National Costco Employee Scholarship

Costco Employee Scholarship Eligibility

To be considered for the Costco Employee Scholarship, applicants must:

• be any regular full- and part-time and limited part-time permanent Costco Wholesale Employee residing in the United States or Puerto Rico (College Retention and limited part-time employees are eligible to apply)
• have a high school diploma or equivalent by June 2026
  
• be a current, new or previous student pursuing a first-time degree at a nonprofit, accredited college or university in the United States or Puerto Rico starting fall 2026 (certificate, 2-year or 4-year credit-bearing undergraduate degrees qualify)
• not have obtained a bachelor’s degree yet

Timeline

The next application cycle opens on December 1, 2026.

Costco Employee Scholarship Application

Required Documents

To be considered for the Costco Employee Scholarship for the 2026-2027 academic year, you must meet all eligibility criteria and complete each step below:

• Submit an online application by February 6, 2026.

Timeline

We are currently not accepting late applicants. The next application cycle opens on December 1, 2026. 

Eligibility

If I already have an associate degree, can I apply for the Costco Employee Scholarship?

Yes, as long as you are planning to complete a 4-year degree.

Can I apply if I am a College Retention Employee?

Yes, you are eligible to apply.

I am already receiving the Sunshine Brooks scholarship. Can I also receive the Costco Employee scholarship?

No, you can only receive one scholarship at a time.

Can I apply for this scholarship if I’m not planning to enroll full-time?

Yes. Students who are enrolled less than full-time can still receive the scholarship. Their awards will be prorated to reflect the number of credits they are enrolled.

Will I still be able to receive the scholarship if I transfer to another college or attend a different college than I originally reported on my application?

Yes. Make sure to communicate your change early so that we can ensure your funds arrive at the right institution in a timely manner. If we disburse to the wrong institution, we will have to wait for the funds to return to us before we can re-route them to the new school.

May I major in more than one degree and still be eligible for the scholarship?

If you are enrolled in two degrees concurrently, you will only receive payment for study in one of your majors.

Application

I am not sure what college I will be attending in the fall. What college should I put on the application?

If you have applied to more than one college, you may not know by the application deadline which college you will be attending in the fall. If you are still deciding which college you’ll be attending, please complete the application with your current first choice. Students who are selected to receive the scholarship will be asked to complete an online scholarship acceptance form in April; at that time, you will be able to confirm the college you will be attending.

How can I update information on my application once it has been submitted?

Once you have submitted your application, you cannot make corrections or provide updates through the online application portal. If you need to update the information you provided, please email us the corrections or changes. Be sure to include in your email your full name, date of birth, preferred phone number, and school or college you have last attended.

Selection

I don’t meet all of the criteria to apply this year but think I may next year. Can I re-apply then?

Yes, you may apply again next year.

If I am not selected this year, will I be able to re-apply again next year?

Yes, you may apply again next year. Contact us so that we can move your application into the new applicant pool.

May I apply for more than one scholarship administered by College Success Foundation (CSF)?

Yes, you may apply for more than one scholarship administered by CSF. Please visit the CSF website for all scholarship opportunities.

How many years can I receive the scholarship?

The Costco Employee Scholarship covers first-time, undergraduate degrees for up to 4 years or allocated over a maximum of six years, provided it does not exceed $10,000 in support.

Disbursement

When is my check going to be mailed?

Your check is cut the day listed in the “Payment Information” section of this site. You can also check a customized email sent to you in July confirming your school of attendance, disbursement amounts and disbursement dates of your scholarship.

I don’t see my scholarship check applied to my account. What can I do?

We recommend you give it 10 business days for the check to arrive in the mail at your school and for your school to apply your funds to your account. If after 10 business days from the date published in the “Payment Information” section you contact your financial aid office and they tell you they haven’t received your scholarship, please contact us so that we can cancel that check and issue a new one. Also, if you changed schools and failed to notified us, your funds may have gone to the wrong school. If we disburse to the wrong institution, we will have to wait for the funds to return to us before we can re-route them to the new school.

How will my dollar amount award be disbursed?

