North Dakota Financial Aid Choices
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The State of North Dakota and North Dakota State college system work in tandem to administer general and specialized scholarships and grants.
General Scholarships and Grants
The North Dakota Scholarship Program is a purely merit-based scholarship that offers up to 20 of the most talented students a scholarship that covers tuition at a state college, university or tribal college.
The purpose of the scholarship program is to keep academic talent within the state during and after collegiate study. Students qualify based on ACT test scores (ACT is equivalent to the SAT). Students wishing to attend a private college in ND may receive partial tuition scholarships. Recipients who maintain a 3.5 GPA may be eligible to renew their scholarship for up to 3 years.
North Dakota has a large Native American population that is often disadvantaged and isolated. The Indian Scholarship Program was developed to provide a hundred or so scholarships to Native American students based on both merit and need. Awards can be as high as $2000 per academic year. Qualified applicants must be North Dakota residents, be able to prove tribal membership and have a GPA of at least a 2.0.
Go here to read about more scholarships available to Native Americans.
North Dakota State Student Incentive Grants program benefits up to 2000 financially needy students each year. Financially disadvantaged students may otherwise be unable to afford a college education. Eligible candidates must be North Dakota residents, and be attending a state college, university or tribal college. Awards may be anywhere between $500 and $1000 per academic year. Apply by filling out the FAFSA. The earlier you apply, the better your chances for receiving grants.
Specialized Studies Scholarships and Grants
Technological and vocational careers are popular in the North Dakota region. These jobs keep many residents living comfortably and maintain a strong economic base. For this reason the state of North Dakota has been instrumental in providing scholarships and grant monies for students who choose to pursue vocational or technical programs.
The Technology Occupations Student Loan Program rewards those students who have not only graduated from a technology program, but who have been employed in a technology job for at least a year following their graduation. The program offers eligible students $1000 grants, annually, that are applied to loan repayment. Because funds are limited, you should apply early.
Count North Dakota among nearly every other state in the union that can identify critical shortages of teachers. Each year the state assesses the regions of most need, as well as subjects most lacking in qualified teachers. The Teacher Shortage Loan Forgiveness Program invites students finishing their teaching degrees or working teachers with demonstrated student loan debt to apply for positions in underserved areas. If accepted, the state doles out up to $3000 in grants to be applied to each recipient's loan repayment. In exchange, teachers work in North Dakota public schools for a pre-determined amount of time.
Go here to read about more scholarships available to teachers.
The North Dakota University System has the application information of the scholarships listed on this page.
