EDUCATIONVA program
Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship
Up to 9 additional months of Post-9/11 GI Bill or Fry Scholarship benefits for veterans, service members, and Fry Scholars enrolled in high-demand STEM programs who have exhausted or nearly exhausted their benefits.
Available in a qualifying STEM program with 6 months or less of benefits left; VA gives priority to those at the 100% Post-9/11 level
Step-by-step guide
What VA looks for: Undergraduate STEM degree
- An approved STEM degree that needs 120 semester hours or moreAn undergraduate degree, or a dual degree, in an approved STEM field that requires at least 120 standard semester credit hours (180 quarter hours), with at least 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) already completed. Approved fields include agriculture and natural resources, biological and biomedical science, computer and information science, engineering, health care, mathematics and statistics, physical science, and science technologies.
- 6 months or less of Post-9/11 or Fry benefits leftThe scholarship starts where the Post-9/11 GI Bill or the Fry Scholarship runs out. Your Statement of Benefits on VA.gov shows the months left.
Source: VA.gov: Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship (opens in new tab); VA.gov: check remaining education benefits (opens in new tab)
Which path is yours?
- Undergraduate STEM degree
The main path: a veteran, service member, or Fry Scholar near the end of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, partway through a long undergraduate STEM degree. Graduate-only programs are not covered.
Source: VA.gov: Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship (opens in new tab)
- Clinical training or a teaching certification after a STEM degree
For someone who already holds a STEM degree and is in a covered post-graduate clinical training program for health care professionals, or working toward a teaching certification.
- A completed degree in an approved STEM fieldA post-secondary or graduate degree in an approved STEM field, plus acceptance into or enrollment in a covered clinical training program that is not part of a graduate degree, or in a teaching certification program.
- 6 months or less of Post-9/11 or Fry benefits leftThe same remaining-months rule as the undergraduate path.
Source: VA.gov: Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship (opens in new tab); VA.gov: check remaining education benefits (opens in new tab)
What to gather, and what it shows VA
| Document | What it shows | How VA gets it | Have it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post-9/11 GI Bill Statement of Benefits The VA.gov page that shows the months of Post-9/11 or Fry benefits left and the benefit level. VA checks the same record when it reviews the application. | That 6 months or less remain, and at what percentage | Sign in on VA.gov to see it. VA already holds the record. | Yes |
| The online STEM Scholarship application The VA.gov application for the scholarship. It asks for your school, degree, field, credits completed, and remaining benefits. | That you are asking for the scholarship and which path you are on | Apply online on VA.gov; VA says the form takes about 15 minutes. | |
| The school's certification of program and credits What the school certifying official sends VA: the degree program, the field, the hours the degree needs, and the hours completed, or the clinical or certification program you are in. | That the program is approved for the scholarship and where you are in it | The certifying official sends it to VA; you do not file it. | |
| VA's decision letter (the COE) The letter VA mails if it approves the scholarship. A denial comes as a letter too. The school needs the COE before it certifies you under the scholarship. | That VA approved the scholarship, and when the 6-month start clock began | VA mails it after deciding. Bring it to the school certifying official. | Yes |
Your school certifies your program and credits to VA. BeneVets does not ask for transcripts or copies of anything.
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)
- Check your months left
Check your months left on VA.gov. The scholarship needs 6 months or less remaining.
Source: VA.gov: check remaining education benefits (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship (opens in new tab)
- Confirm the field and the hours
Check VA's list of approved STEM fields, and confirm with the school that the degree needs at least 120 semester hours and that you have completed 60.
Source: VA.gov: Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship (opens in new tab)
- Apply online
File the STEM Scholarship application on VA.gov. If VA needs more, it sends a letter. Approved or denied, the answer comes by mail.
Source: VA.gov: Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship (opens in new tab)
- Bring the COE to the certifying official
The certifying official is usually in the registrar, financial aid, or veterans office. Start using the scholarship within 6 months of approval.
Source: VA.gov: Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship (opens in new tab)
- Verify attendance each month
The housing allowance is paid after you confirm attendance each month. VA offers STEMText: reply yes to the opt-in text within 7 days of getting it, then reply yes each month. STEM Scholars cannot confirm by email; Ask VA and the phone line are the other ways.
Source: VA.gov: Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship (opens in new tab); VA.gov: verify your school enrollment (opens in new tab)
Good to know
The scholarship adds up to 9 months of benefits at the rate you had under the Post-9/11 GI Bill or Fry Scholarship. VA pays tuition and fees to the school first, then books and supplies, then the housing allowance, until the months or the cap run out. A Fry Scholar is at the 100 percent level. A veteran or service member keeps the percentage from the Post-9/11 decision.
Source: VA.gov: STEM Scholarship rates (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship (opens in new tab)
VA gives priority to applicants at the 100 percent Post-9/11 level and to those who need the most credit hours. Approval is not automatic, and an approved scholarship must be started within 6 months.
Source: VA.gov: Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship (opens in new tab)
The scholarship cannot be transferred to a spouse or child, and a spouse or child using months transferred under the Post-9/11 GI Bill cannot use it; it is for veterans, service members, and Fry Scholars. The Yellow Ribbon Program does not combine with it: a school can give its own funds, but VA does not match them. Graduate-only degree programs are not covered. An active duty member does not get the housing allowance.
Source: VA.gov: Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Yellow Ribbon Program (opens in new tab)
A STEM scholarship opens the VA Work Study Program, the same as other VA education benefits.
Source: VA.gov: Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Work Study (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
Sources checked October 14, 2026: VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab), VA.gov: after you apply for education benefits (opens in new tab), VA.gov: check remaining education benefits (opens in new tab), VA.gov: verify your school enrollment (opens in new tab), VA.gov: Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship (opens in new tab), VA.gov: STEM Scholarship rates (opens in new tab), VA.gov: Work Study (opens in new tab), VA.gov: Yellow Ribbon Program (opens in new tab)