Member Education Award

To be eligible, you must:

• Be a SchoolsFirst FCU Member with your own Member number.
• Have an unweighted¹ grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or above.
• Be in the process of applying to and/or attending an accredited college or university for the Fall 2027 term.
• Be a participant in community affairs and a responsible member of society.

Members of SchoolsFirst FCU's "Official Family" (SchoolsFirst FCU staff, volunteers and their immediate family members) are not eligible to participate.

Complete all steps below and provide required documents by Jan. 31, 2027.

1. Submit an online application.
2. Include two (2) letters of recommendation:

• One letter of recommendation from a teacher, counselor or school employee who is familiar with your academic performance. We will accept either a completed Teacher/Administrator Letter of Recommendation Form² or a formal letter on school letterhead which addresses the four criteria included on the form.²
• One letter of recommendation from a community member outside the school setting who is familiar with the applicant's participation in community activities, and who is not related to the applicant. We will accept either a completed Community Member Letter of Recommendation Form² or a formal letter which addresses the four criteria included on the form.²

3. Official High School Transcripts.³ (Required of all applicants, college students included; copies and parent or student portal transcripts not accepted.)
4. Official College Transcripts,³ if applicable. (Freshman and sophomore applicants only; copies and student portal transcripts not accepted.)

All required documents may be submitted by mail or email:

Mail must be postmarked no later than January 31, 2027, to be considered eligible.

SchoolsFirst FCU (MEA)
Attn: School & Community Relations
P.O. Box 11547
Santa Ana, CA 92711-1547

Email sent to communityrelations@schoolsfirstfcu.org must be received no later than January 31, 2027, to be considered eligible.

Emailed transcripts must come from an official digital credential service (i.e. Parchment) or directly from the school or university Registrar office. Emailed letters of recommendation can come directly from the person recommending the student.

Important Information

• All applicable fields on the online application must be completed. If a section does not apply to you, enter "N/A" for not applicable.
• Only official transcripts are accepted.³ Copies and parent/student portal transcripts are not accepted.
• Applicants are advised to carefully select those who will complete the letters of recommendation; it is imperative that these letters are original, current and accurately communicate the applicant's qualities and achievements.
• We encourage you to view your submitted application status regularly to ensure all required documents have been received. Please allow 2 – 3 business days for document processing.
• Do not submit additional personal reference pages other than the two required letters of recommendation and transcripts.

Eligible applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Grade point average
• Difficulty of courses completed
• Letters of recommendation
• Community involvement
• School involvement
• Leadership positions

Scholarship recipients will be notified in mid-May 2027.