Precious Presh
The cost of going to college keeps rising, so high school seniors today must look for other ways to pay for their education. The Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship may provide a big financial boost to high school students who wish to attend college.
At least 800 exceptional and community-minded high school graduates receive one of the more than $3,000 worth of college scholarships that they give away each year.
When you become an Elks scholar, you immediately become part of the family.
It is a sum of money given to students who do well in school or have done something else of note.
You might be eligible for this prize if you can demonstrate that you are extraordinary in at least one aspect of your life.
It makes getting a higher education financially more manageable, making it possible for people from all walks of life to achieve their educational goals.
This guide outlines how to win big with the Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship so you can start your college career in style.
What is the Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship?
Since it was started in 1931, the Elks National Foundation’s main goal has been encouraging young people to keep learning.
At least 800 outstanding and community-minded high school seniors are selected each year to receive one of the scholarships worth more than three million dollars that are given out.
One of the award programs that are made possible thanks to the generosity of the Elks National Foundation is the Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship.
It is reserved for just freshmen in their first year of college. However, there is a catch: during their whole academic career, a student is only eligible to receive this scholarship once; as a result, it is not renewable.
Awardees will have to show that they were at the Leadership Weekend to get their prize.
Prizes in the amounts of $50,000, $40,000, and $30,000 will be given out to the first-, second-, and third-place finishers among the top 20 finalists.
The remaining fourteen finalists will each get a prize of twenty thousand dollars.
Benefits of Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship
- The prizes, which vary from $1,000 to $12,000, are given to students in the United States who attend an approved four-year university while attending school full-time.
- Each recipient of a scholarship receives a certificate of award, and the funds can only be put toward the cost of attending a school in the United States that has been pre-approved for financial aid.
- Scholarship funds may be used to repay students for the cost of tuition if the student meets the requirements.
- Winners of the Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship must have a Verification of Enrollment form submitted by their schools to the foundation’s headquarters in Chicago before receiving their award money.
- Students who desire to use their scholarships to study in a country other than the United States will do so via an educational institution in the United States that is either regionally or nationally accredited to confer degrees.
Who is eligible to apply for the Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship?
Candidates must meet all of the conditions listed below to be considered for the Elks National Foundation Scholarship Program. These are the qualifications:
- Citizens of the United States who are in their senior year of high school or have completed an equivalent program are eligible to apply.
- There is no need for applicants to have a family connection to an Elks club member.
- Those who have already completed high school are ineligible to apply.
- On the date their applications are submitted, applicants must be United States citizens; permanent legal resident status does not qualify.
How do you apply for the scholarship?
To get started on your application, you will need to visit their website and fill out the online application form that is located there.
Before they can be looked at at the national level, applications must first be approved at the municipal, district, and state levels.
The month of January is the deadline for all Quarter Finalists to submit their FAFSA and transcripts.
In the meantime, emails will be sent to the 500 people who have made it to the national semifinals in March 2023.
Applicants must send in an essay, a recommendation from a previous teacher, and their most recent application materials.
After the deadline for National Semi-Finalist applications has passed, the top twenty applicants who want to be considered for the National Finalist position will have to go through an interview during the required Leadership Weekend.
Between April 13 and April 16, 2023, the Midwest Volunteer Service Leadership Weekend will be held in Chicago.
What are the requirements for the scholarship?
The following are some of the requirements for the Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship:
- Applicants must be United States citizens who are currently enrolled as seniors in high school or the equivalent and must meet the minimum age requirement.
- It is not necessary for candidates to have a family connection to a current or former member of the foundation.
- Those who have already completed high school are ineligible to apply.
- Applicants must be United States citizens on the date they submit their applications; permanent legal resident status does not qualify.
- Students who are educated at home are welcome to submit an application for the scholarship. Nevertheless, each and every section of the application has to be filled out in its entirety.
- If at all possible, the applicant should have a third party complete the Counselor’s Report on their behalf.
How can you make your application stand out?
The Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship award is a way for the Elks organization to give back to the future leaders of our community. You can win big by telling them what makes you stand out as an individual.
What makes you most valuable? What are your passions? What do you hope to achieve with your education? Why would you make a good leader, and why would we want you in our organization?
I also recommend reading about the values that Elks promote – this will help demonstrate your commitment to those values and may even provide some examples of how you embody those principles in your life.
Scholarship Worth
The Elks National Foundation Scholarship Program gives the following benefits to the recipient:
In the 2023 competition, the Elks National Foundation will offer 500 four-year scholarships to the top-rated applicants.
Male and female students compete against each other separately.
From $1,000 to $12,500 yearly ($50,000 over four years), Most Valuable Student scholarships are available to students pursuing a four-year degree full-time (a minimum of 12 semester hours) at a college or university in the United States.
All scholarships are in the form of certificates of award, and the winner must enroll full-time in a recognized U.S. college or university to be eligible.
Application Deadline
The Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship 2023 application deadline is November 14, 2022, at 11:59 p.m.
We will keep you informed about the application deadlines for 2023.
Conclusion
The Elks want to see you succeed, and the best way for them to do that is by awarding you a scholarship.
We hope this guide has been helpful in providing some guidance on how to write an essay for the Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship. If anything seems unclear, feel free to drop a comment below.
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