The University of Kansas is home to more than 1,500 current and former service members and their families who are now pursuing their dreams of higher education. Our goal is to make the KU programs and resources accessible to this cherished population of our student body.
Whether you have served in the military, have a family member or friend who has served or simply want to honor the service of veterans, we hope you consider a gift to our programs.
This year, we are focused on two important areas of need:
Emergency Funding for military-affiliated students
In 2019, the Military-Affiliated Student Center and Graduate Military Programs created a military-affiliated student emergency fund. We aligned it with KU’s Emergency Aid Network as part of a more transparent network of resources for students who may need financial assistance during emergency situations and are experiencing financial obstacles. Our fund provides emergency grants to military-affiliated students to help with everything from car accidents, natural disasters and emergency funeral travel to computer repairs, small unexpected medical/dental emergencies and more.
During the past year, this important fund helped students: travel to support family members with emergency medical needs; offset the cost of a computer after an unfortunate accident; purchase a webcam necessitated by the COVID-related learning environment; and assist with car repairs for a single parent.
Heart of America Patriot Foundation Scholarships
Certain Veterans Affairs benefits provided to spouses and children of 100% disabled and deceased veterans do not cover tuition and fees. Consequently, these family members routinely complete their college education with significant student debt. KU has approximately 120 students who fit into this category.
KU and the Heart of America Patriot Foundation (HOAPF) strongly believe that no child or spouse of a 100% disabled or deceased veteran should have to pay out-of-pocket or take out loans to pay for college.
HOAPF has provided much needed financial support to student veterans over the past nine years. The foundation is launching a new initiative to help provide scholarships to dependents and spouses of 100% disabled or deceased veterans who are not eligible for VA benefits that provide them with tuition and fees.
