Aviation Scholarship

2025 College Scholar Awards

Scholarship Description

 Jannus Scholars program

In January of 1914, Tony Jannus flew a paying passenger from St. Petersburg to Tampa in a Benoist airboat. This achievement established the Tampa Bay area as the home of the first scheduled commercial airline. Each year, the Tony Jannus Distinguished Aviation Society celebrates this historic aviation achievement by recognizing a distinguished individual for outstanding contributions to scheduled air transportation.

The society also looks to the future by providing scholars awards to eligible undergraduate college students and trade school students who are enrolled in programs that could result in careers in aviation. The 2025 awards program has three elements:

Tony Jannus Distinguished Aviation Society Scholars Award

The Society plans to provide up to seven students a cash award of $4,500 each. At least one award will be given to an aviation trade school applicant.

Southwest Airlines Jannus Award

Southwest Airlines is sponsoring an additional travel award to each of the Scholars Award recipients by providing two roundtrip tickets to any destination they serve. Southwest Airlines is committed to education advancement and invests in workforce development programs that introduce students to the diverse set of career opportunities in the aviation industry. From pilots to accountants and everything in between, Southwest offers a range of opportunities to help students soar to new heights in jobs of the future. Southwest is a proud partner of The Tony Jannus Distinguished Aviation Society and supports their mission to promote and provide support to students pursuing a career in commercial aviation.

Richard Newton Memorial Award

A supplemental award of $4,500 will be provided to the highest scoring applicant in memory of past Tony Jannus President, Col. Richard Newton Jr.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility 

In order to be eligible for consideration as a Tony Jannus Scholar, applicants must meet the following requirements:

Colleges and UniversitiesStudents must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate program from an accredited college or university within the state of Florida Student must have completed at least 30 credit hours with an overall GPA of at least 3.0 at the time of the application.

Aviation Trade Schools Students must be currently enrolled in an aviation maintenance program with an accredited aviation vocational trade school within the state of FloridaStudents must have completed at least 25% of the program with an overall GPA of at least 3.0 or percent score of 86% at the time of the application.

Application End Date

October 1, 2025

GPA Requirement

3.0

Female Applicant Preference

No

Field of Study

  • Aeronautical Science
  • Aerospace Medicine
  • Agricultural Aviation
  • Aircraft Maintenance
  • Air Traffic Control
  • Astronautics and Space
  • Aviation Management
  • Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology
  • Pilot Training

Scholarship Type

  • Education Tuition

Year of Need / Desired Program

  • Trade, Technical, or Vocational School
  • College Freshman
  • College Sophomore
  • College Junior
  • College Senior

College Enrollment Status

  • Full-Time Student
  • Part-Time Student
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