Most Valuable Student Scholarship Competition

The 2023 application closed on November 14.

Applicants will be judged on scholarship, leadership, and financial need.

Eligibility:
  • Current high school seniors, or the equivalent, who are citizens of the United States are eligible to apply.
  • Applicants do not need to be related to a member of the Elks.
  • High school graduates are not eligible to apply.
  • Applicants must be citizens of the United States on the date their applications are submitted; permanent legal resident status does not qualify.

Click here for MVS FAQs.

Awards:

  • The Elks National Foundation will award 500 four-year scholarships to the highest-rated applicants in the 2023 competition.
  • Male and female students compete separately.

  • Ranging from $1,000 per year to $12,500 per year, Most Valuable Student scholarships are for students pursuing a four-year degree, on a full-time basis (minimum of 12 semester hours), in a U.S. college or university. All scholarships are in the form of certificates of award conditional upon the full-time enrollment of the winner in an accredited U.S. college or university.

  • The Chicago office of the Elks National Foundation announced the 500 national winners in April, 2022. (Many local Lodges, districts and state Elks associations award their own scholarships through this program. These scholarships are not to be confused with the 500 Elks National Foundation Most Valuable Student Scholarships.)

The 2023 MVS Leadership Weekend will be held April 13-16 in Chicago. During the weekend, the Top 20 scholars will interview with the national judges. These 20 finalists will be vying for two first-place awards of $50,000; two second-place awards of $40,000; and two third-place awards of $30,000. The remaining 14 finalists will receive awards of $20,000. The 480 runners-up will receive fifth-place scholarships of $4,000. Attendance at Leadership Weekend is required to be eligible for the top awards.

MVS Leadership Weekend

The Elks National Foundation is proud to present its 2023 class of Most Valuable Student Scholarship Recipients. Click here to see the full list of winners.

2023 Most Valuable Student Award Offers
500 Four-Year Awards for the
2023-24, 2024-2025, 2025-26, 2026-27 Academic Years
Four-Year Total Award No. of Awards Total
First Place $50,000 2 $100,000
Second Place $40,000 2 $80,000
Third Place $30,000 2 $60,000
Fourth Place $20,000 14 $280,000
Runners Up $4,000 480 $1,920,000
Total: $2,440,000

Looking for other Elks scholarship options? Learn about Legacy Awards and Emergency Educational Grants.

Questions? Email scholarship@elks.org or call 773/755-4732.

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