The Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship gives 500 high school seniors a four-year award worth $4,000 to $30,000. Every year, the Elks National Foundation (ENF) runs the contest for students who enter college in the fall after graduation. Seniors in the class of 2027 submit one online application, and judges score the file on scholarship, leadership, and financial need. A top-20 finish pays $30,000 across four years, and every other national winner receives $4,000 across four years.
Applications for the 2027 contest opened on August 1, 2026, and the window closes on November 12, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Families need no connection to an Elks lodge, because the foundation opens the contest to every United States citizen in the senior class. The sections below cover award amounts, eligibility rules, judging stages, and the application steps in order. One application, one deadline, and one judging chain carry a senior from a local lodge round to a national award.
What Is the Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship?
The Most Valuable Student contest is the flagship scholarship program of the Elks National Foundation. Since 1931, the foundation has used the contest to fund seniors who pair strong grades with leadership and documented financial need. Local lodges collect the applications first, and district, state, and national judges narrow the field round by round. Male and female students compete in separate pools, which means the 500 awards divide across two ranked lists. Payouts for the 2027 contest total $2,520,000.
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) founded the Elks National Foundation in 1928, and the foundation channels lodge fundraising into scholarships, veterans programs, and youth activities. Most Valuable Student scholars graduate from college at a rate of 90 percent, according to the foundation. The 90 percent graduation rate sits 30 points above the national average the foundation cites for comparison.
Award Amounts and Prize Structure
Winners receive either $30,000 or $4,000, paid in equal yearly installments across four years of full-time study. First-place scholars get $7,500 per year, and runners-up get $1,000 per year. Twenty students reach first place, while 480 students take the runner-up award. A runner-up at a public university, for example, applies the $1,000 yearly payment toward tuition, fees, or books in each of the four years.
| Award level | Four-year total | Per year | Number of awards | Total paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First place (Top 20) | $30,000 | $7,500 | 20 | $600,000 |
| Runners-up | $4,000 | $1,000 | 480 | $1,920,000 |
| All national awards | Varies | Varies | 500 | $2,520,000 |
Payment follows enrollment, because each award arrives as a certificate conditional on full-time enrollment at an accredited United States college or university. Students keep the award across all four years if enrollment stays full time, with a minimum of 12 semester hours in each term.
How Winners Receive the Money
Winners receive the money as a certificate of award, and the foundation releases one installment in each academic year. The 2027 contest funds the 2027-28, 2028-29, 2029-30, and 2030-31 academic years. A first-place scholar draws $7,500 in the freshman year and the same amount in each later year. Enrollment proof goes to the foundation each year, because payment stops if the student drops below full-time status.
Local lodges, districts, and state associations run separate awards through the same contest structure. Money from a lodge or state association adds to a national award rather than replacing the national prize, and the foundation warns applicants not to confuse local awards with the 500 national scholarships.
The Leadership Weekend Difference
The top 20 scholars secure the $30,000 award only by attending Leadership Weekend in Chicago. From the 500 national semifinalists, the Elks National Foundation selects the 20 finalists. Finalists interview with national judges during the weekend, which runs April 29 to May 2, 2027. A finalist who skips the weekend loses the top-20 place and the $30,000 award.
Who Is Eligible for the Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship?
Any current high school senior who is a United States citizen can apply, with no Elks family connection required. The full eligibility list reads as follows:
- Current high school senior status, or the equivalent, at the time of application
- United States citizenship on the date the application is submitted
- A plan to earn a four-year undergraduate degree at an accredited United States college or university
- Full-time enrollment of at least 12 semester hours in each term after the award
Permanent legal residents do not qualify, because the foundation limits the contest to citizens. High school graduates cannot enter either, since the contest targets students who apply during the senior year. The foundation sets no minimum grade point average (GPA), so a senior with a 3.4 GPA and heavy work hours enters the same pool as a valedictorian. Citizenship must be in place on the submission date, so a student with a pending naturalization cannot file early and qualify later.
Key Dates for the 2027 Contest
The application deadline is November 12, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. The full cycle runs on these dates:
- August 1, 2026: the online application opens at enf.elks.org/MVS
- November 12, 2026: the application deadline at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time
- November 21, 2026: the counselor report deadline
- April 29 to May 2, 2027: Leadership Weekend in Chicago for the top 20 scholars
- April 2027: the Chicago office announces all 500 national winners
Pacific Time governs the deadline, so a senior in New York faces a 2:59 a.m. Eastern cutoff in local terms. Families should treat November 11 as the working deadline, because a slow upload on the final night risks a missed submission. The counselor report confirms senior status and academic standing, and counselors receive the report request after the student submits the application. Students should confirm the counselor submission directly, because the report sits outside the student side of the portal. The November timing places the contest ahead of most college application deadlines, so one activities list can serve both files.
