North Dakota Scholarship — Department of Public Instruction

The North Dakota Scholarship offers up to $6,000 to students graduating from high school who meet a combination of academic skills and preparation for college, work or military service. Graduation alone is not enough: applicants need the essential-skills component plus at least two of three pathways—Postsecondary Ready, Workforce Ready and Military Ready. The award can be used at approved institutions and registered apprenticeship programs in North Dakota, subject to enrollment and renewal rules.

Before applying, ask your counselor to review the record indicator by indicator. Public-school districts must mark the correct evidence in the Choice Ready report by June 30; the state warns that an indicator left unmarked cannot later be counted for scholarship eligibility. Nonpublic schools submit a verification form, while home-educated students must send records and a transcript under the state process. If a test is part of your pathway, confirm which one applies: ACT, WorkKeys and ASVAB have different thresholds.

The application for the Class of 2027 opens January 4, 2027 and is due by June 4, 2027. Apply online through a North Dakota Login account; save the login details and use an email address you can keep after high school. The portal says a late application is not guaranteed to be processed before fall term. The Class of 2026 deadline has passed, so do not reuse its dates for a different graduating class.

The award may pay up to $750 per semester or $500 per quarter, with a $6,000 lifetime maximum and six years from graduation to use it. To receive each term’s payment, students must be full time, maintain a 2.75 cumulative GPA and meet earned-credit thresholds that rise with later disbursements. Renewal is generally automatic, but check the portal after every term. A GPA drop, part-time load, program change or delayed transcript can interrupt payment.

We did not find a verifiable public account from a recipient describing experience with the new scholarship. Official guidance does identify a concrete administrative risk: a school may fail to record an indicator that proves readiness. Keep copies of supporting records, ask the district when it marked them and check the system before graduation. For the Class of 2027, contact NDDPI at 701-328-2244 if your class year or form does not match; graduates from earlier years are directed to contact the department before using this portal.