Most Valuable Student Scholarship

The Most Valuable Student (MVS) Scholarship is a prestigious national scholarship program offered by the Elks National Foundation to recognize and support outstanding high school seniors. Applicants are judged on scholarship, leadership, and financial need. The program awards 500 four-year scholarships annually, with male and female students competing separately. The top 20 scholars are selected from the 500 national semi-finalists and receive an invitation to Leadership Weekend in Chicago, where they receive scholarships totaling $30,000 over four years. The remaining 480 runners-up receive scholarships of $4,000 (totaling $1,000 per year over four years). The program distributes a total of $2,520,000 annually in scholarship funds. Scholarships are available only to students who enroll full-time (minimum 12 semester hours) in four-year undergraduate degree programs at accredited U.S. colleges or universities. Applicants do not need to be related to an Elks member to apply, making this program accessible to all eligible high school seniors who are U.S. citizens.