College Scholarship Program

Purpose: Help college-bound credit union members afford higher education through scholarships administered by the New York Credit Union Association.

Geographic Scope: New York State

Eligibility:

• Young credit union members who are college-bound
• Members of participating credit unions in New York

Program Structure:
With a single application, college-bound members can apply for up to three scholarships:

• The Association's Statewide College Scholarship Program
• Individual credit union scholarships (if the credit union chooses to offer one)
• Chapter scholarships (based on chapter participation)

Award Details:

• Scholarships range from $250 to $1,500
• 2025 awards: $32,250 total distributed to 50 winners
• 64 credit unions and 4 chapters participated in 2025

Selection Criteria:
Students are scored on:

• Academic performance
• Extracurricular activities
• Honors
• Community service
• Leadership
• Writing

Key Dates (2026):

• Winner notification: Late April - Early May 2026

Contact:

• Taetum Crooker, Taetum.Crooker@nycua.org, (800) 342-9835, ext. 8292

How to Apply

1. Register Your Credit Union: Credit unions must register to participate in the Statewide Program by the registration deadline (November 21, 2025)
2. Choose Participation Level: Credit unions can:
   • Participate only in the Statewide Scholarship Program
   • Allow the Association to administer the credit union's own scholarship
   • Participate in both
   • If the local Chapter offers a scholarship, applicants are automatically considered
3. Promote to Members: The credit union is responsible for marketing the program. The Association provides marketing materials including:
   • Scholarship application memo
   • Web banners and buttons
   • Posters (5x11, 11x17, 22x28)
   • Sample letters to schools and SEGs
   • Sample press releases and blog posts
4. Student Application: Students submit one application to be considered for all eligible scholarships
5. Scoring: The Association grades all applications
6. Results: Credit unions receive their top 10 applicant scores (in order) to select winners. Additional scores available at $3.00 per score.

Pricing by Asset Size (2026)

| Asset Size | Statewide Program | Credit Union Program |
|------------|-------------------|---------------------|
| Less than $20M | $150 | $50 |
| $20-$50M | $250 | $100 |
| $50-$100M | $350 | $150 |
| $100M-$1B | $450 | $200 |
| More than $1B | $500 | $250 |

Chapter Scholarships

• Chapters can participate for $250 fee
• Receive names of top 10 scorers from participating credit unions
• Can select their own winners