North Dakota Financial Aid: State Grants, Scholarships and Free College Programs
By Muntasir • Published Jul 12, 2026 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • US States & Cities, US Financial Aid & Scholarships
North Dakota funds college through the State Grant (need-based, up to $1,375 a semester), the ND Scholarship (merit-based, up to $750 a semester), the Career Builders Scholarship (up to $17,000 for a high-demand job commitment), and the Indian Scholarship Program (up to $2,000 a year). File the FAFSA first, since most of these programs use it to check eligibility.
💵 ND State Grant: need-based, up to $1,375/semester, family income limit of $80,000 for the supplemental tier.
🎓 ND Scholarship: merit-based for 2025 and later high school grads, ACT 24+ and GPA 3.0+, up to $750/semester, usable within 6 years.
North Dakota Indian Scholarship: up to $2,000/year for enrolled tribal members, merit or need-based track.
Career Builders Scholarship: state funds matched dollar for dollar by an employer, up to $17,000 total, tied to a commitment to work in a high-demand North Dakota job.
North Dakota has no statewide free-community-college program, but NDSU runs its own Tuition Award Program for qualifying first- and second-year students.
📩 File the FAFSA every year. Most of these programs check your eligibility against it.
Start with the FAFSA
File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) every year before you apply for North Dakota state aid. Most state grants and scholarships pull your eligibility straight from your FAFSA data, and North Dakota's need-based programs set income limits against the numbers the FAFSA reports.
Quick comparison
| Program | Type | Maximum award | Key requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| ND State Grant | Need-based | $1,375/semester | FAFSA, ND resident, first-time undergrad |
| ND Scholarship | Merit-based | $750/semester | GPA 3.0+, ACT 24+, ND high school grad |
| ND Indian Scholarship | Merit or need-based | $2,000/year | Enrolled tribal member, ND resident |
| Career Builders Scholarship | Work commitment | $17,000 total | Commit to a high-demand ND occupation |
ND State Grant: need-based aid
The North Dakota State Grant pays up to $1,375 per semester, or $917 per quarter, to first-time undergraduates who are North Dakota residents enrolled at least quarter-time at a qualifying campus. The Supplemental State Grant, a companion tier of the same program, requires total family income of $80,000 or less based on your FAFSA. Reapply every year by filing the FAFSA on time, since the state grant is non-repayable and does not need a separate scholarship application.
ND Scholarship: merit aid for ND high school grads
The North Dakota Scholarship replaced the older Academic and CTE Scholarships starting with the 2025 graduating class. To qualify, you need to graduate from a North Dakota high school with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, with no grade below a C in any required course, complete the required program of study, and score at least 24 composite on the ACT.
The award pays up to $750 per semester, or $500 per quarter, clock-hour term, or apprenticeship term. It renews automatically as long as you stay enrolled full time and hold a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher, and you have up to six years after high school graduation to use it. For the 2025 cohort, applications closed June 6, 2025, so apply as soon as your senior year test scores and GPA are final rather than waiting for a spring deadline.
North Dakota Indian Scholarship Program
Enrolled members of a federally recognized tribe who also live in North Dakota receive up to $2,000 a year through the North Dakota Indian Scholarship Program , whether you study at a university, a two-year college, or a state vocational program. A cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher qualifies you for the merit track, while a GPA between 2.0 and 3.499 with demonstrated unmet financial need qualifies you for the need-based track. You need to maintain at least a 2.0 GPA and enroll full time to keep the award, and priority applications are due July 15 each year.
Career Builders Scholarship: work commitment aid
The Career Builders program matches every state dollar with a dollar from a private-sector employer, up to $17,000 total per student, for students who commit to work in a high-demand North Dakota occupation after graduation. Use it as a scholarship while enrolled, as loan repayment after you graduate, or as a mix of both, depending on the employer partner you sign with, per the Bank of North Dakota's education funding page .
No statewide free-college program, but campus-level options exist
North Dakota does not run a statewide free-community-college or tuition-promise program the way some neighboring states do. After Minnesota launched its North Star Promise program, NDSU created its own Tuition Award Program , which covers remaining base tuition and mandatory fees for the first two years for North Dakota and Minnesota students who are Pell Grant eligible and have a Student Aid Index of 7,000 or less on their FAFSA. Note: for students newly starting Fall 2026 or later, eligibility also requires graduating from a high school in Cass County, ND or Clay County, MN. Check directly with NDSU's financial aid office for the current award year's eligibility window, since campus-level programs like this one change from year to year.
Stacking state aid together
These programs are not mutually exclusive. A North Dakota high school graduate who qualifies for the ND Scholarship and also shows financial need on the FAFSA receives both the ND Scholarship and the ND State Grant in the same semester, on top of any NDSU Tuition Award Program coverage or federal Pell Grant. Check with each campus financial aid office to see which combination applies to your situation, since some programs adjust their award based on other aid you already receive.
Federal aid changes for 2026-27
Federal student loan rules changed for the 2026-27 award year under the 2025 reconciliation law, including new borrowing caps and the phase-out of Grad PLUS loans. These federal changes sit on top of North Dakota's state programs, not in place of them, so check studentaid.gov for current federal loan limits before you finalize your funding plan.
Applying: deadlines and renewal
File your FAFSA as early as possible each fall, since several of these programs work on a first-come basis within the year's funding. Renew the ND Scholarship and the State Grant every year through your FAFSA and campus financial aid office. The Career Builders Scholarship and the Indian Scholarship Program both need a separate application beyond the FAFSA, so check each program's page for its current forms before your deadline passes.