Community
$250,000 in scholarships every year
Summit was founded by seven schoolteachers, so paying for education is not a side project here. Awards go to members heading to a university, a community college, or a trade program — and to adults going back.
Five scholarship programs
One application form covers all of them. You are considered for every award you qualify for.
Founders Scholarship
Our largest award, $10,000 paid over four years, for graduating high school seniors entering a four-year degree. Five are granted annually.
Skilled Trades Award
$4,000 toward a certificate, apprenticeship, or two-year technical program. Welding, nursing, HVAC, and commercial driving all qualify. Twenty granted each year.
Service Family Scholarship
$5,000 for active-duty service members, veterans, and their spouses or dependent children. Fifteen granted annually, and it stacks with GI Bill benefits.
Second Chapter Grant
$3,000 for adult members 25 and older returning to school, including part-time enrollment. Twenty-five granted each year, no minimum GPA required.
Educator Award
$2,500 for members pursuing a teaching credential or a graduate degree in education, in honor of the seven teachers who started this credit union in 1948. Ten granted annually.
Member Advocate Prize
$1,500 for students who have completed at least 40 hours of documented community service in the past year. Thirty granted each year on service record alone.
Award tiers, eligibility, and deadlines
Applicants must have been a Summit member for at least 90 days before the deadline. A $5 share deposit establishes membership. Awards are paid directly to the institution.
How to apply
One form, one essay, one recommendation. It takes most applicants under two hours.
Join, if you have not
Membership requires a $5 share deposit and must be open 90 days before the deadline, so join by December 1 for a March 1 application.
Complete the common application
Basic information, your school or program, and an unofficial transcript. Opens January 5 in digital banking and on this site.
Write 500 words
One essay, same prompt for every program: describe a financial decision you or your family made and what you learned from it. Reviewers read for honesty, not polish.
Add one recommendation
A teacher, employer, coach, or supervisor. Submit by your program's deadline; decisions go out by June 1 and funds are sent to the school in August.
Common questions
Do I have to apply to each program separately?
No. The common application considers you for every award you are eligible for. If you qualify for three, you are reviewed for three.
Can I win more than one award?
Members may receive one Summit scholarship per academic year, but Founders Scholarship recipients continue receiving their award across all four years as long as they stay enrolled.
Does it affect my financial aid?
Outside scholarships can reduce need-based aid at some institutions. Report the award to your financial aid office and ask them to reduce loans before grants — most schools will.
Are trade schools really eligible?
Yes, and we fund twenty Skilled Trades Awards a year specifically for them. Any accredited certificate, apprenticeship, or two-year technical program qualifies.
Is there a minimum GPA?
Only the Founders Scholarship has one, at 3.2. The Second Chapter Grant and Member Advocate Prize have no GPA requirement at all.
How are winners chosen?
A volunteer panel of members reads every application without names or schools attached. Employees and directors of Summit and their immediate families are not eligible.
Rates current as of July 2026 and subject to change. Membership eligibility required. This is a demonstration website; rates, products, and figures shown are illustrative only.
Applications open January 5
If you are not a member yet, join now — the 90-day requirement is the one thing we cannot waive at the deadline.