UCCS Partnering with the Community to Support Scholarship for Active-Duty Military Students

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Active-duty military members face an array of challenges when trying to pursue a college degree. First, there’s the difficulty of balancing studies with the responsibilities of their military duties. Further, there is often a gap between what military benefits cover and the total cost of college attendance.

For active-duty students, the average need to cover this gap is $3,000 each year. But the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) has developed a solution with the HEROES Scholarship Fund. The scholarship is designed to make sure active-duty students can close this gap so they can continue to pursue their degrees without taking on financial hardship, all while serving their country and communities.

UCCS is now partnering with the community on a fundraising campaign for the HEROES Scholarship, with an immediate goal of raising one hundred $3,000 scholarships by the fall of 2025. The long-term goal is to raise funds to support 200 or more active-duty service members well into the future by building a sustainable endowment. Funds from the campaign will enable endowed support for the HEROES Scholarship as it helps service members by providing financial support for tuition, textbooks, and other educational expenses.

“With roughly one in four students being either active-duty or connected to the military at UCCS, the HEROES Scholarship is an important part of our community mission to support service members in the Pikes Peak region,” said Kent Fortune, HEROES Ambassador for UCCS. “Active-duty students face many challenges and obstacles in order to pursue a college education, so helping them to be a part of a highly skilled workforce without financial need aligns with our institutional values.”

Alumni, friends, community leaders and corporate donors are welcome to donate to this campaign to support military service members in the Colorado Springs community. To make a gift to the HEROES Scholarship or to learn more, please visit https://give.uccs.edu/heroes-scholarship.