EDUCATIONVA program

Fry Scholarship (Post-9/11 GI Bill for Survivors)

Full Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits for the children and surviving spouses of servicemembers who died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001.

Available to children and spouses of servicemembers who died in line of duty post-9/11

View on VA.gov

Step-by-step guide

What VA looks for: Child of a member who died

A death on or after September 11, 2001 that fits one of four linesThe service member died in the line of duty on active duty; or died from a service-connected disability within 120 days of discharge or release (a temporary line that covers only school terms starting on or after August 1, 2025 and before October 1, 2027); or a Selected Reserve member died in the line of duty on active duty for training or inactive duty training; or a Selected Reserve member died from a service-connected disability while still a member. State Active Duty orders for Guard members do not count.
The starting point for a childYou can start once you are 18, or once you finish high school or earn a GED, whichever comes first. You can be married or unmarried, and the regulation drops the usual age and marriage limits for this line.
The time limit, if one appliesIf the parent died before January 1, 2013, the scholarship runs until age 33, unless you turned 18, finished high school, or earned a GED after January 1, 2013, in which case there is no time limit. If the parent died on or after January 1, 2013, or was a Selected Reserve member who died in the line of duty other than active duty or from a service-connected disability, there is no time limit. For a death within 120 days of discharge, the terms must start before October 1, 2027.
Giving up DIC once the scholarship startsA child who gets Dependency and Indemnity Compensation or survivors pension stops getting it once the Fry Scholarship starts, or at 18 if the scholarship starts earlier, and it does not restart later. This rule is for children; a surviving spouse keeps DIC.

Source: VA.gov: Fry Scholarship (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.9520(d) (opens in new tab); VA Form 22-5490 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.9530(f) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: DIC for spouses, children, and parents (opens in new tab)

Which situation is yours?

Child of a member who died
The usual path. VA checks how and when the parent died, whether you have reached the starting point, and whether a time limit applies to you.
Source: VA.gov: Fry Scholarship (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.9520(d) (opens in new tab)
Surviving spouse
The same scholarship, reached through marriage to the member who died. VA.gov lists the spouse rules on remarriage, DIC, and expired months.
1. A death on or after September 11, 2001 that fits one of four linesThe same four lines as for a child, above.
2. Remarriage and restored monthsA surviving spouse keeps the scholarship after remarrying. Unused months that expired can be restored for use any time after January 2, 2025, even after remarriage; restoration takes a new application on VA Form 22-5490. A surviving spouse keeps DIC while using the scholarship.
3. One program, Fry or DEA, not bothA spouse who could use either the Fry Scholarship or Survivors and Dependents Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) picks one. Once made, the choice does not change.
Source: VA.gov: Fry Scholarship (opens in new tab); VA Form 22-5490 (opens in new tab); VA.gov: DIC for spouses, children, and parents (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) (opens in new tab)

What to gather, and what it shows VA

Documents for this benefit: what each is, what it shows VA, and how VA gets it
Document	What it shows	How VA gets it	Have it?
VA Form 22-5490 The application for a spouse or child under the Fry Scholarship or DEA. Filed online or mailed to the regional processing office for the state of your school, or your home state if you have not picked one.	That you are asking VA for the scholarship, and which program you choose	Apply online on VA.gov or download the form and mail it to VA.
The member's service and casualty record The service record and the report of the death the military keeps. VA uses it to see that the death was in the line of duty, or from a service-connected disability within 120 days of discharge.	When and how the member died, and the duty status at the time	VA will request this for you from the service department. If you hold a copy of the DD Form 1300 or the DD214, keep it in hand.	Yes
Birth certificate or marriage certificate The record that ties you to the member: a birth or adoption record for a child, a marriage certificate for a spouse.	That you are the child or surviving spouse of the member	You send it to VA if VA asks; many families already have it on file from a DIC claim.	Yes
High school diploma or GED Proof that a child under 18 has finished high school or earned a GED, which opens the scholarship before the 18th birthday.	That the starting point was reached early	You send it to VA if VA asks for it.
Your DIC award letter The letter that shows a child receives Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. VA stops those payments to a child when the scholarship starts.	Which payments a child gives up while using the scholarship	VA already holds it. Keep your copy to check the dates.	Yes
VA's decision letter (the COE) The letter VA sends after it decides the application. It names the program, the months you have, and the time limit if one applies.	That VA approved the scholarship, and for how long	VA mails it after deciding. Give a copy to the school certifying official.	Yes
The school's enrollment certification What the school certifying official sends VA each term: your courses, hours, and charges. VA pays nothing until it arrives.	That you are enrolled in an approved program, and at what rate	The certifying official sends it to VA; you do not file it.

