North Dakota Scholarships & Grants (2027-28): North Dakota Scholarship, State Grant & ND Scholars Deadlines
Last verified: October 28, 2026 · Program rules checked against the North Dakota University System (ndus.edu) and the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (nd.gov/dpi)
This page is written for families of the Class of 2027: seniors who start college in fall 2027. Their first year of college is the 2027-28 aid year, which is the year the money is spent, not the year the forms are filed. North Dakota replaced its old Academic and CTE Scholarships with a single North Dakota Scholarship starting with the Class of 2025, and most handouts still describe the old rules. Below is how the current system actually works, what it pays, and the two places families lose money without knowing it.
✅ The rule most families get wrong
The North Dakota Scholarship is no longer a test-score scholarship. A 24 ACT and a 3.0 GPA qualify no one on their own.
Since the Class of 2025, the $6,000 North Dakota Scholarship requires a set of Essential Skills (a 3.0 unweighted GPA, the ND Civics Test, a Four-Year Rolling Plan, a middle-school career course, and four of eight activity indicators) plus two of three readiness pathways: Post-Secondary Ready, Workforce Ready, and Military Ready. A student with a 30 ACT can miss it. A student who never takes the ACT can earn it. Every student who meets the requirements gets the scholarship; there is no cap on the number of winners.
⏰ The date that matters most
North Dakota has no state FAFSA deadline, and that is the trap.
The need-based ND State Grant (up to $1,375 per semester) is awarded until the money runs out, and the newer Supplemental State Grant only goes to students who already received a State Grant. No published date means no warning. The real deadline is whenever the funds are gone, so the right day to file is as soon as you can. The 2027-28 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is already open at studentaid.gov.
Where things stand as of October 28, 2026
- Class of 2027 (seniors): ✅ The 2027-28 FAFSA is open now. ✅ ACT, SAT, WorkKeys, and ASVAB testing still counts for the North Dakota Scholarship if it happens before graduation. ⏳ The North Dakota Scholarship application opens January 4, 2027. ❌ The ND Scholars Program testing window closed June 30, 2026; selection is based on scores already taken, and finalists are notified during senior year.
- Class of 2028 (juniors): ✅ The ND Scholars testing window is open now through June 30, 2027. Only ACT or SAT scores from those dates count toward this full-tuition award.
- Class of 2026 (college freshmen): ⏳ North Dakota Scholarship payment 3 (fall 2027) requires 24 earned credits. Payment 4 requires 39. Read why that matters ↓
- Everyone: ⏳ The North Dakota Legislature meets in January 2027 and sets state aid funding for July 2027 through June 2029. We will update this page when that budget passes.
Quick checklist (jump to a section):
- How North Dakota aid works
- North Dakota Scholarship requirements
- The 39-credit checkpoint
- Major programs
- The pathway math: three routes to the same $6,000
- Deadlines
- Free counselor cheat sheet (PDF)
- How aid stacks
- Common ways aid gets lost
- Who benefits most
- Colleges that stack best
- Smaller programs worth checking
- FAQ
- ✅ Standing tip: ask your school counselor to open the eTranscript progress monitor for your student. It shows, indicator by indicator, whether the student is on pace for the North Dakota Scholarship.
📌 What to do right now
- Everyone: create FSA IDs for the student and one parent at studentaid.gov. Each person needs their own email address and phone number.
- Seniors (Class of 2027): file the 2027-28 FAFSA now, list every North Dakota college you are considering, and make sure the high school name, city, and state are on the form (the State Grant uses them). Ask the counselor which North Dakota Scholarship indicators are still unmarked, then plan the spring around the gaps. If your student has a 24 ACT superscore, send the official ACT report to the Department of Public Instruction now using code 2927.
- Seniors, in January: create the North Dakota Scholarship application login at apps.nd.gov/DPI/scholarship once the window opens on January 4, 2027.
- Juniors (Class of 2028): if your student is anywhere near a 30 ACT, schedule ACT or SAT dates before June 30, 2027. Those are the only scores the ND Scholars Program will rank.
- Grades 9 to 11: pull up the North Dakota Scholarship requirements chart and check off what is already done. Community service hours, attendance, and two-year activity records are much easier to build early.
