IHMVCU CASH FOR CLASS SCHOLARSHIP 2026
Description
IHMVCU offers $30,000 in scholarships to local undergraduate, graduate and vocational/technical school students who stand out in the classroom and stand up in their communities. Since 1999, IHMVCU has invested nearly $400,000 in scholarships for more than 300 students.
Scholarships are awarded as such:
- $10,000: 1 scholarship
- $5,000: 2 scholarships
- $1,000: 10 scholarships**
**$1,000 scholarships will be awarded to members with the highest overall application score in each community.
- Four $1,000 winners in the Quad Cities.
- Four $1,000 winners in DeWitt, Galesburg, Kewanee, and Des Moines.
- One $1,000 award to a student attending Carl Sandburg College.
- One $1,000 award for the family member of an IHMVCU employee+.
If any community does not have a worthy applicant, no scholarship will be awarded.
IHMVCU has the ultimate authority to amend any of the above rules to ensure fairness in the award of the scholarships.
+IHMVCU Family refers to spouses, children, and grandchildren of IHMVCU employees and board of directors.
Selection Process
To be eligible*, all applicants must:
Be a member by the application deadline, March 31st, 2026
Be a graduating high school senior or a current college student
Be enrolled at an accredited two-year or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school
Provide 2 references/contributors
Complete the online application and essay/video
Submit all materials by 5 p.m. on March 31, 2026. Late submissions will not be accepted under any circumstances
Essays may be submitted in the form of a 500-word essay in PDF format or 2-minute video on the topic below (max file size of 10 MB)
We scan for AI, even if used for checking grammar. Any use of AI will disqualify you from winning our scholarship.
2026 Essay Topic: If you could invent any school subject, what would it be and why?
*IHMVCU employees are not eligible. Recipients of the IHMVCU Scholarship are eligible to re-apply annually. Applications must be completed each year and submitted to the scholarship committee via the online application.
Please note: Paper applications and recommendations will not be accepted.
Founded in 1934, our eight charter members were production line workers at the East Moline Works Plant. Open only three times a day during shift change, employees at the original office in the middle of the plant had to manage over the noise of the steel-wheeled trailers moving over the creosote floors.
Fast forward 82 years, IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union (IHMVCU) has grown to be the largest credit union in the Quad City area. We’re more than 110,000 members strong and hold more than $1 billion in assets. With 17 branches in eastern Iowa and western Illinois, and a progressive and growing online branch, IHMVCU’s path-finding employees provide convenient financial solutions catered to each member-owner’s journey to financial success.
Total Amount Awarded to Applicants: $0.00
Total Number of Applicants Awarded: