Scholarships?
- Thread starter Nomak54
- Start date
USMA does not put restrictions on how scholarship funds can be used, but the issuers of scholarships may restrict how the funds are used. Tax law also restricts how educational savings funds, such as 529 plans, can be used.
Attached is the most recent memo from the USMA website.
Attached is the most recent memo from the USMA website.
Apply for scholarships. My biggest regret is not doing such. I figured “it’s free. I won’t have to worry about money.” While this is true, I like to invest and manage money. Doing so on a freshman paycheck is nearly impossible. The paychecks can be inconsistent. Some months making $300, others $200, and a few $1,500. Upperclassmen have told me that some months they got payed, I kid you not, $.03 The reason it varies is based off of the amount of deductions that the government takes for that month.
During your freshman year you are given an advance to cover your uniforms, haircuts, laptops, and a lot more items. The laptop alone is around $1,500 and uniforms are also a very pricy item. By using scholarship money you can pay off that advance sooner or use it to supplement your monthly stipend.
The sooner you pay off your advance, the more your monthly pay is. That’s why seniors typically have a higher monthly stipend. They have already put in 3 years to pay off their advance. If you can do it sooner through scholarships (quite literally free money) your life will be a hell of lot easier. Just my two cents.
During your freshman year you are given an advance to cover your uniforms, haircuts, laptops, and a lot more items. The laptop alone is around $1,500 and uniforms are also a very pricy item. By using scholarship money you can pay off that advance sooner or use it to supplement your monthly stipend.
The sooner you pay off your advance, the more your monthly pay is. That’s why seniors typically have a higher monthly stipend. They have already put in 3 years to pay off their advance. If you can do it sooner through scholarships (quite literally free money) your life will be a hell of lot easier. Just my two cents.
dutydidnotwait98
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- Apr 7, 2021
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I was in the same boat as you. It would've been a hardship for my family to pay the initial acceptance fee. I didn't know about it until I was accepted. I put all my effort in to getting admitted to West Point.
I was able to get 2 or 3 smaller scholarships awarded to cover the fee. I went to the guidance counselor and asked for recommendations. I think my JROTC instructor had a couple recommendations. I applied to them and crossed my fingers. I think that special consideration was given to my circumstance. I really was busting my butt and trying my best. I cannot remember the scholarship names as it's been a while.
I was able to get 2 or 3 smaller scholarships awarded to cover the fee. I went to the guidance counselor and asked for recommendations. I think my JROTC instructor had a couple recommendations. I applied to them and crossed my fingers. I think that special consideration was given to my circumstance. I really was busting my butt and trying my best. I cannot remember the scholarship names as it's been a while.
look for scholarships within communities you are involved in. Religious groups, community organizations, sports, or careers you might be interested in. Educator, engineering, law. Your school counseling department should also have some sort of information on local and national scholarships. Reach out to them. You could also look up websites that have thousands of scholarships all on a database. Most are free but some top tier websites / apps have a fee. But I’m sure the fee would be very minimal compared to the potential you could earn. Best of luck!
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Your scholarships can be deposited into your Cadet Account, which you can sometimes withdraw from with "top-off" or will 100% be given upon graduation/outprocessing. I also regret not doing this.
Cadet pay is set at West Point and does not fluctuate month to month, only year to year. This is different from other academies. You earn monthly $200 as a Plebe, $250 as a yuk, $475 as a cow, and $550 (I believe) as a firstie. That money can be used to pay off the $2000 down-payment, though I am unsure if they are still doing the fee.
Cadet pay is set at West Point and does not fluctuate month to month, only year to year. This is different from other academies. You earn monthly $200 as a Plebe, $250 as a yuk, $475 as a cow, and $550 (I believe) as a firstie. That money can be used to pay off the $2000 down-payment, though I am unsure if they are still doing the fee.
No initial fee, at least there wasn’t for DS’s year
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Glad to hear they got rid of it!