Kenneth & Leila Morris Dental Scholarship

The Kenneth and Leila Morris Dental Scholarship Fund began in 1982 through Leila Morris in memory of her husband, who practiced dentistry in Bismarck. The North Dakota Community Foundation listing describes a focused preference, not a general health-care scholarship: first consideration goes to Bismarck–Mandan area students in the third or fourth year of dental school.

If no qualified applicants come from that area, the fund may consider dental students elsewhere in North Dakota. If there are no eligible candidates under those two preferences, the listing allows medical students to be considered, first from Bismarck–Mandan and then statewide. That order matters when assessing a student’s chances. The page does not publish a fixed award amount, so past awards should not be treated as a current promise.

Applications are accepted from January 1 through April 1. Before applying, confirm that your year of study and location match the current preference, and request official enrollment and progress documentation from your school. The award interacts with a student’s broader financial package, so discuss the remaining cost and outside funds with financial aid. Medical students appear only under the secondary condition described by the foundation, not as the fund’s main purpose.

To estimate the real cost, ask the school for a written calculation separating tuition, fees, housing, and expenses the award does not cover. Confirm whether aid can renew and what academic progress it requires. Keep the award letter and verify when funds will be applied to the student account.

Official program information and application