Top 5 North Dakota Schol­ar­ships

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Consensus Ranked top 5 scholarshps STATES 33

There are scholarship opportunities for all kinds of students in North Dakota, and they make all the difference for many families. For traditional-aged students, there are numerous scholarships intended to keep North Dakota’s young people investing in the state; for working adults, there are many opportunities to earn further credentials for promotion, or to change to a more lucrative career. North Dakota is growing and changing, and scholarships are helping make it happen.

College Consensus has listed a few of the best scholarships for North Dakota students to help them along in their research. Programs are presented alphabetically.

See Also: Best Scholarships for Online Students

1

Frank Bain Freshman Presidential Scholarships

The Frank Bain Freshmen Presidential Scholarship is a great opportunity for students who are attending North Dakota State University. The University offers make North Dakota scholarships for college students. The Frank Bain Freshmen Presidential Scholarship is available to incoming freshman at NDSU. In order to qualify for scholarship consideration, students must be enrolled in the College of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources. To be considered for the Frank Bain scholarship, students must have already received either the Presidential or Presidential Honors scholarship from NDSU. If you’ve already qualified for one of these scholarships, you’ll automatically be considered for the Frank Bain scholarship. There’s no need to fill out a separate application.

Earning a freshman year scholarship is a great way to offset the total cost of your education. When you earn a scholarship early on in your academic career, you may open the doors to new opportunities. Earning a scholarship shows that you have academic promise, and can be an asset when applying to jobs after graduation as well.

2

North Dakota Career and Technical Education Scholarship

Students who qualify for the North Dakota Career and Technical Education Scholarship are seniors in high school who have plans to further their education. The scholarship award can go up to $6,000. The scholarship can be used by students who plan to attend certain North Dakota. public, private, and tribal colleges. If you’re interested in persuing a technical education, this is one of the North Dakota college scholarships that may be a good fit for you. In order to be considered for this scholarship, you’ll need to complete an application.

Offered by the North Dakota Legislature, this scholarship was designed to help students who show academic promise. The award is disbursed in increments throughout your academic career, helping you to offset the cost of your education as you go. Earning a technical education scholarship is a great way to show future employers that you’re at the top of your class.

3

North Dakota Indian Scholarships

In order to qualify for the North Dakota Indian Scholarship, you need to be an enrolled member of a Indian tribe, and you need to be a current resident of the state of North Dakota. You must have been accepted to a college, university, or technical training program. Requirements for GPA differ depending on the type of scholarship for which you’re applying. For students applying for an academic merit scholarship, you must maintain a GPA of 3.5. If you’re applying for a need based scholarship, you need to maintain a GPA of at least 2.0.

The North Dakota Indian Scholarship Board works to help Native American Indian students get the higher education they deserve. Both academic promise and financial need are considered by the Board when choosing scholarship recipients. If you’re a Native American Indian student who is interested in going to college, there are several scholarship opportunities to help you offset the cost of your tuition.

4

North Dakota Scholars Program

The North Dakota Scholars Program is a merit-based scholarship that provides full tuition to qualified recipients in the state of North Dakota. Competition for the North Dakota Scholars Program is fierce. In order to qualify, students must score at or above the 95th percentile for the ACT. Scholarships are awarded to the applicants with the highest scores first, and then the rest of the available scholarship money is distributed in descending order until it runs out. No application is required. Students who take the ACT are automatically entered into consideration for the North Dakota Scholars Program.

This incredibly valuable scholarship can be life-changing for students who put it to good use. Full tuition scholarships are rare, no matter how much academic promise a student may show. Receiving a full tuition scholarship can mean that you graduate debt-free, making it easier to start your professional life. Funds are disbursed directly to your university, making your entire college experience low-stress when it comes to paying for school.