Looking past state aid? Browse every college on our College Scholarships hub, compare awards with the CRP Scholarship Search Tool, or see how other states work on the State Scholarships & Grants hub. New to all of this? Start with FAFSA 101 for Parents and the First-Gen Parent Guide.
How North Dakota Aid Actually Works
North Dakota has two front doors, and they are run by two different agencies. The merit scholarship goes through the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) while your student is still in high school. Everything need-based goes through the FAFSA, and the North Dakota University System (NDUS) pays it out once your student is in college.
- Door 1: the FAFSA. One federal form, filed every year, decides the Pell Grant, the ND State Grant, the Supplemental State Grant, and most college need-based aid. The FAFSA produces a number called the SAI (Student Aid Index), which colleges use to measure how much help your family needs. Lower SAI means more need.
- Door 2: the DPI scholarship application. A separate online application for the North Dakota Scholarship, open only from the first Monday in January to the first Friday in June of senior year. The school does most of the verifying; the student still has to apply.
- A third portal for some students. The Native American Scholarship and the North Dakota-Minnesota tuition reciprocity application both run through the ND SAMS portal on the NDUS site.
- Everything is capped at the cost of attendance. The COA (cost of attendance) is the college’s official estimate of a full year’s cost, including tuition, fees, housing, food, books, and transportation. If all of your student’s grants and scholarships together would exceed it, NDUS rules require the state aid to be reduced or canceled for that term.
🔑 Setting up the DPI scholarship login: do it right the first time
- Use a personal email address the student will keep after high school. DPI says not to use a school email address, because all scholarship correspondence goes there through the summer.
- Add a parent’s email address too. DPI strongly recommends it.
- Print the completed application before you click submit. DPI asks every student to keep a copy.
- A confirmation email should arrive immediately. If it does not, call DPI at 701-328-2244 the same day.
- Write the login and password somewhere a parent can find it. You will need it if anything changes.
Myths that cost North Dakota families real money
Myth 1: “A 24 ACT and a 3.0 GPA get you the state scholarship.” That was the old Academic Scholarship rule, retired for the Class of 2025. The current scholarship requires Essential Skills plus two of three pathways. Families who rely on the old rule find out in June that an unchecked indicator cost them $6,000.
Myth 2: “North Dakota doesn’t accept ACT superscores.” It does. A superscore is the average of your student’s best section scores across several test dates. A superscore of 24 or higher counts, as long as every test date was before graduation and DPI receives the official ACT score report. Superscores do not show up on the eTranscript by themselves.
Myth 3: “There’s no FAFSA deadline in North Dakota, so there’s no rush.” The State Grant is paid until funds run out, and the Supplemental State Grant requires a State Grant first. Waiting costs money even though no date is printed anywhere.
Myth 4: “Full time is enough to keep the scholarship.” Full time (usually 12 credits) is enough to get the first two payments. After that, the student needs a running total of earned credits that a steady 12-credit schedule does not reach. See the 39-credit checkpoint ↓
North Dakota Scholarship Requirements: Essential Skills Plus Two of Three Pathways
Every student needs all of the Essential Skills, then any two of the three pathways. Missing a single Essential Skill ends eligibility, no matter how strong the pathways are.
The scholarship is worth $6,000 total, paid as $750 per semester ($500 per quarter, clock-hour term, or apprenticeship term), and it can be used for up to six years after high school graduation at accredited North Dakota colleges, universities, career schools, and registered apprenticeship programs. The student must be a North Dakota resident at graduation.
Step 1: Essential Skills (all required)
- Earn a North Dakota high school diploma.
- Earn a 3.0 or higher overall unweighted GPA. Weighted grades cannot be used; an A counts as 4 points no matter what the school’s own scale says.
- Pass the ND Civics Test with a score of 70 percent or higher.
- Complete a Four-Year Rolling Plan, updated each year with a staff member.
- Complete a nine-week career education course or individual career counseling in grade 7 or 8.
- Meet four of these eight indicators: 25 hours of community service; 95 percent attendance (school-related absences excluded); a career exploration experience; two or more years of co-curricular activities; two or more years of extracurricular activities; a capstone project; an online learning course; demonstrated competency in 21st Century Skills.
