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.

Check out our Montana Scholarships.

Stick with Scholarships

November is National Scholarship Month and Reach Higher Montana has got you covered with Stick with Scholarships. High school students have a chance to win one of four $500 scholarships, and additional prizes by posting a picture of one of our stickers to Instagram or Facebook.

To enter, students need to:

• Take a picture of one of our stickers stuck on an object (water bottle, notebook, laptop, etc.)
• Post the picture on Instagram or Facebook.
• Tag @ReachHigherMontana
• Follow us on Instagram or Facebook. BONUS get two entries if you follow us on both.
• Make sure your post is public, so we can see it.

Our stickers will be mailed out to all Montana high school counseling departments in late October. If you did not receive or need more stickers, email us at info@ReachHigherMontana.org. All stickers are designed by Montana high school students who participated in our Design A Sticker Scholarship contest.

The Reach Higher Montana Scholarship

Every year, Reach Higher Montana awards ip to 80 - $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 opens December 1, and is open to Montana high school seniors and current college students. See the full list of qualifications to apply.

Current Applicants: Log in to upload additional documentation.

Download the Enrollment Verification Form.

Check out our recent and past scholarship recipients.

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.

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.

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!