The Annual Scholarship Program

2025 Entry Information:

• Students in their senior year of high school who plan to attend a state or nationally accredited college or university are eligible to apply for the DCU for Kids Annual Memorial Scholarship.
• Applications and all supporting materials must be submitted by 3PM (ET) on Friday, February 28, 2025 and must be submitted electronically through our online scholarship portal.

• • All required application materials must be uploaded to the application and submitted by the deadline date and time. Any materials received after the deadline date will NOT be considered – NO exceptions – in fairness to all applicants.

• Scholarships are awarded on academic merit, teachers' and/or guidance counselor references, an original essay, awards and recognition, and extracurricular and community service activities. An impartial panel of business professionals and collegiate educators will judge participants’ entries.
• Scholarship winners will be notified in late April 2025 by email.

• • Please provide an email address that you will have access to during the length of this application process and that you check frequently

• More information about the application process can be found on our Frequently Asked Questions

2025 Schedule of Events:

• Friday, December 13, 2024 – Application Portal Opens
• Friday, February 28, 2025 at 3pm (ET) – Application Portal Closes
• Applications and ALL supporting materials (including Letters of Recommendation) must be submitted through the online scholarship portal – NO exceptions! Please take note all deadlines are within Eastern Time (ET) Zone regardless of where you are located.
• Late April, 2025 applicants selected to receive a scholarship award will receive a Confirmation of Award email with a link to 1). Accept the award and 2). Provide the name of the college or university where the awardee has been confirmed.
• The Confirmation of Award Form is due immediately upon receipt of the email notice.
• Early July, 2025 – Scholarships will be awarded. Award checks will be sent via FedEx.
• Names of all scholarship recipients selected will be posted below once all awards are confirmed.

2025 Official Rules:

1. Judging Criteria – The winning students will be the ones judged most likely to excel in college as determined by an impartial panel of business professionals and collegiate educators. Judgments are based on the following factors:

• • An unofficial transcript of your high school grades for senior year (to date) and junior year (full year). Please upload both sets of transcripts in one pdf to your application.
  • Academic merit.
  • An essay judged on the quality of writing and the reasoning used. Note: Proper grammar and punctuation matter – for your entire application.
  • Awards and recognition, extracurricular and community service activities.
  • Two written letters of recommendation from any junior or senior class teachers and/or guidance counselors. (Note: NO extracurricular, community or faith-based leaders, or employer reference letters will be accepted.)

2. Entry Qualifications – To enter, the student must…
   • Be a graduating high school senior.
   • Be registered and attending a state-accredited or nationally accredited two or four-year college or university in the fall of 2025. (graduate programs excluded)

*All DCU employees, volunteers, subsidiaries, affiliates, and their immediate family members are ineligible to apply to the DCU for Kids Annual Memorial Scholarship Program.

3. The Essay – The essay should answer the following essay prompt and be no more than 300 words in length (the essay will appear as a question within the application):

“DCU strives to improve the quality of life for children in need. In our efforts to accomplish this mission we embrace three overall principles: People come first; Do the Right Thing; & Make a Difference.

Describe how you might apply these similar principles to your life now and how you would intend to incorporate these principles as a part of your education and career path. How would this vision impact both your personal and professional relationships?”

A DCU membership has no bearing on whether or not you receive a scholarship. Scholarships are based on the judging criteria outlined in Section 1 of the Official Rules.

4. Schedule – Applications and all supporting materials (including unofficial transcripts and two letters of recommendation) must be received through the scholarship portal by 3pm (ET), Friday, February 28, 2025. NO documents will be accepted by email.

Applications and materials received after the above deadline date and time will not be considered. Winners will be notified by email in late April 2025 and are required to complete the Confirmation of Award process upon receipt of the email notice.

5. Publicity – By entering winners agree to have their names published in DCU newsletters, signs, website, affiliated websites, and news releases announcing the results at DCU's discretion.

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2024 Winners

All DCU employees, volunteers, subsidiaries, affiliates, and their immediate family members are ineligible to apply to the DCU Memorial Scholarship Program.