Step 2: Any two of these three pathways
| Pathway | Test requirement | Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Post-Secondary Ready | ACT composite 24 or SAT 1180 (superscores accepted with an official report) | Two of: grade of C or better in an AP course, a dual credit English or math course, or Algebra II; C or better in three fine arts courses; AP exam score of 3+; IB exam score of 4+; 3.0 unweighted GPA in the NDUS admission core courses |
| Workforce Ready | ACT 24, SAT 1180, or a 5 or higher on all three WorkKeys tests (Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, Workplace Documents) | Coursework: 4 CTE credits with 2 in the same plan of study, or 3 credits of the same world, indigenous, or sign language, or the 4-credit teaching pathway. Then two of: Career Ready Practices course; any dual credit course (C or better, not the same one used above); technical assessment or industry credential; 40-hour workplace learning experience; 40-hour Perkins V work-based learning; Level 3 or higher in reading and math on the state assessment |
| Military Ready | ASVAB 50 or higher (31 if the student completes basic training within 90 days of graduation) | C or better in a physical education course, plus one of: two indicators from the other pathways; 2 credits of JROTC; Phase 1 of Cadet Civil Air Patrol; 2 credits of approved military coursework |
⚠️ The June 30 report your family never sees
Most of these indicators are not on the application at all. DPI pulls them from the Choice Ready report each public high school submits by June 30, and it will not count an indicator that was not marked in that report. There are no exceptions. Nonpublic schools file a separate verification form, and home-educated students submit notarized forms themselves.
Your move: in the spring of senior year, ask the counselor to print the student’s progress page from eTranscript and walk through every indicator with you. You’re allowed to ask for this, and it is the only way to catch a missing community service log or activity record before the report closes.
📝 What changed for the Class of 2027
A 2025 law (HB 1404) lets a score on the new NDA+ state assessment substitute for the ACT 24, starting with the Class of 2027. As of October 2026, DPI has not published the NDA+ score that counts as equivalent. Until it does, we are not publishing a guess. If your student is relying on the NDA+ instead of the ACT, call DPI’s Office of School Approval and Opportunity at 701-328-2244 before spring testing ends. A second 2025 law (HB 1098) added a teaching-career coursework option to the Workforce Ready pathway.
The need-based layer: State Grant and Supplemental State Grant
The scholarship rewards preparation. The two state grants respond to need, and a student can hold all three at once.
| Grant | Most it pays | Who qualifies |
|---|---|---|
| ND State Grant | Up to $1,375 per semester ($917 per quarter), reduced for part-time enrollment; up to 8 full-time semesters | North Dakota residents pursuing a first undergraduate degree at a North Dakota college with programs at least two years long, ranked by unmet need from the FAFSA, until funds run out |
| Supplemental State Grant | Enough so that Pell plus the State Grant plus this grant equals tuition, capped at the highest NDUS undergraduate tuition rate; fall and spring only | State Grant recipients whose total family income on the FAFSA is $80,000 or less |
The Supplemental State Grant is new in 2025-26. The Legislature appropriated $7 million for it for July 2025 through June 2027, while NDUS testimony estimated the full cost at $12.1 million. The award formula can reach full tuition on paper; in practice it depends on funding lasting. That is one more reason to file the FAFSA early.
The 39-Credit Checkpoint: Full Time Gets Your Student Paid, 12 Credits Does Not Keep Them Paid
A student who takes exactly 12 credits every semester loses the fourth North Dakota Scholarship payment, even with perfect grades.
The scholarship pays $750 at a time, and each payment has its own test. The first two only require full-time enrollment, which most colleges define as 12 credits. Starting with payment 3, NDUS checks the total number of credits the student has earned. Earned means completed and passed, not attempted.
| Payment | Earned credits required | A 12-credit student has | A 15-credit student has |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 and 2 | Enrolled full time | Paid | Paid |
| 3 | 24 | 24 · paid | 30 · paid |
| 4 | 39 | 36 · not paid | 45 · paid |
| 5 | 54 | 48 · not paid | 60 · paid |
| 6 | 69 | 60 · not paid | 75 · paid |
| 7 | 84 | 72 · not paid | 90 · paid |
| 8 | 99 | 84 · not paid | 105 · paid |
Running totals assume semesters and no other credits. Source: NDUS North Dakota Scholarship program completion progress requirements.
