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Full Tuition for the Family of a Member Killed in Iraq, Afghanistan or a Combat Zone

Ohio's Safety Officers College Memorial Fund pays 100% OF INSTRUCTIONAL AND STUDENT FEES at public institutions for the children and spouses of a member killed in the line of duty during Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom or a Presidentially designated combat zone. At private institutions it pays $10,672 a year for 2025-26, and certificate programmes up to $8,000. Maximum four academic years. The eligibility hinge is generous: YOU MUST BE AN OHIO RESIDENT NOW, BUT THE FAMILY NEED NOT HAVE BEEN OHIO RESIDENTS AT THE TIME OF THE DEATH.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

Ohio's Safety Officers College Memorial Fund pays 100% OF INSTRUCTIONAL AND STUDENT FEES at public institutions for the children and spouses of a member killed in the line of duty during Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom or a Presidentially designated combat zone. At private institutions it pays $10,672 a year for 2025-26, and certificate programmes up to $8,000. Maximum four academic years. The eligibility hinge is generous: YOU MUST BE AN OHIO RESIDENT NOW, BUT THE FAMILY NEED NOT HAVE BEEN OHIO RESIDENTS AT THE TIME OF THE DEATH.

What it's worth: 100% of instructional and student fees at public institutions; $10,672 a year at private ones

  • AY 2025-26: 100% OF INSTRUCTIONAL AND STUDENT FEES at public institutions.
  • $10,672 PER YEAR at private institutions.
  • CERTIFICATE PROGRAMMES up to $8,000 a year.
  • MAXIMUM FOUR ACADEMIC YEARS.
  • Based on a member KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY during Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, or a Presidentially designated combat zone.
  • YOU MUST BE A CURRENT OHIO RESIDENT. YOU NEED NOT HAVE BEEN ONE AT THE TIME OF THE DEATH.
  • The figures are for academic year 2025-26 and are reset annually.

Who is entitled to it

  • You are in one of the groups the fund reaches.
  • The member was killed in the line of duty.
  • You are enrolled or applying.
  • You live in Ohio.
  • Ohio institutions.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

Deadline: By the department's annual application deadline
  1. 1Apply through the Ohio Department of Higher Education's state grants and scholarships office.
  2. 2Do not rule yourself out because the family lived elsewhere when the death occurred — current Ohio residency is the test.
  3. 3Ask which figure applies to your institution: full fees at a public one, $10,672 at a private one.
  4. 4Plan the four-year maximum against the length of the degree.
  5. 5Ask how it interacts with federal survivor benefits such as the Fry Scholarship and DEA.
Form
Application through the Ohio Department of Higher Education
File with
Ohio Department of Higher Education
Annual
Claimed once a year.
Worth knowingThe fund's name says safety officers, which is why military families do not find it. It covers servicemembers killed in the named operations as well.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.