North Dakota State University

The NDSU Presidential Scholarship Program awards are among the most prestigious academic scholarships awarded to freshmen.  The NDSU Presidential Scholarship is a $3,000 annual award given for four consecutive years to students scoring a 32 or higher on the ACT (or 1400 or higher on the SAT math and reading).  The NDSU Presidential Honor Scholarship is awarded to incoming freshmen with an ACT of 29 to 31 (or SAT of 1320 to 1390).  Recipients are awarded $2,500 annually for four consecutive years. Students must have a 3.5 grade point average (GPA) at the time of admission to be considered for the Presidential Program scholarships.

Once admitted to the university, NDSU automatically awards Presidential Program scholarships to qualifying students. Only students who are admitted by February 1 can receive a Presidential Program scholarship. Recipients may file a separate Freshman Scholarship Application to be considered for a limited number of departmental scholarships.

Recipients of a Presidential Program scholarship may attend a Scholars' Orientation and Registration Program. These sessions include a recognition luncheon and are scheduled before all other Freshman Orientation and Registration sessions.

North Dakota State University is proud of the number of academically talented students who enter the university each year. Although the scholarship selection process is quite competitive, all interested students are encouraged to complete the scholarship application or contact the appropriate department for consideration. Decisions for freshman scholarships are based primarily 

• admission to NDSU
• a recommended ACT composite score of 24 (SAT score of 1190)
• a cumulative GPA of 3.5

Competition for these scholarships is quite high often causing the minimum test score and grade point average to be greater than the above criteria.

Various awards are available. See the scholarship application for details.

To be considered for freshman scholarships, it is necessary to submit your application by February 1. It is important to note that you also must complete your admission to NDSU by February 1.

Freshman Scholarship Application

You may submit the online Application for Admission. To request a paper version of the Application for Admission, please contact the Office of Admission.

Students entering NDSU for the first time are considered for freshman scholarships if the following criteria are met:

• high school seniors (regardless of the amount of earned college credit)
• high school graduates who have not attended any post-secondary institution

Applicants must be either a U.S. citizen with a Social Security Number or be a permanent resident.

The Honors Scholarship Committee anticipates reviewing applications soon after the February 1 deadline. Award recipients are notified beginning in late March. Students not selected for scholarship awards are notified in May.

NDSU is pleased to recognize transfer students who have demonstrated high academic achievement at the collegiate level. Although the scholarship selection process is quite competitive, all interested students are encouraged to complete the Transfer Scholarship Application or contact the appropriate department for consideration.

Students transferring to NDSU for the first time will be considered for a transfer scholarship if any of the following criteria are met:

• Students who have earned academic credit at a previous institution
• Students who are in their first term at another institution (College GPA must be verifiable by a transcript no later than January 15, for students entering Spring Semester)

If you do not meet the above criteria, please see Freshman Scholarship Eligibility above. Transfer students are encouraged to apply for NDSU scholarships if they have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 from each institution previously attended. Preference is given to students who have 24 transferable, graded credits. Please note that minimum qualifications do not automatically qualify students for scholarships as the applicant pool varies each year.

Complete and submit the NDSU Transfer Scholarship Application to be considered for transfer student scholarships. It also is necessary to complete your admission to NDSU prior to December 1, for spring semester and April 1, for fall semester.

Transfer Scholarship Application

You may submit the online Application for Admission. To request a paper version of the Application for Admission, please contact the Office of Admission.

The NDSU Transfer Award is available both spring and fall semesters. The application deadline is December 1, for transfer students beginning spring semester and April 1, for students beginning fall semester. Students must be admitted to NDSU prior to the scholarship deadline in order to qualify. We encourage you to apply early. Applications received after deadlines may be reviewed on a funds-available basis. Please note that some departmental/college awards have different deadlines and/or application forms.