The GPA rule has one second chance built in. The student must keep a 2.75 cumulative college GPA. The first time it falls below 2.75, NDUS grants a one-time exception and pays the next full-time term. The second time, eligibility ends permanently.
🔍 What we have not been able to confirm
The rule counts earned credits, but NDUS does not say whether dual credit earned in high school or credits earned in summer count toward these totals. That changes the math for a lot of North Dakota students. Ask the NDUS financial aid office at 701-328-4156 before you build a schedule around them.
Your move: plan on 15 credits in at least most semesters, and check the earned-credit total on the student’s transcript before every spring registration.
Major North Dakota Programs
These are the state programs a Class of 2027 senior can actually use. Each card links to the official page.
North Dakota Scholarship
- Award: $6,000 total; $750 per semester
- Who it’s for: North Dakota graduates who meet the Essential Skills and two of three pathways
- Deadline: Apply January 4 to June 4, 2027; all testing before graduation
- Trap: indicators not marked in the school’s June 30 Choice Ready report do not count
ND State Grant
- Award: up to $1,375 per semester
- Who it’s for: first-degree undergraduates with unmet need on the FAFSA
- Deadline: none published; awarded until funds run out
- Trap: must be refiled every year with a new FAFSA
Supplemental State Grant
- Award: fills the gap between tuition and Pell plus the State Grant
- Who it’s for: State Grant recipients with total family income of $80,000 or less
- Deadline: same as the State Grant: file the FAFSA early
- Trap: no State Grant, no supplement; tuition only, no summer
ND Scholars Program
- Award: full tuition (based on 15 credits) for up to 8 semesters
- Who it’s for: top scorers at 30 ACT or higher (or SAT equivalent), ranked statewide
- Deadline: no application; tests must be taken July 1 to June 30 of junior year
- Trap: start college out of state and it cannot be reinstated; renewal needs a 3.5 college GPA
Native American Scholarship
- Award: up to $2,000 per year
- Who it’s for: North Dakota residents enrolled in a federally recognized tribe, 2.0 GPA minimum (merit at 3.50 and up, need-based from 2.0 to 3.499)
- Deadline: July 15 each year for priority consideration
- Trap: a new application, tribal enrollment proof, and transcript are required every year
Dual-Credit Tuition Scholarship
- Award: $250, $500, or $750 one time, for one, two, or three or more dual credit courses
- Who it’s for: students who passed dual credit courses from a North Dakota college in high school
- Deadline: apply after finishing the first college term
- Trap: nobody applies for you; it is easy to forget a year after graduation
ND Career Builders Scholarship
- Award: up to $17,000
- Who it’s for: students in programs tied to high-need North Dakota occupations, with matching money from an employer
- Deadline: see the NDUS page; the employer’s matching funds must arrive before state funds are issued
- Trap: it becomes a debt if the student does not work in the field in North Dakota (or within 50 miles) for 3 years
North Dakota-Minnesota Reciprocity
- Award: North Dakota residents at Minnesota public colleges pay the Minnesota resident rate
- Who it’s for: North Dakota residents admitted to a Minnesota public campus
- Deadline: before the end of the term you want the benefit for
- Trap: admission does not trigger it; a separate application is required
The Pathway Math: Three Routes to the Same $6,000
A student who struggles with the ACT can still earn the North Dakota Scholarship through Workforce Ready and Military Ready, with no ACT score at all.
Because any two pathways qualify, the scholarship has three combinations. Families usually only hear about the first one.
| Combination | Tests the student needs | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Post-Secondary + Workforce | ACT 24 or SAT 1180 (one score counts for both) | College-bound students who also took CTE or three years of one language |
| Post-Secondary + Military | ACT 24 or SAT 1180, plus ASVAB 50 | JROTC students and future officers |
| Workforce + Military | WorkKeys 5 on all three tests, plus ASVAB 50 | Students who test poorly on the ACT, CTE students, anyone considering the military or the trades |
The Workforce Ready coursework option also has three doors of its own: CTE credits, three years of the same world, indigenous, or sign language, or the new teaching pathway. A student who took three years of Spanish and a dual credit course may already be closer than the family thinks.
Your move: if your senior is stuck below a 24 ACT, ask the counselor about WorkKeys testing dates. All testing must be finished before graduation, and WorkKeys and ASVAB score reports must be sent to DPI.
