As the eggnog begins to burn off, it's time to turn in applications for college scholarships. Army Emergency Relief has opened its scholarship application period for the 2014-15 school year. Applications from spouses and dependent children of soldiers will be accepted from now until May 1.

This year, scholarships will be awarded based solely on financial need, said Tammy LaCroix, manager for Army Emergency Relief, or AER's scholarship programs. In previous years, some scholarships were awarded based on scholastic achievement and leadership, LaCroix said. For instance, if students could demonstrate leadership - such as serving as class president, leading a Scout troop or serving in an ROTC leadership position - that in itself was worth a $500 scholarship. If their grade point average was above a 3.5 GPA, that could be worth another $500.??Those types of $500 scholarships have been eliminated however, so that larger awards to needy family members can be granted.

Read the rest of the report on the U.S. Army website.