Scholarships for Montana Students
Check out our list of state and local scholarships. It is a great place to start.
Scholarships Offered by Colleges
Campuses offer many resources to help their students pay for college.
Strategies for Success
We want to help you maximize your scholarship success, check out these tips.
Scholarship Search Tools
There are many options out there, we have narrowed them down for you.
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 and local 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.
The Reach Higher Montana Scholarship
Every year, Reach Higher Montana will award 81 - $1,000 scholarships to Montana students through the Reach Higher Montana Scholarship program. We encourage students who wish to reach higher in education, career, and life to apply! The RHM Scholarship is live, and is open to Montana high school seniors and current college students. See the full list of qualifications to apply.
Read MoreTo qualify, applicants must be:
- Montana high school seniors, or
- Montana residents who graduated from a Montana high school or approved home school program and are currently attending a Montana college or university, and
- Attend or will attend at least half time, and
- Have at least a 2.5 grade point average (GPA), and
- Submitted the FAFSA for the 2021-22 academic year.
Pro Tip
Even though the requirements to apply are minimal, take the time to do your best on your applications. We typically receive around 900 applications for 80 scholarship awards. Show us your best effort!
Video
Our Program Manager, Rhonda Safford, shares scholarship tips for students applying for the Reach Higher Montana scholarship.
Check out our recent and past scholarship recipients.
Gianforte Trade and Technology Scholarship
The Gianforte Trade Scholarship is $1,000 for full-time students, $500 for part-time students. Applicants must be currently enrolled during the term they are applying for. Must be a Montana resident and file a FAFSA.
Programs include:IT Technology, Aviation, Diesel, Industrial, Energy, Drafting, and Welding, and more.
Priority deadline: January 1, 2021. Final deadline: February 15, 2021.
To apply, you must:
Read More- Be a Montana Resident.
- File the FAFSA, and have an Expected Family Contribution of less than $10,000. Dual Credit students are not required to file a FAFSA.
- Be in good standing at the chosen school.
- Not be a Veteran receiving comprehensive training funding.
- Be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credits in a program at a participating school.
- Be studying one of these programs at the these schools (see list)
Scholarships Offered by Colleges and Universities
Campuses offer many scholarships to incoming freshmen, transfer students, and students in specific programs of study. Check 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.
Check out some 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.
Pro Tip
All students should complete the FAFSA annually, ideally by the December 1 priority deadline. Many sources of scholarship aid awarded by the college will only consider students who have completed the FAFSA.
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.
Who should you ask for a reference letter and when do you ask? Watch this video to find out.
Pro Tip
Treat searching and applying for scholarships like a job and it will pay like one! Set aside some time every week to search for scholarships and to work on your applications. Keep track of deadlines using our handy tracking sheet so you don’t miss out on winning money for school!
Scholarship Search Tools
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.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
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!
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!
Virginia Reeves is a Montana author who can give your scholarship essays and college application a competitive edge.
Recent high school graduates, Norris Blossom and Isabelle Melton, share their experience and tips for applying for college scholarships.
Guide
There are two important things to keep in mind when it comes to scholarships: YOU are scholarship material and treat applying for scholarships like a job.
Recent high school graduates, Norris Blossom and Isabelle Melton, share how their volunteer experience helped them earn scholarships.
