The American Legion

Samsung American Legion Scholarship

The Samsung American Legion Scholarship is a scholarship program endowed by Samsung with $5 million to be administered by The American Legion, established in 1996 to show appreciation for U.S. veterans who came to Korea's aid during the Korean War. The program provides scholarships to high school students between their junior and senior years who attend American Legion Boys State or American Legion Auxiliary Girls State programs and are direct descendants of wartime U.S. military veterans. As of 2025, the program has awarded more than $7.6 million in college scholarships to 2,618 recipients since its inception. Scholarships may be used for undergraduate studies and applied toward tuition, books, fees, and room and board. Winners are selected according to academic record, involvement in school and community service, with bonus points awarded to direct descendants of Korean War Era Veterans. The scholarship offers three tiers of awards: Ten National Scholars receive $10,000 each (two from each region), Ten National Runners-Up receive $5,000 each (two from each region), and remaining Department Finalists receive a guaranteed $1,250 each.