MVS Scholarship Program

The Most Valuable Student (MVS) scholarship program has been a cornerstone of the Elks’ organization since 1931, welcoming participation from Lodges nationwide. Here in South Carolina, the program thrives thanks to a dedicated, multi-tiered structure of Lodge scholarship chairmen, District committees across our three districts, and State judges.

Our local Lodges are the true drivers of this program. Scholarship chairmen and theircommittees work tirelessly to promote the program and share application details with theircommunities. These MVS applications do more than just determine national winners; they alsohelp local Lodges select recipients for their own individual award programs. In fact, nearly everyLodge in South Carolina hosts unique local awards tied directly to the MVS applications.

How the Process Works

Each year, applications are welcomed from public, private, charter, and home-schooled highschool seniors who hold American citizenship.

• Submission: Students generate and submit their applications online via Elks.org, designating the local Lodge in their area of residence.
  
  
• Lodge Review: The journey begins at the local level, where Lodges frequently manage and review 200 to 300 applications.
  
  
• Evaluation: While some initial screening involves computer programs, the vast majority of applications are fully and entirely reviewed by our judges and committee members.
  
  
• Scoring: Applicants are evaluated on academic achievement, leadership, and financial need. Final scores for boys and girls are calculated by averaging the scores of all committee team members.

Our Growing Impact

The reach of this program across our state is substantial. Throughout South Carolina, 20 state winners (10 boys and 10 girls) are awarded scholarships each year. This state-level recognition comes in addition to the numerous scholarships generated and awarded individually by our local Lodges. While the number of these local Lodge scholarships varies from year to year based on funds raised at the grassroots level, our collective commitment to supporting these young leaders as they matriculate into higher education remains stronger than ever.

Exclusive Opportunities for Our Elks Families

While the MVS program is a vital resource for the general public, our Elks community also hasexclusive access to the Legacy Scholarship. This award is designed specifically for high schoolseniors who are the child, grandchild, step-child, step-grandchild, or legal ward of a living Elkwho joined the Order by April 1, at least two years prior to the year of the contest.

Information and applications for both the MVS and Legacy programs can be found online at Elks.org.

And while higher education is an important part of the Elks’ agenda, our PER (Past Exalted Ruler) group has also established a Trades scholarship.

Information can be found on southcarolinaelks.org.