Community Service Scholarship and Legacy Scholarship

To apply, students will use the online portal managed by the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation. Your completed application will qualify you for one of the two scholarships, the Carolina Trust Federal Credit Union Community Service Scholarship  ($5,000.00) or the Carolina Trust Federal Credit Union Legacy Scholarship ($5,000.00).

Click to Begin Your Application

Click for Helpful Scholarship FAQs

Scholarship Eligibility Criteria*

In order to qualify for a scholarship, applicants must:

• Possess a 3.0 GPA or above on a 4-point (non-weighted) scale.
• Be a credit union member in good standing. (Memberships of parents or other immediate family members do not qualify. Membership must be open for at least 30 days.)
• Be enrolled or plan to be enrolled as a full-time student in the upcoming year at an accredited four-year college or university

Application Evaluation Criteria

Applicants are evaluated by the Carolina Trust Federal Credit Union and Carolinas Credit Union Foundation Scholarship Selection Committee based on the following criteria:

1. Your grade point average.
   A score is automatically assigned based on your non-weighted (4.0 scale) GPA. The higher your GPA, the higher your score in this particular category.
2. Your school clubs and activities.
   Your involvement in school clubs and on-campus volunteer activities carries considerable weight. Please be specific in describing the clubs you were a part of and why they were important to you, as well as the activities you participated in with the club(s).
3. Your community and volunteer involvement.
   People Helping People is a motto and core value of credit unions throughout the world. So, it is only natural that we salute young men and women who are active in volunteering in their community, and trying to make the world a better place. Please list your recent volunteer and community activities thoughtfully and carefully, as this is a key part of the application process that can help you stand out!
4. The answer to your essay question.
   We encourage you to give careful thought to your essay, and keep your essay focused on answering the question. The essay question section is not a space for you to tell us why you deserve a scholarship. The essay prompt can be found on the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation online application portal.

In addition to the four key areas we focus on when scoring your application, the Scholarship Selection Committee also recognizes that college is overwhelmingly expensive for many. To help, the Foundation’s scholarship application portal includes a financial need section. If you would like to be considered for a scholarship based on your financial need please complete this section, and be as specific as possible when detailing your situation. Key information we look for when assessing financial need includes:

• Household income.
• Other scholarships you’ve received.
• Access to financial aid (federal and state).
• Savings.
• How much your family will contribute to your tuition this year.
• Circumstances your family is facing that pose a strain on finances. Please be as specific as possible when filling out this section.

Important Deadlines:

• October 1, 2024 – February 2, 2025: applications accepted.
• February 2025 – March 2025: applications scored and winners selected.
• April 2025: winners notified.
• April 2025 – May 2025: return verification forms completed by winners in order to process scholarship checks.
• June 2025 –  July 2025: scholarship checks mailed.

To apply, students will use the online portal managed by the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation. The Carolinas Credit Union Foundation manages all notifications relating to the Carolina Trust Federal Credit Union scholarships.

Click to Begin Your Application

*Must be a Carolina Trust Federal Credit Union member in good standing and must be a full-time student in the year for which they are applying for a scholarship. All application questions, communications,  and distribution of funds are processed through Carolinas Credit Union Foundation. See Carolinas Credit Union Foundation for details.

Click here to read the press release announcing Isaiah and Giana as our 2024 Scholarship recipients.