Research · Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in North Dakota: the 3 state programs and what each asks for
As of October 2026: North Dakota has 3 state scholarship programs for students who graduate from its own high schools. The table starts with North Dakota Scholarship: Total value $6,000.
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a North Dakota 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
North Dakota runs 1 award that turn on grades or scores. North Dakota Scholarship is one of them. 1 of the 3 programs we could read name a GPA, and 1 name a test score. A need-based award asks about family income instead, through the FAFSA.
North Dakota Scholarship is the award to read first. What North Dakota Scholarship pays: Total value $6,000. The next program on the table is North Dakota State Grant: Up to $1,375 per semester or $917 per quarter, based on enrollment status. The table carries the deadline and the renewal rule for each one.
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 North Dakota
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota Scholarship | Merit | Total value $6,000; maximum award $750 per semester, $500 per quarter, $500 per clock-hour term, or $500 per apprenticeship term | 2.75 cumulative GPA to maintain eligibility for each disbursement (one-time exception if it dips below once); initial qualification is based on required high school coursework rigor plus a qualifying test score | A composite score of 24 or higher on the ACT may be used for the Post-Secondary Ready or Workforce Ready Pathway (ASVAB 50+ for Military Ready pathway; WorkKeys scores of 5+ for the CTE pathway) | Enroll full time (as defined by the institution's financial aid office); maintain program completion progress (e.g., 24 earned credits by the 3rd payment, 39 by the 4th, etc.); usable at accredited ND public, private, or tribal institutions, ND career & technical schools, or registered ND apprenticeship programs; students apply through the ND Department of Public Instruction | Students may apply online from the first Monday in January through the first Friday in June of their senior year | Valid for six academic years after high school graduation; paid across up to 8 disbursements as progress and GPA requirements are met; no more than $6,000 total across the Academic, CTE, and North Dakota Scholarships combined | Source |
| North Dakota State Grant | Need-based | Up to $1,375 per semester or $917 per quarter, based on enrollment status | — | — | North Dakota resident; first-time undergraduate; graduated from a North Dakota high school (or qualifying bordering-state/home-school/GED path); enrolled at least quarter-time at a qualifying ND public, tribal, or private institution with programs of at least 2 years; FAFSA required annually | FAFSA opens generally October 1; funding is limited so early application is recommended (no fixed cutoff date stated) | Limited to eight semesters or twelve quarters of full-time equivalent undergraduate enrollment, or attainment of a bachelor's degree, whichever comes first | Source |
| Supplemental State Grant | Need-based | An additional award on top of the ND State Grant; amount may not exceed regular undergraduate tuition, taking into account estimated Pell Grant and State Grant amounts | — | — | Student must first be awarded the ND State Grant; enrolled in at least 3 credit hours; must be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress and have completed verification if required | — | — | Source |
Every row is a state-funded or state-administered award for a North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota offer?
North Dakota has 3 state scholarship programs for students who graduate from its own high schools. The table starts with North Dakota Scholarship: Total value $6,000.
Does North Dakota have a merit scholarship?
North Dakota runs 1 award that turn on grades or scores, and North Dakota Scholarship is one of them.
How do I find the rules for a North Dakota 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 North Dakota University System (NDUS), with the ND Department of Public Instruction and the agency's own program pages, read in October 2026. The population is a student who graduates from a North Dakota 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.
- North Dakota University System (NDUS), with the ND Department of Public Instruction
- North Dakota Scholarship
- North Dakota State Grant
- Supplemental State Grant
This brief as data: /research/scholarships-in-north-dakota.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 North Dakota · Scholarship deadlines