North Dakota State Aid Deadlines
North Dakota’s dates are spread across two agencies and each college. Here they are together.
The dates that repeat every year
| What | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FAFSA opens for the next aid year | By October 1 (the 2027-28 form opened before October 1, 2026) | File as soon as possible for the State Grant |
| ND State Grant and Supplemental State Grant | No fixed date | Awarded until funds run out |
| ND Scholars testing window | July 1 to June 30 of junior year | Only scores from these dates are ranked |
| North Dakota Scholarship application | First Monday in January to first Friday in June, senior year | Online through DPI |
| North Dakota Scholarship testing | Before high school graduation | ACT, SAT, WorkKeys, ASVAB; send superscore, SAT, WorkKeys, and ASVAB reports to DPI |
| Choice Ready report (school files it) | June 30 | Unmarked indicators do not count |
| Native American Scholarship | July 15 each year (priority) | New application every year |
| ND-MN reciprocity | Before the end of the term | Separate application |
The Class of 2027 milestone chain
| Date | Step |
|---|---|
| Now (fall 2026) | File the 2027-28 FAFSA; send any ACT superscore report to DPI (code 2927) |
| December 2026 | Review the eTranscript scholarship progress page with the counselor |
| January 4, 2027 | North Dakota Scholarship application opens |
| February 1, 2027 | NDSU scholarship application and FAFSA priority date; UND automatic scholarship priority date (confirm UND’s 2027 date) |
| March 15, 2027 | NDSU Land Grant Access Award: admission, application, and an error-free FAFSA all due |
| Spring 2027 | Last ACT, SAT, WorkKeys, or ASVAB attempts; all testing before graduation |
| June 4, 2027 | North Dakota Scholarship application closes |
| June 30, 2027 | High school files the Choice Ready report |
| July 1, 2027 | NDSU final high school transcript due for guaranteed scholarships |
| July 15, 2027 | Native American Scholarship priority date |
| Fall 2027 | First $750 payment, after the college’s census date (the day each term when enrollment is officially counted) |
| Fall 2028 | Payment 3 requires 24 earned credits |
| Spring 2029 | Payment 4 requires 39 earned credits |
The January 4 and June 4, 2027 dates are calculated from DPI’s published rule (first Monday in January through first Friday in June). DPI has not yet posted the 2027 dates. A priority deadline is the date a college or agency sets for first consideration; money can still be available after it, but there is less of it.
📄 Free download: North Dakota State Aid Cheat Sheet (PDF)
Two printable pages: every program, the deadline table, the North Dakota Scholarship pathway checklist, the 39-credit checkpoint, and a counselor calendar. Built for school counselors to copy and hand out. No email, no signup, no data collection.
Download the cheat sheet (PDF) → Free to print and share · Verified October 2026
Spot something wrong? Email leo@collegereadyparent.org and we will correct it.
How North Dakota Aid Stacks
North Dakota’s merit scholarship and need-based grants can all be held at once, up to the cost of attendance.
- The North Dakota Scholarship, the State Grant, the Supplemental State Grant, Pell, and college scholarships can all appear on the same aid offer.
- The Supplemental State Grant is the only state program with a built-in formula: Pell plus the State Grant plus the supplement cannot exceed tuition charged.
- No state grant or scholarship can push total aid over the COA. When that happens, the college must reduce or cancel state aid for that term, and the reduction can come after a college scholarship arrives.
- College scholarships can interact with each other. At NDSU, a higher renewable scholarship replaces the guaranteed scholarship instead of adding to it.
Illustrative example 1: four-year, on campus, family income $62,000
Base tuition of $10,460 (NDSU’s published 2026-27 resident estimate). The student qualifies for a $3,200 Pell Grant (illustrative), the maximum State Grant of $2,750, and the North Dakota Scholarship.
- Supplemental State Grant: $10,460 minus $3,200 minus $2,750 = $4,510, if funds last
- Pell, State Grant, and supplement together: $10,460, covering base tuition
- North Dakota Scholarship: $1,500 on top, toward fees, books, or housing
- Still on the bill: housing, meals, mandatory fees, and books. Grants cover tuition, not the whole year.
Illustrative only. Pell amounts depend on the SAI, and the supplement depends on funding.
