Money for your future
Scholarships & Awards
One of the best-kept secrets of the program: air cadets can apply for thousands of dollars in scholarships toward college, university, flight training, and more. Many families never hear about them. This page is a starting point.
Most cadet scholarships are run by the Air Cadet League of Canada and its Alberta Provincial Committee, with help from sponsors across the aviation community. They reward the things cadets already work on: good citizenship, leadership, effort at school, and a genuine interest in aviation. A few are tied to flying or music.
The single most important thing is to apply in time. Deadlines come once a year, and a strong cadet who misses the date misses the chance. Talk to the squadron officers early, and watch the dates below.
Deadlines to watch
These are the usual yearly deadlines. They shift a little year to year, so always confirm the current date on the League pages before you count on it.
| Scholarship | Form | Usual deadline |
|---|---|---|
| National education scholarships | ACC64 | April 1 |
| Flying and continuation flying awards | ACC68 | September 30 |
| Music leadership scholarship | ACC52 | February to April 1 |
| Alberta provincial scholarships | Varies | Around June 30 |
Post-secondary education scholarships
The League's national education scholarships help air cadets pay for college or university, in any field of study, not just aviation. There is a long list of named scholarships funded by different donors, but cadets do not chase them one by one: a single application (form ACC64, due April 1) puts a cadet in the running for all of them. Selection looks at academics, citizenship, and cadet involvement.
Award amounts vary by donor and are not all published. The League can confirm current figures, and the application opens on the For Cadets hub each year.
Flying scholarships and awards
The best-known flying opportunities are the Glider Pilot Scholarship and the Power Pilot Scholarship: fully funded summer courses where a cadet trains to a Transport Canada glider or private pilot licence. These are not cash bursaries, the course and licensing are paid for, and selection is very competitive (a qualifying exam and a provincial selection interview). They are described with the rest of the summer courses on the Cadets page.
After a cadet earns their licence, continuation flying training awards (form ACC68, due September 30) help them keep flying and build hours. Several sponsors from the aviation community, including the RCAF Association, the Canadian Ninety-Nines, and CAE, fund these awards. Reported values run from about $1,000 to $2,500, with amounts and details confirmed by the League each year.
Music awards
Cadets in the band have two music streams. The Annual Music Awards for Excellence recognise strong senior band and pipe-band musicians; the commanding officer nominates a cadet (form ACC58), so let the staff know if you would like to be considered. The Tri-Element National Scholarship for Cadet Leadership in Music (form ACC52) is a post-secondary scholarship for cadets heading toward a career in music. Its application window usually runs from February to April 1.
Alberta provincial scholarships
The Alberta Provincial Committee offers its own scholarships, with deadlines usually around June 30:
- Aviation Alberta post-secondary scholarships for cadets entering an aviation program. The Alberta committee's 2024 handbook listed five awards of $3,500 each (figures are reviewed yearly, so confirm the current amount).
- AME / Avionics scholarship, offered with the Alberta Aviation, Aerospace & Defence Council for cadets studying aircraft maintenance or avionics. The cadet stream goes through the provincial committee.
- Robert (Bob) Barraclough Air Cadet Leadership Scholarship, recognising leadership, recently valued at $1,000.
Application packages and current details come from the Alberta committee. Their Honours and Awards page is the right starting point, and chair@apcacl.ca can help.
More funding for your studies
Cadet scholarships sit alongside the wider world of student funding. Alberta's ALIS service lists hundreds of scholarships, awards, and bursaries open to Alberta students, many with nothing to do with cadets. It is well worth a look while a cadet is applying for the awards above.
How to apply, and who to ask
- Tell the squadron officers you are interested. They know the cycle and can guide the application.
- Check the deadline early and work backward, good applications take time to prepare.
- Get the current form and details from the League or Alberta committee pages linked above.
- Remember a cadet can usually hold only one League monetary award (education or flying) in a training year, so choose where to focus.
Questions about national awards go to awards@aircadetleague.com; Alberta awards go to chair@apcacl.ca. You can also reach our officers at 12air@cadets.gc.ca.
Amounts, deadlines, and eligibility change from year to year. The figures here are the most recent we could confirm and are shown only to give a sense of scale. Always check the current details on the official pages before applying.