Scholarships

You, yes you! You are scholarship material because you have a story to tell. A story about perseverance, giving back, learning something new - that’s what scholarship essays are made of - stories. Use those stories to earn money to pay for college. Scholarships are money for college that you don’t have to repay. Scholarships can go a long way toward making college more affordable for students who are willing to put in the work to apply.

Montana Scholarships

We've curated a list of state, local, and a few national scholarships for Montana students. Our experience working with students and scholarships for many years has shown that students are typically more successful earning local scholarships, as there are generally fewer students competing for these awards compared to national scholarships.

Check out our Montana Scholarships

Current Reach Higher Montana Scholarship Applicants

Log in to upload additional documentation. Download the Photo Release.

Check out our recent and past scholarship recipients.

Reach Higher Montana Scholarship Opportunities

Stick with Scholarships
Opens Nov. 1, closes Nov. 30
High school students have a chance to win one of six $500 scholarships, by posting a picture or video of one of our stickers to Instagram, Facebook, or Tik Tok and tagging us. This opportunity is open to all Montana high school students.

Reach Higher Montana Scholarship
Opens Dec. 1, closes Jan. 15
Reach Higher Montana awards up to 80 - $2,000 scholarships to Montana high school seniors and current college students. Increased this year from $1,000 to $2,000.

Design a Sticker, Win a Scholarship
Opens Feb.1, closes Feb. 28
Design our next sticker for a chance to earn a $1,500, $1,000 or $500 scholarship. Nine scholarships will be awarded, this opportunity is open to all Montana high school students.

Senior Send-off
Opens Mar. 1, closes Mar. 31
Reach Higher Montana is giving away over $30,000 in prizes, including (20) $1,000 scholarships or $1,000 Tool and Equipment packages, (4) $500 scholarships for most creative video and much more. Upload a video or photo and tell us about your plans after high school. Open to all Montana high school seniors.

Scholarships Offered by Colleges and Universities

Campuses offer many scholarships to incoming freshmen, transfer students, and students in specific programs of study. Check out your institution's website or get in touch with the financial aid office. Apply early for scholarships offered by the college you plan to attend. 

Here are just a few of the scholarships available through the Montana University System Colleges and Universities: 

• MUS Honor Scholarship: The MUS Honor Scholarship is a four-year renewable scholarship, which waives the recipient's tuition when used at an eligible campus. Its average value at a 4-year Montana campus is $5,000 a year or $20,000 for four years.
• 2 + 2 Honor Scholarship: The 2 + 2 Honor Scholarship is awarded annually to students who graduate with an associate degree from a 2-year campus of the Montana University System or a Montana Community College.
• Montana's STEM Scholarship: Montana's STEM Scholarship Program is designed to provide an incentive for Montana high school students to prepare for, enter into, and complete degrees in postsecondary fields related to science, technology, engineering, mathematics and healthcare.

Check out all the Scholarships and Tuition Waivers the Montana University System has to offer.

Strategies for Scholarship Success

Scholarships are available for all kinds of students. It's a myth that scholarships are only awarded to valedictorians and athletes. There are so many people who believe in education and support students through scholarships. We suggest the following strategies to maximize your scholarship success:

• Start close to home. Most likely, there will be fewer applicants for local scholarships than national scholarships, which increases your odds of winning.
• Apply early for scholarships offered by the campus you plan to attend. Campuses offer many scholarships to incoming freshmen, transfer students, and students in specific programs of study.
• Do your homework. Research scholarships for which you're eligible to apply, and keep a folder with the scholarship information, sorted by due date. Keep the file up to date as new information becomes available. Check to see if the scholarships are renewable.
• Help others help you. If you are asking someone to write a letter of reference for you, make it easy for them. Provide them with some background on the scholarship for which you are applying, outline your accomplishments and skills that demonstrate your eligibility, and give your references plenty of time to write you a letter of recommendation. You can use this form to organize your request.  Asking for a letter the day before the scholarship is due isn't a great idea, as your reference may not have time to write you a letter. When you are selected to receive a scholarship, be sure to thank your references for helping you out.
• Say "Thanks". Send a written thank you note to anyone who awards you a scholarship.
• Be careful. Unfortunately, you have to be aware that there are people who try to take advantage of scholarship applicants. Be wary if you are asked to pay a fee to apply for a scholarship, or if an application asks for personal information that isn't relevant to the scholarship.

Searching for Scholarships

When it comes to searching for scholarships, our website is a great place to start. There are lots of scholarship tools on the Internet. Be careful - you should never pay money to apply for a scholarship, and you'll want to make sure you understand how your personal information is collected and used by scholarship sites.

Scholarship Thursday

Every Thursday we post available scholarships and scholarship tips to our Reach Higher Montana Facebook and Instagram pages. That's right! Every Thursday we pack our Facebook and Instagram pages full of helpful information so you can maintain your scholarship hustle!

Scholarship Search Tools

Take advantage of the scholarship search tool on the Montana Career Information System (MCIS). The Montana Department of Labor and Industry provides a great way to search and apply for scholarships specific to your characteristics, interests, program of study, and more. Check out the video on our website to learn how to search for scholarships on MCIS.

In addition to MCIS, we recommend mycollegeoptions.org. This search tool works similarly to MCIS and includes both state and national scholarships.

Here are some other sites we recommend:
bigfuture.collegeboard.org,  collegegreenlight.com,  fastweb.com,  mtcf.org, and  scholarships.com.

Scholarship Resources

What makes an essay stand out? What do scholarships require? What does it take to earn scholarship money? We have the resources for you!