sports or other extracurricular activities. 

While aviation scholarships are competitive, given the pilot shortage, more and more scholarship opportunities become available each year. If you follow the tips provided here, you’ll be one step closer to funding your flight training—and to your future office in the sky. 

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