How Judging Works
Judges score every application on three criteria: scholarship, leadership, and financial need. Scholarship covers grades, course rigor, and test records on the transcript. Leadership covers offices held, activities led, and results the applicant produced. Financial need comes from the family financial statement inside the application, and the foundation reviews income against household size and college costs. The contest page names the three criteria, and the foundation describes the same review as leadership, service, academics, and financial need across the full file.
Judging starts at the local lodge the applicant selects during the application. District and state rounds follow, and state associations forward the strongest files to the national office in Chicago. One Ohio senior, for example, can clear the lodge round, the district round, and state judging on the strength of the same single file. Separate rankings for male and female applicants apply at the lodge round and continue through national judging. The foundation publishes the three criteria without a public point split, and the same three criteria apply at every round.
How to Apply for the Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship
Students apply online at enf.elks.org/MVS, and the portal asks for the program code ElksMVS. The application moves through these steps:
- Create an account on the application portal and enter the program code ElksMVS if the system prompts for a code.
- Select a sponsoring lodge from the list of lodges nearest the home ZIP code.
- Complete the academic record, honors, activities, and employment sections.
- Write the required essay and proofread the essay against the prompt.
- Finish the family financial information section with a parent or guardian.
- Submit the application before 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on November 12, 2026.
- Confirm the school counselor sends the counselor report by November 21, 2026.
The application costs nothing to file. Students who don’t finish the financial section leave the need criterion weak on paper, so a parent should sit with the applicant for that part of the form. Keep the confirmation email after submission, because the receipt proves the file arrived before the cutoff. Questions go to scholarship@elks.org or 773/755-4732, the contact lines the foundation lists for the contest.
What Happens After You Submit
Submitted files move through lodge, district, state, and national judging during the winter and early spring. The 500 national semifinalists emerge from state judging, and the foundation selects the top 20 scholars from that group. Finalists receive an invitation to Leadership Weekend in Chicago, held April 29 to May 2, 2027. Semifinalists who miss the top 20 still keep the $4,000 runner-up award, so a state-level win carries real money without a Chicago invitation. Every winner learns the result in April 2027, when the Chicago office publishes the full list of 500 names.
How to Strengthen an Application
Applicants strengthen a file by documenting leadership results and financial need with specific numbers. List hours, people supervised, and money raised instead of naming a club title alone. A food-drive chair who reports 40 volunteers and 2,300 pounds collected gives judges measurable evidence. Document community service with dates and totals, because service evidence supports the leadership record. Report family finances fully, because the need score rests on the completed financial statement rather than on the essay. Treat the essay as evidence, and tie one leadership role to one measurable outcome in the opening lines. Start in October, since the November 12 deadline lands in the middle of college application season. Ask a counselor to review the file before submission, and keep a copy of every uploaded document. Proofread every section aloud, since lodge judges read the file without any interview at the first round. One essay draft written in September beats three drafts written in the final week.
Other Elks National Foundation Scholarships
The Elks National Foundation runs two more national programs beside the Most Valuable Student contest: Legacy Awards and Emergency Educational Grants. Legacy Awards pay $6,000 across four years and serve children and grandchildren of dues-paying Elks members. The Legacy Awards deadline is February 1, 2027, and membership is mandatory for that program, unlike the open MVS contest. Emergency Educational Grants support undergraduate study for children of Elks members who died or became totally disabled. A family with an Elks member should check Legacy Awards first, because the member connection turns from irrelevant to required between the two programs.
FAQs
Do I need a relative in the Elks to apply?
No. The contest is open to every United States citizen in the senior class, and the Elks National Foundation states that applicants do not need any relation to an Elks member.
How much money does the Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship pay?
Each of the 500 winners receives $4,000 or $30,000 across four years. First-place scholars get $7,500 per year, and runners-up get $1,000 per year.
What is the application deadline for the 2027 contest?
November 12, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. The portal opened on August 1, 2026, and late files receive no review.
Can permanent residents apply for the scholarship?
Permanent residents cannot apply. Citizenship must be in place on the date the application is submitted, and only United States citizens qualify.
Does the Elks National Foundation require a minimum GPA?
The foundation publishes no minimum grade point average for the contest. Judges weigh grades inside the scholarship criterion together with leadership and financial need.
Is the award renewable for all four years?
Yes. Payment continues across four years of full-time enrollment at an accredited United States college or university, at a minimum of 12 semester hours per term.
When does the foundation announce the winners?
April 2027. The Chicago office names all 500 national winners, and the top 20 scholars then attend Leadership Weekend in Chicago from April 29 to May 2, 2027.
Conclusion
The Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship remains open until November 12, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Seniors who meet the citizenship and enrollment rules lose nothing by entering, because the application is free and one file feeds every judging round. Gather the financial figures early, pick the nearest lodge, and write the essay before the final week. The Chicago office of the Elks National Foundation announces the 500 winners of the 2027 contest in April 2027.