Illustrative example 2: two-year college, living at home, family income $95,000
Tuition of $5,000 per year (an illustrative round figure, not a specific college). No Pell Grant at this income.
- Supplemental State Grant: $0 (family income is above $80,000)
- State Grant: anywhere from $0 to $2,750 depending on unmet need; we show $0 to be safe
- North Dakota Scholarship: $1,500
- Dual-Credit Tuition Scholarship after the first term, for two dual credit courses taken in high school: $500 one time
- Family share of tuition in year one: about $3,000. The ND Scholarship keeps paying at a two-year college and follows the student on transfer.
Illustrative only. File the FAFSA anyway; unmet need is measured against the college’s full cost, not income alone.
Common Ways North Dakota Aid Gets Lost
Almost none of these are about the student’s ability. They are paperwork and timing problems, which means they are preventable.
The unmarked indicator
Community service, attendance, or activities that happened but never got recorded in the school’s Choice Ready report by June 30. DPI makes no exceptions.
The superscore that never arrived
A 24 superscore only counts if DPI receives the official ACT report. It does not appear on the eTranscript automatically.
The test after graduation
A June ACT taken after the graduation ceremony does not count, even if the application is still open.
The 12-credit schedule
Steady full-time enrollment at 12 credits misses the 39-credit checkpoint before payment 4.
The late FAFSA
No published deadline, but State Grant funds are limited. Filing in spring can mean no State Grant and no supplement.
The silent transfer
Switching colleges without telling NDUS can cost a term of scholarship payments. Call 701-328-4156 before the new term.
The out-of-state first year
Start at an out-of-state college and the ND Scholars award cannot be reinstated. For the North Dakota Scholarship, call NDUS at 701-877-5719 before enrolling back in North Dakota.
The outside scholarship surprise
A late hometown scholarship can push total aid over the cost of attendance, and state aid must then be reduced or canceled for that term. Report outside awards early so the college can plan.
Who Benefits Most From North Dakota Aid
Low-income families
The biggest winners. Pell, the State Grant, and the Supplemental State Grant are designed together to reach tuition at a North Dakota public college, and the North Dakota Scholarship adds $1,500 a year on top. The only catch is timing: file the FAFSA as early as possible.
Middle-income families
The $80,000 total family income line for the Supplemental State Grant is a cliff, not a slope. Families above it still get the North Dakota Scholarship if the student qualifies, and they may still get some State Grant if the FAFSA shows unmet need. For these families, college choice matters more than state aid. See the college section ↓
High-achieving students
A 30 ACT is the number to watch. It opens the ND Scholars ranking (if earned in the junior-year window) and the top automatic tiers at both NDSU and UND. For the Class of 2028, testing before June 30, 2027 is the whole game.
Students who test poorly
The North Dakota Scholarship can be earned without the ACT through the Workforce Ready and Military Ready pathways. At NDSU, automatic money starts at a 3.0 GPA with no test required.
Adult and returning students
The State Grant has no age limit: it covers North Dakota residents seeking a first undergraduate degree who graduated from a North Dakota high school, completed supervised home education in North Dakota, or earned a North Dakota GED. The North Dakota Scholarship must be used within six years of high school graduation, so a student who took a gap year or two still has time. Career Builders is built for people training into high-need jobs.
First-generation families
The eligibility rules are the same for everyone; the risk is in the paperwork. Two applications, two agencies, a report the family never sees, and a credit checkpoint three semesters into college. If you feel behind, you’re not. The grade-level checklists and the cheat sheet above cover every step.
Colleges That Stack Best With North Dakota Aid
The state pays the same North Dakota Scholarship and State Grant at every eligible college. The variable that changes your family’s bill is what the college adds on top, and the academic bar it sets for that money.
🔎 What our database shows
At NDSU, a 3.0 GPA starts automatic scholarship money. At UND, automatic money starts at a 3.50 unless the student also has a 30 ACT.
For a student in the 3.0 to 3.49 range without a 30 ACT, NDSU pays automatically and UND does not. NDSU’s need-based Land Grant Access Award goes lower still, to a 2.75 GPA, but it requires an application and is not guaranteed. Thresholds are from each university’s own scholarship page, verified October 2026.
