Scholar community
You're not alone.
An NGS scholarship comes with something just as vital as tuition: a community of military families who understand. NGS is proudly relational, not transactional — the support begins the moment a Scholar is selected and lasts long after graduation. It is built on BootCamp, our annual college-prep gathering in Washington, D.C., on one-on-one mentorship, and on a network of peers, alumni, and families who walk the path together.
A week in D.C. that changes everything.
Each June, NGS gathers its incoming freshman cohort in Washington, D.C. for BootCamp — the program's flagship event and, for most Scholars, the first time they stand shoulder to shoulder with peers who share their story.
This past June, 30 incoming Scholars and their parents worked one-on-one with NGS staff to build personalized Academic and Financial Roadmaps — a plan that maps out the years and the funding ahead, applying federal and state benefits, financial aid, and the NGS scholarship together so a Scholar can graduate debt-free.
They toured the Capitol and the Library of Congress, met the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and went home with new laptops and a community for life. Microsoft, NGS's technology partner, provides each Scholar's laptop and hosts BootCamp activities at its Innovation and Policy Center in Washington, D.C.
Real tools for the road ahead.
Between the Roadmap sessions, Scholars rotate through hands-on workshop stations that turn ambition into a plan. Volunteers help them draft resumes and bios, write a letter to their future self, and build out a LinkedIn profile, with hands-on guidance and professional headshots taken on site.
Scholars also gain self-awareness through one-on-one CliftonStrengths coaching — a strengths assessment that helps each Scholar name what they do best — and a session on self-advocacy led by leadership consultant Dan Simon, learning to ask for what they need once they reach campus.
Friendships that last a lifetime.
The deepest work at BootCamp happens between the sessions. Scholars bond across Capitol Hill, the Library of Congress, and a lively scavenger hunt through the city — creating the kind of memories and friendships that last a lifetime with peers who already understand where they come from.
NGS alumni return each year to share hard-won, practical advice on thriving in college and beyond. The peer network that begins here keeps going long after the week ends, carried forward by Scholars who, in time, come back to mentor the cohort behind them.
A relationship, not a transaction.
BootCamp is the beginning, not the whole of it. Every Scholar is paired with personalized mentorship and one-on-one coaching that continues through the school year — helping them choose courses, navigate university financial aid offices, and find their footing far from home.
Alongside the funding, NGS offers integrated resources as they are needed: tutoring, networking, and referrals, plus advocacy to help Scholars attend their dream schools and earn their undergraduate degree debt-free, even at a private or out-of-state university. It is the kind of steady, relational support that turns a scholarship into a partnership for the long haul.
Built for every member of the family.
NGS supports the families of our nation's fallen and severely wounded Service members by hosting events for Scholars of all ages — including Gold Star families, who have lost a parent in service, along with Veteran and caregiver families — to build community and connection.
When possible, NGS embraces the whole family: listening for needs unrelated to education, and drawing on relationships with other veteran service organizations for referrals and support. Because the sacrifice was the whole family's, the support is too. A Scholar never walks the path alone, and neither does the family beside them.
A community that keeps growing — in classrooms, at BootCamp, and across the country.
Questions & answers
Frequently asked questions
See if you're eligible.
Eligibility begins with the children — from birth to age 26 — of a Service member who fell or was severely wounded in the post-9/11 conflicts. If that's your family, your education shouldn't add to the burden. Start by confirming you're eligible.