Scholarship Competition

Need money for college or trade school?

Modern Woodmen awards $450,000 each year in a scholarship competition open exclusively to member students. The scholarships help with the rising cost of higher education, while recognizing students’ hard work and volunteer service.

Each year, 198 graduating seniors win up to $10,000 to help with educational pursuits after high school. An independent panel of judges select 33 winners from each of six geographic regions (see below).

Track 1: Volunteer experience + academic achievement

• 12 scholarships at $10,000 each.
• 12 scholarships at $7,500 each.
• 12 scholarships at $5,000 each.
• 12 scholarships at $2,500 each.

Track 2: Volunteer experience

• 150 scholarships at $1,000 each.

Do I qualify?

To be eligible, you must:

• Be a high school senior, graduating between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31 in the year the scholarship is awarded.
• Be a Modern Woodmen member, covered by Modern Woodmen life insurance or an annuity for at least one year as of Jan. 1 of your graduating year.*
• Have at least 40 hours of volunteer experience in the previous two years.
• Have a minimum 3.5 GPA (for Track 1) or 2.5 GPA (for Track 2).
• Plan to attend an accredited two- or four-year college/university or a trade/vocational/ technical school for the upcoming fall term.

*The life insurance certificate must be on a premium-paying basis or must be paid-up according to the terms of the certificate, other than through use of the nonforfeiture option. The annuity must be a Modern Woodmen fixed or variable annuity.

How to apply

Submit your application online at learnmore.scholarsapply.org/modernwoodmenscholarship.

Applications open Nov. 1 each year and are due the first Monday in February. (View the application website for the specific date.) Winners will be notified in April.

Opportunities for high school graduates

Already graduated?  Modern Woodmen’s continuing education grant can help high school grads of all ages afford education costs. View the grant’s page for more details and how to apply.

Regional divisions

Modern Woodmen divides the nation into six regions for purposes of this scholarship competition. Although the regions aren’t equal in geographic size, they have been carefully established so that the number of eligible students in each region is approximately equal. A total of 33 winners are selected from each region.

Region 1: Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, D.C., West Virginia and areas outside the contiguous United States.

Region 2: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Region 3: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Ohio.

Region 4: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma.

Region 5: Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Region 6: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Subject to change, fraternal member programs are not part of the contract and may have specific eligibility requirements. Some programs are not available to all members. Log in to your online member account for complete details.