Research · Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Michigan: the 1 state program and what each asks for
As of October 2026: Michigan has 1 state scholarship program for students who graduate from its own high schools. The table says what each one pays, who qualifies, and when it closes, in the state's own words.
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Michigan high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com), October 2026. Figures and the table may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.
The findings, in plain English
Michigan state aid is need-based, not merit-based. None of the state programs on this table turns on a GPA or a test score. They ask about family income instead, through the FAFSA. A strong student looking for a merit award in this state will find it at a college rather than from the state.
The state's own pages are the only place these rules live. Every row links to the page the state publishes for that program. The rules and the dollar figures move from year to year, so the page is the thing to read, not a summary of it.
What this table does not tell you. Every figure on the table was read off the state's own page for that program. Nothing is estimated and nothing is carried over from an earlier year.
Every state scholarship in Michigan
Read the row, then open the state's own page before you count on a figure.
| Program | Merit or need | What it pays | GPA it asks for | Test score it asks for | Who qualifies | Deadline | Renewable | Official page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan Achievement Scholarship | Need-based | Community/tribal colleges: in-district last-dollar amount (tuition + mandatory fees + contact-hour costs, minus other gift aid), plus $1,000 more if Pell-eligible. Public universities and independent nonprofit colleges: a minimum payment of $2,500.00 plus the lesser of $3,000.00 or the student's last-dollar payment amount | — | — | Graduated from a Michigan high school with a diploma, certificate of completion, or high school equivalency certificate in 2023 or after; Michigan resident since July 1 of the prior year (parent too, if dependent); FAFSA completed, submitted and verified annually; full-time enrollment; not in default on a federal student loan; apply for all available gift aid | Must begin enrollment within 15 months of high school completion | Maximum of 5 academic years, no more than 3 of which may be at a community college or federally recognized tribal college | Source |
Every row is a state-funded or state-administered award for a Michigan high school graduate going to an undergraduate program, as of October 2026. A scholarship from a single college, a private foundation award, a federal program and a graduate-only award are all left out. A blank cell means the state's own page does not state it. Dollar figures and GPA floors change every year.
How to read a state scholarship
State awards come in two shapes. A merit award asks about grades, a course list, or a test score, and it does not care what a family earns. A need-based award asks about income and assets through the FAFSA, and it does not care about grades. Some awards ask about both, and the table calls those merit and need.
The deadline column is the one families miss. For most need-based state aid the deadline is really the FAFSA deadline, and it falls months before a college asks for a decision. A merit award more often has no application at all: the state or the high school nominates the student from records it already holds.
What a family should do with this
Open the official page in the last column for the one or two programs your student plausibly qualifies for, and write down two dates: the state aid deadline and the FAFSA deadline. Those are the two that close. In Michigan the earliest date on this table is the one to put on the calendar first.
Then look past the state. A state award is usually the smaller half of an offer. The college's own merit grid and its net price for your family income move more money than any state program on this page, and both are published.
Questions parents ask
What scholarships does Michigan offer?
Michigan has 1 state scholarship program for students who graduate from its own high schools. The table says what each one pays, who qualifies, and when it closes, in the state's own words.
Does Michigan have a merit scholarship?
None of the state programs on this table turns on a GPA or a test score.
How do I find the rules for a Michigan scholarship?
Every row links to the page the state publishes for that program. The rules and the dollar figures move from year to year, so the page is the thing to read, not a summary of it.
Method & sources: Programs come from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) / MI Student Aid and the agency's own program pages, read in October 2026. The population is a student who graduates from a Michigan high school and enrolls as an undergraduate. A scholarship offered by one college, a private foundation award, a federal program and a graduate-only award are all out of scope. A value the agency's own page does not state is left blank rather than filled from elsewhere, and a page that could not be read drops every figure.
- Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) / MI Student Aid
- Michigan Achievement Scholarship
This brief as data: /research/scholarships-in-michigan.json. Free for editorial use with attribution to Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach).
Related: Merit scholarships by college · State scholarships in every state · High schools in Michigan · Scholarship deadlines