October 24, 2025
Keokuk High School Students Unlock $280 Million in Scholarships
Iowa
5
m Read
We're thrilled to share an incredible milestone from our partnership with Keokuk School District in Iowa. In the 2024-25 school year, 238 juniors and seniors collectively received $280 million in scholarship offers—with a simple scan of a QR code.
The Results
The numbers speak for themselves:
- 7,042 scholarship offers from dozens of colleges and universities nationwide
- More than 60 students received over $2 million in offers each
- Top awards reached $2.7 million per student
- Students received an average of 29 scholarship opportunities each
How It Works
VU Scholarships connects students with merit-based opportunities using just a few academic factors. No lengthy essays or complicated applications—just straightforward recognition of academic achievement.
Students scan a QR code to instantly see their scholarship offers from participating institutions. While students still need to apply and gain acceptance to their chosen schools, the financial piece is already in place, removing a major barrier to higher education.
Real Impact
For families like the Stevens, this changes everything. With one child already in college and 16-year-old Eli graduating in May 2025, with over $2.5 million in scholarship offers, the financial stress of back-to-back college expenses had been dramatically reduced.
"This, I feel like gives him a whole lot more options," said Melissa Stevens, Eli's mother.
Building the Future
Principal Nathan Harrison made sure underclassmen attended the assembly to witness what's possible. "We want to establish a culture of, if college is in your future and that's what you want, it's attainable," he explained.
With 80% of Keokuk upperclassmen aspiring to attend college, this partnership demonstrates our commitment to making higher education accessible through hard work and dedication.
Ready to bring VU Scholarships to your school district? Contact us to learn how we can help your students access millions in scholarship opportunities.
Some pieces of this blog post were taken from the article published by WGEM News: https://www.wgem.com/2024/12/13/keokuk-upperclassmen-combine-280-million-scholarship-money-after-new-partnership/