Awards are divided in equal amounts per academic term based on the number of credits you are enrolled. We assume fulltime enrollment unless you or your school let us know otherwise. We cannot disburse full year awards in just one term. Fulltime (12+ credits) enrollment receives 100% of their award; three-quarter (9-11) get 75%; half-time (6-8 credits) get 50%, and less than half time (3-5 credits) get 25% of their total award.  Please check the Payment Information section for disbursement dates details.

Accepting or Declining Your Scholarship Offer

Next Steps

ALL students who received a scholarship offer letter should complete this form, whether or not they are accepting the scholarship.

• Students who are accepting the scholarship will have the opportunity to review and accept the terms of the scholarship. Failure to complete the acceptance form by the deadline may result in losing your scholarship.
• Students who are declining the scholarship must also complete the form to formally decline the scholarship.

Deadline: April 30, 2026

Accept/decline your scholarship

2025 Orientation documents

• PowerPoint Presentation
• Recording

End of Year/Renewal Form for Costco Employee Scholars

Instructions

ALL Costco Employee scholars must complete the end of year form each Spring to let us know whether or not they will be renewing the scholarship for the following academic year. 

In the form, you will be able to indicate to us whether:

• You are renewing your Costco Employee Scholarship for the next academic year;
• You are taking a leave of absence;
• You have graduated; OR,
• You are not renewing the scholarship because you no longer meet the renewal criteria.

If you are graduating or not planning to renew, please complete the end of year form to formally decline the scholarship.

The form will be open on May 1 and must be completed by the June 30 every year. Failure to complete this process by the deadline may result in losing your scholarship.

Complete your form

Continued Eligibility Requirements

To continue receiving the Costco Employee Scholarship, recipients must meet the eligibility criteria below. Your scholarship will be cancelled if you do not meet all the requirements:

1. You must be enrolled at least part-time (6 credits) or full-time (12+ credits) each term in the academic year.
2. You must continue to pursue a degree or certificate-leading program (certificate, associate or bachelor’s degree).
3. Meet your schools’ Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policies.
4. Complete the annual renewal process by June 30:
   • fill out the renewal form online;
   • upload an unofficial college transcript.

Students who do not complete this process may lose their scholarship.

The following are not requirements for renewal; however, we recommend that you:

• Keep contact information current so we can stay in touch with you regarding your scholarship. If there are any changes to your email, phone, or address please send updated information in an email.
• Please check your spam settings—be sure to add scholarshipservices@collegesuccessfoundation.org as an approved sender if needed.

Deadline: The form will open on May 1 and must be completed by June 30 every year.

Scholar Update Instructions

Continuing scholarship recipients receiving the Costco Employee Scholarship must complete a scholar update for their donor.

Scholar Update Template & Instructions

How You Will Receive the Scholarship

We will email you in August to confirm where you will be attending college and the amount you’ve been awarded per term.

Funds can be used for tuition, fees, housing, food, books, transportation and personal expenses as detailed in the cost of attendance.

Your scholarship check will be sent directly to the financial aid office at your college following this schedule:

Schools and students will receive an email confirming funds distributions two weeks prior to the actual disbursement day.

Please allow 10 business days for mailing and processing time for the college/university to apply the scholarship funds to your student account and revise your financial aid. In some cases, the funds may not be applied to your account until after the start of the term. Please follow up with your college/university’s financial aid office to determine the timing of the scholarship payment.

Your scholarship will be divided equally over the number of terms of enrollment at your college/university. You must be enrolled at least half-time and meet your college’s Satisfactory Academic Progress policy in order to receive the funding.

Applicant Questions and Document Submission

If you have questions about your application or to submit supporting documentation, please email us. Include in your email:

• Full name
• Any previous names
• Date of birth
• Preferred phone number
• Preferred email address

This will allow us to identify your application and answer any questions.

Phone: Call toll-free (877) 655-4097 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. PST time Monday through Friday.

If you have trouble logging into the application, please contact the Helpdesk.

Current Scholars

Questions about scholarship disbursements, additional funds, extension of your scholarship, etc.:

• Email us here