The lowest academic bar for real money
North Dakota State University (NDSU). Guaranteed scholarships start at a 3.0 GPA, with no test score required, and the top tier has two separate doors: a 3.98 GPA alone, or a 3.0 GPA with a 30 ACT (1370 SAT). The guaranteed amount requires a final high school transcript by July 1; higher-value awards require the NDSU scholarship application by February 1, which is also NDSU’s FAFSA priority date. For families with need, the Land Grant Access Award requires admission, an application, and an error-free FAFSA by March 15. Note: NDSU’s Tuition Award Program is closed to students starting in fall 2027 or later. Our database does not yet show whether NDSU superscores the ACT for its own grid; ask admissions at 701-231-8643.
The test-score door
University of North Dakota (UND). Automatic scholarships start at a 3.50 unweighted GPA, and the 3.50 to 3.69 tier is one-time. The top tier opens at a 3.90 GPA, or at a 3.00 GPA with a 30 ACT (1370 SAT) and official scores submitted. The priority deadline for the admission application, transcripts, and test scores is February 1; confirm UND’s 2027 date. Students must enroll in at least 12 credits per semester. Our database records UND as accepting ACT superscores for its grid; confirm with UND One-Stop when you apply.
Not yet in our database
We have verified only NDSU and UND so far. These North Dakota colleges all accept the North Dakota Scholarship, but we have not checked their own scholarship grids, and we would rather leave them without numbers than publish a guess:
- NDUS public colleges: Bismarck State College, Dakota College at Bottineau, Dickinson State University, Lake Region State College, Mayville State University, Minot State University, North Dakota State College of Science, Valley City State University, Williston State College
- Private colleges: University of Mary, University of Jamestown, Trinity Bible College and Graduate School
- Tribal colleges: Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, Sitting Bull College, Turtle Mountain Community College, United Tribes Technical College
For any of these, open the college’s financial aid page and look for the scholarship deadline first. That is the date families most often miss.
The two-year and transfer pathway
The North Dakota Scholarship pays the same $750 per semester at two-year colleges and career schools as it does at universities, and it follows the student on transfer. The State Grant works at any eligible North Dakota college with programs at least two years long. Inside the NDUS system, the General Education Requirement Transfer Agreement (GERTA) means a student who completes the lower-division general education requirements (36 or more credits) at one NDUS campus has them treated as complete at another. Individual majors can still require more.
Three cautions: tell NDUS before transferring so payments move with the student; the six-year clock on the North Dakota Scholarship keeps running through any gap; and the earned-credit checkpoints keep counting, so a light schedule at the two-year college can cost a payment after transfer.
For families across the line
Minnesota residents attending NDSU or UND can pay a reciprocity rate instead of nonresident tuition, but must apply through the Minnesota Office of Higher Education; NDSU asks for that application by July 1. North Dakota residents going the other way pay the Minnesota resident rate at Minnesota public colleges through the NDUS reciprocity application. Students from other states can look at the Western Undergraduate Exchange and the Midwest Student Exchange Program, which cap tuition at 150 percent of the in-state rate at participating colleges. Our reciprocity guide covers both. North Dakota’s own state grants and scholarships do not travel out of state, apart from a narrow State Grant exception for students whose medically certified disability requires services not available in North Dakota.
Smaller Programs Worth Checking
| Program | What to know |
|---|---|
| Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP) | Helps North Dakota residents enter veterinary medicine, optometry, and dentistry programs not offered in the state. Apply through NDUS by October 15 of the year before entry. NDUS PSEP page |
| NDSU North Dakota Native American Scholarship Match | NDSU students who receive the state Native American Scholarship may qualify for an additional NDSU match. Ask NDSU financial aid. NDSU scholarships |
| NDSU Land Grant Access Award | Need-based tuition waiver for admitted students with a 2.75 GPA. Hard March 15 deadline for the application and an error-free FAFSA; not guaranteed. NDSU page |
| Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) | For North Dakota residents leaving the region westward: up to 150 percent of in-state tuition at designated colleges. Our WUE guide |
| Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP) | For North Dakota residents heading to participating Midwest publics: no more than 150 percent of in-state tuition. Use reciprocity, not MSEP, for Minnesota. Our MSEP guide |
Want to compare more colleges by GPA? See scholarships by GPA, and when offers arrive, use our guide to comparing financial aid offers.
