North Dakota Scholarship

The North Dakota Scholarship is the state's merit award for North Dakota high school graduates, replacing the former Academic and Career & Technical Education Scholarships starting with the class of 2025. To qualify, a student must meet the Essential Skills requirement plus 2 of 3 additional pathways — Post-Secondary Ready, Workforce Ready, or Military Ready — as defined by the state's Choice Ready framework, with schools marking these indicators on each student's Choice Ready report by June 30 of senior year. The scholarship pays up to $6,000 total for use at an approved North Dakota college, university, professional school, or registered apprenticeship program; students apply online during senior year, and the award is automatically renewed each term as long as the student stays enrolled full-time, maintains a 2.75 cumulative GPA, and makes adequate progress toward a degree.

Eligibility

DemographicsMust graduate from a North Dakota high school; verified home-educated students and non-public school students are also eligible via separate verification forms. For use at ND colleges, universities, professional schools, or registered apprenticeship programs.

Applying

$6,000 lifetime maximum, disbursed each term to the student's ND college/university financial aid office after enrollment is verified.