Scholarship directory · Reviewed Jul 15, 2026
The 10 largest aviation scholarships, ranked.
The biggest verified flight training scholarship is CABAA Aviation Scholarships at $22,200. The ten awards below total $176,700, ranked by each program's top published amount, every figure checked against the provider's official page on the date shown in the directory.
CABAA Aviation Scholarships
$22,200Chicago Area Business Aviation Association (CABAA)
Open to students and aviation professionals committed to business aviation, with preference given to Chicagoland area residents; advanced pilot training awards require at minimum a Commercial Multi-Engine Instrument Rating and 250 or more flight hours. Recipients must hold (free) CABAA membership.
Check datesAmount, deadline & eligibilityThe Ninety-Nines
Applicants must be women who have been continuous paid members of The Ninety-Nines for at least one full year as of January 1, must have a specific and realistic goal for advancement in aviation or aerospace, and must demonstrate financial need for most scholarship types. The membership length requirement is waived for the Vicki Cruse and Kitty Houghton sub-scholarships.
Open · closes in 168 daysAmount, deadline & eligibilityEpic Flight Academy
Open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents who are current high school juniors or seniors, at least 16 years old by December 31 of the award year, with no previous pilot certificate. Recipients must be ready to begin training within 12 months of receiving the award and must complete training within 24 months.
Open · closes in 76 daysAmount, deadline & eligibilityPacific Northwest Business Aviation Association
Open to PNBAA members (free student membership available) pursuing careers in business aviation, including pilots seeking advanced ratings such as instrument, commercial, CFI, or ATP, as well as those pursuing aviation maintenance or other aviation vocational training in the Pacific Northwest region.
Check datesAmount, deadline & eligibilityCloudDancer Scholarship Foundation
Must be a current active-duty U.S. service member (including Reserves and National Guard) or honorably discharged veteran, enrolled or planning to enroll in an accredited aviation program, with at least a 2.5 GPA and a passing score of 80% or higher on the FAA Private Pilot written exam within the prior 12 months. Valid FAA first- or second-class medical required at application and selection.
Open · closes in 14 daysAmount, deadline & eligibilityLeRoy W. Homer Jr. Foundation
Open to US citizens or permanent residents aged 16 to 23 as of the January 31 deadline who have not yet earned a Private Pilot Certificate. Applicants must be available for training from May through December and complete a Private Pilot written ground school before mid-May of the training year.
Opens Oct 31Amount, deadline & eligibilityAir Line Pilots Association (ALPA)
Open to undergraduate and graduate students actively enrolled in flight training at one of 14 designated ALPA partner universities (including Embry-Riddle, Purdue, University of North Dakota, Western Michigan, and others), with a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale and active participation in ALPA education programs on their campus.
Check datesAmount, deadline & eligibilityHiller Aviation Museum
Applicants must be 16 to 18 years old and reside in one of 11 San Francisco Bay Area counties. Flight training must be completed at a Part 61 or Part 141 school within the Bay Area, leading to an FAA Private Pilot Certificate.
Opens Feb 5, 2027Amount, deadline & eligibilityNGPA Scholarships
$15,000National Gay Pilots Association (NGPA)
Open to active NGPA members age 18 or older; a single application is considered for every award the applicant is eligible for, spanning initial flight training through advanced ratings, CFI/CFII, plus maintenance and aviation management tracks. Flight training awards require a current FAA medical certificate (third class or higher). LGBTQ+ pilots are the primary audience; allies with documented advocacy histories may also apply.
Open · closes in 14 daysAmount, deadline & eligibilityUND Aerospace Foundation
Open to U.S. veterans and authorized dependents (age 17 or older before training begins) who have at least 24 months of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits remaining. Applicants must hold an FAA First- or Second-Class Medical Certificate and pass the Private Pilot Airman Knowledge Test before the class start date; training is conducted at the UND Aerospace Phoenix center in Mesa, Arizona and requires relocation for approximately 24 months.
Check datesAmount, deadline & eligibility
Ranked by each program's top published award on the provider's official page. Umbrella organizations that fund many awards through one application are counted by their largest single award, so their real reach is bigger than one row shows. Amounts change between cycles; always confirm on the provider's site. How we keep this list honest →
Big awards are the headline. Stacking is the strategy.
Every award on this page draws a deep national applicant pool, precisely because lists like this one exist. Apply to them, the essay you write for one is 90 percent of the essay for the next, but pair every big application with two or three smaller local awards from the full directory of 56 verified scholarships. Chapter and state awards draw dozens of applicants, not thousands, and the wins stack.
Timing beats size, too. Most of these run annual cycles, and the money goes to people who applied while the window was open, so check what is open right now and work backward from the deadlines. For the numbers behind the whole pool, the median award, and the honest odds math, see what the average aviation scholarship is worth.
What applicants ask.
What is the biggest aviation scholarship?
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The largest single published award on our verified list is CABAA Aviation Scholarships at $22,200, from Chicago Area Business Aviation Association (CABAA). Umbrella organizations can effectively award more across multiple scholarships won through one application cycle.
Are the biggest scholarships harder to win?
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Generally yes. National flagship awards draw the deepest applicant pools, so the winning strategy is to apply to a large award and several smaller ones in the same season with the same essay ingredients. Two or three small wins routinely beat one long-shot application.
Do these amounts have to be paid back?
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No. Scholarships are awards, not loans. Every dollar here replaces a dollar you would otherwise finance and repay with interest, which is why the honest order of operations is scholarships first, then financing only the remainder.