The state of North Dakota is home to 21 public universities, two-year community colleges, and private undergraduate and graduate universities combined. Whether you’re a high school senior looking at attending a North Dakota college or university, or you’re a current college student at one of North Dakota's many institutions, this post highlights many great scholarships and resources for you to take advantage of.
Let's go over a few of North Dakota's best scholarships for students.
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: March 31, June 30, September 30, December 31
While our quarterly scholarship is not exclusive to North Dakota students, it’s a great no-essay scholarship to apply for in addition to the scholarships on this list! Open to high school, college, and graduate students of all years. DACA students are also encouraged to apply.
Amount: $25,000
Deadline: Monthly
Details: This monthly scholarship is open to all college students! Just fill out one simple registration form.
Amount: $2,500
Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: The John Deere Scholarship will be awarded to one Midwest US student, and one diverse Midwest US student in a Weld Engineering or Weld Engineering Technology program.
Amount: $1,000 to $12,000
Deadline: March 11
Eligibility: Awards are granted to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and allied individuals for their commitment to leadership within their communities.
Amount: $10,000
Deadline: March 15
Eligibility: Hess Corporation, through the North Dakota State Fair Foundation, offers eight scholarships to high school seniors who are current members of either 4-H or FFA and are pursuing secondary education or training in a career related to or in support of the oil and gas industry.
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: The fund offers renewable scholarships to full-time students enrolled in two- or four-year institutions and technical colleges offering degrees in the print communications discipline.
Amount: Varies
Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: To financially assist students of journalism who complete a paid summer reporting internship with Journal Publishing, awarding a higher education scholarship for the coming year.
Amount: $500
Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: Applicants must be legal residents of North Dakota, high school seniors, and direct descendants of a veteran with honorable service in the U.S. military.
Amount: Varies
Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: The scholarship was established to financially assist graduating high school seniors from Burleigh, McClean, Mercer, Morton, or Oliver counties to continue their post-secondary education. Preference will be given to students who plan to pursue a science-related education.
Amount: Varies
Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: Preference is given to students who are civic-minded, third year college students determined to complete their education.
Amount: $1,500
Deadline: April 26
Eligibility: High school seniors- create a 1–3 minute YouTube video based on one of these Tobacco Free NDtopics.
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: April 30
Eligibility: Qualified applicants must be pursuing an education in a field related to the Mission of Dakota Lions Sight & Health (Helping to Enable the Restoration of the Gifts of Sight & Health; this may include health professions, science and research, social services, philanthropy, nonprofit organizations, etc.) and attending a post-secondary educational institution.
Amount: Varies
Deadline: June 1
Eligibility: This program is open to residents of North Dakota who are enrolled or planning to enroll full-time at a college or university in any state and work on a degree in nursing.
Amount: Up to $1,200
Deadline: June 1
Eligibility: If you are pursuing a veterinary degree, this scholarship is for you. Financial need an an expressed interest in returning to North Dakota to practice veterinary medicine may be considered.
Amount: $750- per semester
Deadline: June 3
Eligibility: These scholarships are aimed at increasing high school rigor and retaining college students in North Dakota. The scholarships are renewable provided the student maintains a 2.75 grade point average based on a 4.00 scale reviewed each semester.
Amount: $750
Deadline: August 1
Eligibility:These scholarships are available to high school seniors focusing on on getting an education to be a professional surveyor.
Amount: $750
Deadline: September 30
Eligibility: One or more scholarships in the amount of $750 to be awarded to occupational therapy students currently enrolled at the University of North Dakota.
Amount: $2,500
Deadline: October 1
Eligibility: Priority will be given to those that indicate willingness to work in underserved communities in North Dakota and those who are pursuing degrees in shortage health professions such as Registered Nurse (RN), Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Physician Assistant (PA), Nurse Practitioner (NP), and degrees pertaining to Behavioral Health.
A great resource for North Dakota students comes from the North Dakota Community Foundation. Students can access a lot of great resources on the site by completing the online form to apply.
North Dakota student debt snapshot
According to the Department of Education, North Dakota residents owe $2.6 billion in federal student loan debt with student borrowers, owing on average $28,921. 60.8% of these loan borrowers are under the age of 35 and 11.5% of all state residents have student loan debt.
When looking for ways to fund your higher education journey, remember that scholarships allow you to take fewer loans. Be sure to apply for as many as you’re eligible. You will surely want to take advantage of any merit & need-based scholarships from colleges in North Dakota.