Timeline

Prospective applicants and their families are encouraged to contact Orion Military Scholarship Fund throughout the year to inquire about our scholarship opportunities. Orion representatives can schedule preliminary telephone or videoconference calls with potential applicants and their parents to discuss Orion’s program requirements and procedures. Use our Contact Form, or email us at information@orionmilitary.org to begin the process.

• Orion Application Season opens September 1st of each year (for scholarships for fall enrollment the following year) and runs through December 1.

• Before applying, interested applicants must meet Orion’s Eligibility Requirements.

• If eligible, interested applicants must access the online forms on Orion’s Application page.

• APPLICATION: Applicants are required to complete and submit the Application Form found on Orion’s Application page. Applicants must include a copy of parents’ military orders showing current active duty (Active Component, not inactive or activated Reserve Component) service in the U.S. Military.

• RECOMMENDATIONS: Applicants are required to complete and submit three mandatory Recommendation Forms found on Orion’s Application page: Principal/Counselor Recommendation Form, English Teacher Recommendation Form, and Math Teacher Recommendation Form. (Accommodations are made for homeschooled applicants upon request.)

• TRANSCRIPTS: Applicants are required to complete and submit the mandatory Transcript Form found on Orion’s Application page. If the school cannot submit official transcripts before the December 1 application deadline, applicants must request an exception to the requirement and submit documentation of official grade progress reports in the place of official transcripts until they are available. (Accommodations are made for homeschooled applicants upon request.)

• INTERVIEWS: Applicants are required to contact Orion representatives via email (apply@orionmilitary.org) to schedule a Zoom teleconference interview, which must take place prior to the application deadline, December 1. Prior to the interview, applicants should familiarize themselves with each of Orion’s member schools by visiting the schools’ websites (found on Orion’s “Our Schools” page). During interviews, applicants are encouraged to inform Orion’s Team of their preferred schools and ask questions they might have about each school's individual culture, programs and admissions requirements.

• SCHOOL INQUIRY FORMS: Prior to the December 1st application deadline, applicants must fill out and submit Orion’s Member Schools’ Inquiry Forms. These forms are necessary for the schools to be able to upload students’ applications to their computer systems. Each Member School’s inquiry form is linked on Orion’s “Our Schools” page — when you click on each school logo, a light box will pop up with links to the school website and inquiry form.

• All application materials — Orion Scholarship Application, Military Orders, Recommendations, Transcripts, and interviews, must be completed and submitted via email to apply@orionmilitary.org no later than December 1. Extensions will be considered if requested prior to the December 1st deadline in writing.

• Orion’s Selection Committee meets throughout December and the first week of January to review application packages and make scholarship decisions.

• In December and January, while Orion’s Selection Committee meets, Orion scholarship applicants should begin scheduling interviews with their preferred Orion Member Schools, because interview schedules fill up quickly. Interviews can be done via teleconference or in person during a school visit, and are often scheduled online through links on each schools’ admissions pages. When interviewing or visiting schools, it is important to let school personnel know that you are a military child applying to Orion Military Scholarship Program.

• Orion Scholarship decisions will be sent to applicants in early January.

• Boarding schools’ application deadlines are typically January 15, unless a school uses rolling admissions.

• IMPORTANT: If selected as an Orion Scholar, there is no need for you to submit a separate application to Orion’s Member Schools. Why? Orion and its member schools do not want to burden military families with the cost and inconvenience of submitting multiple applications. As such, Orion’s member schools have agreed to accept Orion Military Scholarship Application packages as their official schools' application.

• Prior to the January 15 boarding school application deadline, Orion’s Team will submit application packages (Applications, Recommendations, and Transcripts) to all matched member boarding schools on their Orion Scholars’ behalf. Orion Scholars do not need to apply to Orion Member Schools directly; however, Scholars may need to submit supplemental information forms or essays to Member Schools as requested.

• Selected Orion Scholars’ parents must apply for financial aid to supplement their Orion Scholarships, through Clarity (https://app.clarityapp.com/sign-up) for all Orion member schools. Scholars’ parents can submit the Clarity application to multiple schools by the selecting school codes shown in the application portal.

• Orion Scholars must take the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT). This standardized test is required by most of Orion’s partner schools and can be taken online or in person at authorized testing centers all over the United States and abroad. https://www.ssat.org/. Orion applicants interested in a waiver of the SSAT testing fees can go to: https://www.ssat.org/about/fee-waiver-program. Questions? Contact info@ssat.org.

• By the end of January, each Orion Scholar must interview with admissions representatives and/or coaches from each Orion Member School to which he or she has applied. It essential for the schools to meet with and talk to applicants (in person or via video teleconference call) before final admissions decisions are made. When interviewing, be sure to mention that you are applying as an Orion Military Scholar.

• Orion Scholars are encouraged to visit Orion Member Boarding Schools in person. If you can travel to schools, contact them first to schedule tours and in-person interviews, and be sure to mention that you are an Orion Military Scholar. If travel is not feasible, the schools offer virtual tours on their websites, and interviews can be done via teleconference call.

• Generally, March 10 is Boarding School “Decision Day,” unless a school uses rolling admissions. On this date, all applicants will receive letters or emails from Orion Member Schools informing them of admissions decisions (admitted, waitlisted, or denied), along with any financial aid award offers. Orion Military Scholarship Fund grants scholarships to military children to attend Member Boarding Schools and advocates for generous financial aid offers, but it takes no part in its Member Schools’ admissions decisions or aid awards. These decisions are made exclusively by the schools.

• If Orion Scholars are not satisfied with financial aid offers from schools offering acceptance, they can appeal awards by respectfully requesting increased aid and citing reasons. Appeals must be done quickly, since enrollment contracts are due April 10th. Orion’s Team can advise Scholars and families on this process.

• If Orion Scholars are informed that they have been placed on member schools’ wait lists, Orion’s Team can advise scholars and families on this process.

• April 10th is the date that most Orion Member Schools’ enrollment contracts are due. Each Orion Scholars’ parents must sign the enrollment contract of their preferred school and return it with a tuition deposit before this date to secure a spot in the fall class.

• Once Orion Scholars have committed to Orion Member Schools, Orion will ask each Scholar to sign a single-page Scholarship Agreement, promising to uphold Orion’s ethical standards for conduct and academic responsibility while enrolled as an Orion Scholar at Orion Member Schools.

• With parent permission, Orion Scholars send Orion’s Team high-resolution “headshot” photographs for use in press, social media and website announcements about Orion’s program. Orion agrees to use its Scholars’ first names and last initials only in publications, interviews, social media, websites, press, conferences and speaking engagements.

• In May and June, Orion’s Team will request that Member Schools invoice Orion for annual scholarship amounts for each enrolled Orion Military Scholar. Orion pays annual scholarship amounts for each Orion Scholar to its Member Schools directly.

• In late July or early August, Orion Scholars and their families attend Orion Virtual Boot Camp — a one day live interactive online event featuring information, panel discussions, Q&A, break out sessions, and social gatherings. Team Orion, boarding school alumni and guest speakers will be on hand to give Scholars and their families all the information they need to prepare for life at boarding school.