North Dakota Scholarship and State Aid FAQ
Does North Dakota require an ACT score for the North Dakota Scholarship?
Not always. The Post-Secondary Ready pathway needs a 24 ACT or 1180 SAT, but the Workforce Ready pathway accepts WorkKeys scores of 5 or higher on all three tests, and the Military Ready pathway uses an ASVAB of 50 or higher. Because a student needs only two of the three pathways, a student can qualify through Workforce Ready and Military Ready with no ACT at all. Starting with the Class of 2027, an equivalent NDA+ score will also count, but DPI has not yet published that score.
How much is the North Dakota Scholarship?
The North Dakota Scholarship is worth $6,000 total. It pays $750 per semester, or $500 per quarter, clock-hour term, or apprenticeship term, for up to eight semesters. It must be used within six years of high school graduation at an eligible North Dakota college, career school, or registered apprenticeship program.
What is the North Dakota Scholarship deadline for 2027?
The application runs from the first Monday in January to the first Friday in June of senior year, which for the Class of 2027 is January 4 to June 4, 2027. All ACT, SAT, WorkKeys, and ASVAB testing must happen before high school graduation. The high school also files a Choice Ready report by June 30, and any indicator not marked in that report will not count.
Does the North Dakota Scholarship accept ACT superscores?
Yes. An ACT superscore of 24 or higher meets the test requirement, as long as every test date used was before high school graduation. The student must send an official ACT score report to the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, ACT code 2927, because superscores do not appear on the eTranscript automatically.
Can you lose the North Dakota Scholarship?
Yes. The student must enroll full time, keep a 2.75 cumulative college GPA, and meet earned-credit checkpoints of 24 credits before payment 3, 39 before payment 4, and 15 more before each payment after that. The first time the GPA drops below 2.75, NDUS grants a one-time exception; the second time ends eligibility. A student taking only 12 credits a semester will miss the 39-credit checkpoint.
Does North Dakota state aid cover housing?
Mostly no. The Supplemental State Grant and the ND Scholars Program are capped at tuition. The North Dakota Scholarship and the State Grant are not described as tuition-only, but neither is large enough to cover housing. All state aid is capped at the college’s cost of attendance.
Can you get both the North Dakota Scholarship and the North Dakota State Grant?
Yes. The North Dakota Scholarship is based on high school preparation and the State Grant is based on financial need, so a student can receive both in the same semester. Students with total family income of $80,000 or less who receive a State Grant can also receive the Supplemental State Grant. Total aid cannot exceed the cost of attendance.
What North Dakota scholarships can a student get with a 3.0 GPA?
A 3.0 unweighted GPA is the floor for the North Dakota Scholarship, which also requires Essential Skills and two of three pathways. At NDSU, guaranteed scholarships start at a 3.0 GPA with no test required. At UND, automatic scholarships start at a 3.50 GPA unless the student has a 30 ACT. The need-based ND State Grant has no GPA requirement at all.
Prefer a printable version? Download the two-page North Dakota cheat sheet (PDF). Free to copy and share.
Sources and verification
Verified October 28, 2026 against the North Dakota University System: North Dakota Scholarship · State Grant and Supplemental State Grant · ND Scholars Program · Native American Scholarship · State Grant and Scholarship Programs chart, 2025-26 · Reciprocity · Career Builders.
North Dakota Department of Public Instruction: North Dakota Scholarship · Scholarship FAQ · Requirements chart (July 2026) · Scholarship Guidance 2026.
Law and funding: NDCC 15-62.4 (State Grant and supplemental award) · Legislative Council budget summary, NDUS 2025-27 · NDUS testimony on SB 2147.
Colleges: NDSU scholarships · NDSU Land Grant Access Award · NDSU Tuition Award Program · UND freshman scholarships · GERTA agreement text.
How we verify college figures: our data methodology. Rules and funding change, especially after a legislative session. Confirm current details on the official pages before making financial decisions.
If you feel late, you’re not. Most of North Dakota’s money is decided between January and June of senior year, and the FAFSA can be filed today. Pick one step from the blue box above and do it this week.
Looking for more? Visit the State Scholarships & Grants hub, the College Scholarships hub, or the CRP Scholarship Search Tool.
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