MEMBER EDUCATION AWARD ELIGIBILITY

Who May Apply

• Graduating high school seniors.
• Undergraduate freshman or sophomore college students who attend an accredited college and have no more than 60 college credits.

Applicant Criteria

To be eligible, the applicant must:

• Be a SchoolsFirst FCU Member with their own Member number.
• Have an unweighted¹ grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or above.
• Be registered at an accredited college/university for the Fall 2025 term.
• Be a participant in community affairs and a responsible member of society, having characteristic traits such as reliability and integrity.

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

How To Apply

Complete all steps below and provide required documents by January 31, 2025.

1. Two (2) letters of recommendation:
   • One from a teacher, counselor or administrator who is familiar with the applicant’s academic performance. Either a completed Teacher/Administrator Letter of Recommendation Form² or a formal letter on school letterhead which addresses the four criteria on the Form² will be accepted.
   • One 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. Either a completed Community Member Letter of Recommendation Form² or a formal letter which addresses the four criteria on the Form² will be accepted.
2. Official High School Transcripts.³ (Required of all applicants, college students included; copies and parent or student portal transcripts not accepted.)
3. Official College Transcripts,³ if applicable. (Freshman and sophomore applicants only; copies and student portal transcripts not accepted.)
4. Submit an online application.

All required documents may be submitted by mail or email:

Mail

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

Must be postmarked no later than January 31, 2025.

Email

Please email communityrelations@schoolsfirstfcu.org. If emailing transcripts, they must come from an official digital credential service (i.e. Parchment) or directly from the school or university Registrar office.

If emailing letters of recommendation, they can come directly from the person recommending the student.

Must be received no later than January 31, 2025.

Important Information

• Deadline to submit online application: January 31, 2025.
• Deadline for required documents: January 31, 2025.
• Only online applications will be accepted.
• Required documents submitted later than January 31, 2025 by email or postmarked later than January 31, 2025 will not be considered.
• All applicable fields on the online application must be completed. If a section does not apply to you, enter "N/A" for not applicable.
• Required documents must either be:
  • Mailed to SchoolsFirst FCU (MEA), Attn: School & Community Relations, P. O. Box 11547, Santa Ana, CA 92711-1547; or
  • Emailed to communityrelations@schoolsfirstfcu.org. If emailing transcripts, they must come from an official digital credential service (i.e. Parchment) or directly from the school or university Registrar office. If emailing letters of recommendation, they can come from the person recommending the student.
• Only official transcripts will be accepted.³ Copies and parent/student portal transcripts will not be accepted.
• Applicants are advised to carefully select those people who will complete the letters of recommendation; it is imperative that these letters are original, current, and accurately and articulately 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.

Receiving a Member Education Award

Winners will be announced mid-May 2025.

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.

For more information, please contact us at (800) 462-8328, ext. 2024002 or communityrelations@schoolsfirstfcu.org and reference "MEA" in the subject line.