Scholarships and Grants

Scholarships and grants (a.k.a FREE Money) don’t need to be repaid, making them the best ways to pay for college. Unlike grants which you apply for when you complete the FAFSA, scholarships are financial aid you must research and find to apply for them.

Some scholarships require more effort than others. However, many of them ask similar types of questions. You should save answers to review and modify slightly for different applications.

Most scholarship applications will ask a few questions about you and your high school career and will probably want you to write a short essay or two. Less than an hour of work could get you $1,000! Regardless of what career you pursue, this is probably the only time in your life that you’ll manage to make $1,000 per hour.

Scholarships and grants may be based on your financial need, group affiliations, grades, ACT® or SAT® test scores or an extracurricular activity. Look below for some of the scholarships and grants that are available.

Tips on Creating a Winning Scholarship Application

If your application is incomplete or not detailed enough, it may not be considered for the scholarship. It’s important to spend a little time on it. Here are some tips:

• Follow directions
• Be honest
• Highlight your strengths, passions and successes
• Read through the entire application before writing answers
• Respond to each question with a complete answer
• Practice writing your essay, if one is requested, and be sure to review and modify it as needed before putting it on your final application
• Ask a family member, teacher or counselor to review your application for errors
• Make sure to return all information by the deadline
• Keep a copy of your application

North Dakota grants and scholarships

• American Federation of Teachers
• Erickson Merkel Foundation Scholarship
• Hawkinson Scholarship
• Municipal Government Academy (MGA) Jan Jordan Fund
• Academic, Career & Technical Education, and the North Dakota Scholarships
• ND Association of Counties (NDACo)
• North Dakota Association of County Engineers (NDACE)
• ND Career Builders Scholarship & Loan Repayment Program
• ND Community Foundation
• ND Dollars for Scholars
• Dual Credit Tuition Scholarship
• ND Native American Scholarship
• ND Nurse Practitioner Association
• ND Scholars Program
• ND State Student Incentive Grant (SSIG) Program
• ND Veterinary Medical Association
• Public Employee Association
• Women’s Opportunity Fund

North Dakota college-specific scholarships

• Bismarck State College
• Cankdeska Cikana Community College
• Dakota College at Bottineau
• Dickinson State University
• Lake Region State College
• Lynnes Welding Training
• Mayville State University
• Minot State University
• North Dakota State College of Science
• North Dakota State University
• Trinity Bible College & Graduate School
• Turtle Mountain Community College
• University of Jamestown
• University of Mary
• University of North Dakota
• UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences
• Valley City State University
• Williston State College

South Dakota college-specific scholarships

• Augustana University
• Black Hills State University
• Colorado Technical University – Sioux Falls
• Dakota State University
• Dakota Wesleyan University
• Paul Mitchell The School – Rapid City
• Lake Area Technical College
• Mitchell Technical College
• Mount Marty University
• National American University
• Northern State University
• Sinte Gleska University
• Sioux Falls Seminary – Kairos University
• Sisseton-Wahpeton College
• South Dakota School of Mines
• South Dakota State University
• Southeast Technical College
• University of Sioux Falls
• University of South Dakota
• Western Dakota Technical College

Minnesota college-specific scholarships

• Alexandria Technical & Community College
• Bemidji State University
• Capella University
• College of Saint Benedict / Saint John’s University
• The College of St. Scholastica
• Concordia College
• Concordia St. Paul
• Gustavus Adolphus College
• Leech Lake Tribal College
• Minnesota State University – Mankato
• Minnesota State University – Moorhead
• Minnesota State Community and Technical College
• Minnesota State – Northland Community and Technical College
• Northwest Technical College
• Northwestern Health Sciences University
• Ridgewater College
• St. Cloud State University
• Southwest Minnesota State University
• University of Minnesota – Crookston
• University of Minnesota – Duluth
• University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
• University of St. Thomas

Federal grants

• Pell Grant
• Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
• TEACH Grant

In order for a scholarship to be “qualified,” or tax free, the student must be a candidate for a degree. He or she is also required to only use the funds for tuition, fees, books and supplies. Any amount received for incidental expenses is not a tax-free, qualified scholarship. Incidental expenses include room and board, transportation and payments for research.

Fortunately, there are a few tax credits and deductions available to taxpayers while they attend or have students in college. These include:

• American Opportunity Credit: available for the first four years of college
• Lifetime Learning Credit: available if a taxpayer or dependent is taking college classes to improve job skills
• Tuition and fees deduction: allows taxpayers to deduct qualified college expenses for themselves or a dependent
• Student loan interest deduction: allows taxpayers to deduct up to $2,500 per year on federal taxes for interest paid on student loans
• College SAVE plan deduction: allows North Dakota taxpayers to deduct up to $5,000 (up to $10,000 for married couples) of College SAVE plan contributions from their North Dakota state taxable income

Visit with a certified public accountant or legal, investment or tax professional before making financial decisions and to learn how these tax credits may impact you.

Additional Resources