5

Percy G. Willson Scholarship

Valley City State University is proud to offer scholarships to it’s students. The Percy G. Willson Scholarship is offered to students attending school at Valley City State University. Two Percy G. Willson Scholarships are given to Valley City State University students each year. In order to qualify for the scholarship, you must be a resident of rural Barnes County. Scholarship winners will be chosen based on their ACT and/ or SAT scores.

Percy G. Willson was a proud resident of Leal, ND, and the money for this scholarship comes from his estate. He was dedicated to helping young people further their education, and receiving this scholarship gives you the opportunity to perpetuate his legacy.

Are Scholarships in North Dakota Just for Traditional Students?

While it is most likely the case that the majority of grants and scholarships in North Dakota are intended to be used by traditional students who attend traditional schools in physical classrooms, it is unlikely that all of them would exclude those who intend to enroll in accredited online courses of study.

All North Dakota scholarships for high school seniors come with qualifications that the applicant must adhere to in order to be eligible. Standard qualifications are things like maintaining a certain Grade Point Average, attending a specific school, or being a member of a specific group. The only factor that might preclude a scholarship from being awarded to an online student is when the scholarship is intended for use at a specific school, and if that school does not offer online courses.

To find out whether online students can obtain scholarships in North Dakota, applicants should first contact the financial aid at the school they plan to attend. Financial aid counselors can help you learn whether or not certain North Dakota scholarships for high school seniors can be used by students seeking to obtain their degree online.

Does the State of North Dakota Offer Scholarships and Grants?

Like many in the U.S., North Dakota has many policies and programs designed to promote the educational growth of its citizens. Many of these policies and programs create, or come in the form of, North Dakota scholarships and grants.

North Dakota has established a government organization known as the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. This program is intended primarily to promote the continuing education of educators in North Dakota. But many programs focus more directly on non-teacher students. These include access to:

The Pell Grant: A need-based grant

The Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant: An extension of the Pell Grant

The Academic Competitiveness Grant: Another Pell extension with a focus on innovation in STEM fields

The Smart Grant: An extension of the ACG grant, this grant is intended for third and fourth-year students

The Indian Scholarship Program: Issued based on need, merit, and heritage

The Tribal Higher Education Grant: Awards are given to those who are at least ¼ Native American

The North Dakota Scholarship Program: A merit-based scholarship intended to keep North Dakota’s best students in the state

Do I Need Good Grades to Get a Scholarship in North Dakota?

Most of the time, a scholarship is given for reasons of merit and/or a mix of other qualifications. However, North Dakota scholarship requirements do vary from one program, or fund, to the next. Generally, a grant is given for reasons other than merit, like financial need, minority status, extracurricular activity and so on.

North Dakota scholarship requirements are not all the same. Although most scholarships do have GPA requirements, not all of them hold applicants to a standard of 3.5 or higher. Some only require that students maintain a 2.5. In some cases, even a GPA as low as 2.0 is considered acceptable. It all depends on who is funding the grant or scholarship and why.

Some North Dakota scholarship requirements do not even mention a minimum GPA. This does not always mean you don’t need good grades, but in many cases- grades are not the primary concern of the entity backing the fund.

Are there Scholarships for Career and Tech Schools in North Dakota?

Many, if not most, scholarships in North Dakota do not require the applicant to be committed to a specific course of study. Some do require that the student be engaged in a four-year program or some other more academically in-depth course of study that would naturally preclude tech schools and trade schools.

A brief search online, however, will show that there are many North Dakota career and technical scholarship programs are available to those who simply wish to learn a trade and start their careers sooner than later. Also, there will be many opportunities for such students to continue their education after obtaining job training in a technical skill.

There is at least one North Dakota career and technical scholarship dedicated to the promotion of students who wish to study a technical trade. It is called the North Dakota Career & Technical Education (CTE) scholarship. It was created in 2009, and students are invited to apply during their senior year of high school.

Visit the North Dakota Dept. of Public Instruction, or speak to your school’s financial aid advisor, to learn more about this program.

Related Rankings: 

Best Online Colleges in North Dakota

Best Colleges & Universities in North Dakota

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