American Legion Department of Connecticut Scholarships

Apply for one of our The American Legion Scholarships. We believe in supporting promising young people throughout the state who are pursuing higher education.

Legacy Scholarship

Since the inception of The American Legion Legacy Scholarship in 2001 following the September 11 terrorist attacks, The American Legion has offered its support to the children of fallen post-9/11 service members through this scholarship. Beginning with the 2017 award year, The American Legion expanded the scholarship to include children of VA rated, post-9/11 veterans with a disability of 50 percent or higher.

Our organization remains committed to honoring the memory and service of our fallen and disabled comrades by ensuring their children are afforded the best possible educational opportunities. Despite the best efforts of our federal and state governments to offer financial aid, an ever-broadening gap in funding is still notable. Through its American Legion Legacy Scholarship, The American Legion is able to ensure the children of our fallen and disabled, post-9/11 veterans are able to cover the cost of their educations, including graduate school.

Baseball Scholarship

Presented annually to deserving players, scholarships such as the All Academics Team are awarded during the national tournament, along with individual state awards.

Samsung Scholarship

Worldwide electronics leader Samsung endowed a scholarship fund of $5 million to be administered by The American Legion in 1996. Meant to show appreciation for U.S. veterans who came to Korea's aid during its struggle against communist forces in the Korean War, the Samsung American Legion Scholarship Program established a series of scholarships derived from interest and other income from the principal amount. In 2016, 10 $20,000 scholarships and 89 $750 scholarships were awarded. To date, the Samsung American Legion Scholarship has awarded more than $5.3 million to approximately 1,970 applicants.

High school juniors who complete either a Boys State or Girls State program and are a direct descendant or a legally adopted child of a wartime veteran who served on active duty during at least one of the periods of war officially designated as eligibility dates for American Legion membership are eligible to apply for the "Samsung American Legion Scholarship" and could be awarded up to $20,000. Applications should be filled out before attending the Boys or Girls State programs and handed to staff on arrival.

Oratorical Scholarship

Scholarships are awarded to the three finalists. First place receives $18,000, second gets $16,000 and third takes $14,000. Each individual state winner certified into and participating in the first round of the national contest receives a $1,500 scholarship. Each first-round winner who advances but does not qualify for the finals receives an additional $1,500 scholarship. Scholarships may be used to attend any college or university in the United States. In addition to the national organization's scholarships, hundreds of scholarships are awarded to participants by posts, districts, counties and departments during earlier levels of competition.