Service and family records go to VA, and your school sends its own enrollment certification. BeneVets does not ask for copies of them.

Steps, in order

Get free help from a VSO
Free help: an accredited VSO can file this with you. Find one near you in the BeneVets VSO directory at Find an accredited VSO near you.
Source: VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab)
Pick Fry or DEA if you could use either
A spouse chooses one program and cannot switch later. A child whose parent died in the line of duty before August 1, 2011 may hold both, one at a time. If the death was on or after August 1, 2011, a child picks one program for that death and the choice is final; a child holds both only through a separate DEA event. Compare the Fry rate (tuition, housing, books) with the DEA monthly rate before you file.
Source: VA.gov: Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Fry Scholarship (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Chapter 35 rates (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Fry Scholarship rates (opens in new tab); VA Form 22-5490 (opens in new tab)
Check that the school and program are approved
Use the GI Bill Comparison Tool, or ask the school certifying official which programs VA has approved.
Source: VA.gov: GI Bill Comparison Tool (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Fry Scholarship (opens in new tab)
Apply with VA Form 22-5490
Apply online on VA.gov, or mail VA Form 22-5490 to the regional processing office for the state where your school is, or your home state if you have not chosen a school.
Source: VA Form 22-5490 (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Fry Scholarship (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.1030 (opens in new tab)
Answer any request from VA within a year
If VA writes asking for a record, you have one year from the letter to send it. VA will request service records for you, and asks you only for what it cannot get on its own.
Source: 38 CFR 21.1031 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.1032 (opens in new tab)
Tell the certifying official you applied
Ask the school certifying official to submit your enrollment to VA online. If you are a Fry Scholar at a Yellow Ribbon school, ask about a Yellow Ribbon spot at the same time.
Source: VA.gov: Fry Scholarship (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.9721 (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Yellow Ribbon Program (opens in new tab)
Read the decision letter
The letter states the months you have and any time limit. If VA denies the application, the letter lists your review options.
Source: VA.gov: after you apply for education benefits (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.1033 (opens in new tab)
Verify enrollment each month
The housing allowance for the month is paid after you confirm you are still enrolled, by text or by other means VA offers.
Source: VA.gov: verify your school enrollment (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Fry Scholarship rates (opens in new tab)
Apply for the STEM Scholarship when 6 months or less remain
A Fry Scholar in an approved undergraduate STEM program, a covered clinical training program, or a teaching certification program can ask for up to 9 more months once 6 months or less of the scholarship remain. The clinical and teaching paths need a STEM degree already earned.
Source: VA.gov: Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Fry Scholarship (opens in new tab)

Good to know

Up to 36 months at the full rate

The Fry Scholarship pays the Post-9/11 GI Bill at the 100 percent level: tuition and fees to the school, a monthly housing allowance, and money for books and supplies. It can also cover tutoring, national exams, licensing and certification tests, work study, and a move from a rural area. The limit is 36 months of full-time use.

Source: VA.gov: Fry Scholarship (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Fry Scholarship rates (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.9550 (opens in new tab)

A child with both Fry and DEA

If the parent died in the line of duty before August 1, 2011, a child can hold both programs, use one at a time, and is capped at 81 months combined. If the parent died on or after August 1, 2011, the child picks one program for that death and the choice is final; a child holds both only through a separate DEA event, one at a time, under a combined month limit that the decision letter states.

Source: VA.gov: Fry Scholarship (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.3044 (opens in new tab); VA Form 22-5490 (opens in new tab)

How the housing allowance is set

The housing allowance follows the Defense Department's Basic Allowance for Housing for an E-5 with dependents, using the zip code where your training takes place, scaled to your rate of pursuit. For online-only classes it is half the national average, and at a foreign school it is the national average. It is not paid when you are at half time or less, in correspondence or flight training, or on a school break.

Source: VA.gov: Fry Scholarship rates (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.9641 (opens in new tab)

Yellow Ribbon and the STEM Scholarship work with Fry

A Fry Scholar can use the Yellow Ribbon Program at a participating school to cover tuition the scholarship does not, and can apply for the Rogers STEM Scholarship for up to 9 more months, under a dollar cap VA sets, once 6 months or less remain. Yellow Ribbon does not combine with the STEM Scholarship.

Source: VA.gov: education and career benefits for family members (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Yellow Ribbon Program (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship (opens in new tab)

BeneVets is informational and is not an accredited representative. Free help: an accredited VSO can work through VA benefits with you at no cost. Find an accredited VSO near you