5 Best Montana Scholarships
Updated February 7, 2022 | BestCollegeReviews.org Staff
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Discover The Best Montana Scholarships
Letting your collegiate dreams soar in "Big Sky County" is less expensive when you get free financial wings from scholarships for Montana. Positioned in the Northern Rockies with a 545-mile Canadian border, Montana is America's 44th most populous state with 1.04 million residents. College students could be attracted to Montana's winter sports, friendly small towns, Gold Rush history, huckleberry ice cream, and untouched wilderness in Glacier National Park or Yellowstone National Park. Montana offers 22 diverse post-secondary options too. Whether you'd prefer a tribal school like Salish Kootenai College, Catholic university like Carroll College, or research hub like Montana Tech University, the sky's the limit. In fact, the U.S. News ranked the University of Montana as the 214th best national university. Clear the dark cloud of tuition for a bright future with these 5 Montana Universities and Colleges online and in person scholarships.
You'll have to unearth enough gold and silver in the "Treasure State" to cover college costs. For the 2016-17 school year, Montana colleges charged an average tuition of $4,756 for in-state and $11,929 for out-of-state students. Certain schools, especially private ones, jack up the prices further. For instance, Rocky Mountain College in Billings has a total annual cost of attendance at $40,276! Financial aid is critical for finishing your degree without mountains of debt taller than Granite Peak. Along with these 5 scholarships for Montana, look toward the Pell Grant, Montana Higher Education Grant, and MESA Program.
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At the University of Montana-Missoula, the Davidson Honors College offers seven funding options, including the Jane Buttrey Memorial Scholarship. This merit- and need-based program gifts $1,000 to $1,500 yearly to upper-division humanities and social sciences majors. Applications must feature an unofficial transcript, faculty recommendation, and two-page essay about students’ academic background. Other DHC opportunities are the Watkins Scholarship and Dailey Study Abroad Scholarship.
Eligibility:
- Attain junior status (60-90 credits) by the Fall term
- Select a major in the College of Arts and Sciences
- Display academic excellence with a 3.4 GPA or higher
- Have financial need as determined by the FAFSA
Each Spring, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Native American Scholarship honors the late Senator’s public service with two $1,250 to $2,500 prizes. Funding is designed for female students who belong to Native American reservations in Montana, including Blackfeet, Rocky Boy, Crow, Flathead, Northern Cheyenne, Fort Peck, and Fort Belknap. Before April 4th, submit an application, FAFSA form, and unofficial transcript from CyberBear.
Eligibility:
- Attend one of the four University of Montana campuses
- Have at least 25 percent Native American blood
- Study full-time (12+ credits) at the undergraduate level
- Present a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5
Through the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation, the Horatio Alger Montana Undergraduate Scholarship gifts $15,000 per year to 50 college-bound high school seniors. It’s intended for covering tuition at in-state, public schools, such as Missoula College, Montana State University-Billings, and Great Falls College. The online application stays open from January 15th to April 15th. Recipients could later earn the Dennis R. Washington Graduate Achievement Scholarship.
Eligibility:
- Be U.S. citizens pursuing their first bachelor’s degree
- Exhibit critical financial need for tuition (family income under $55,000)
- Display integrity and perseverance in the face of adversity
- Keep satisfactory academic progress with a 2.0 GPA or better
Offering full tuition for $12,120 per semester, the S-STEM Scholarship for Science and Math is a merit-based fund administered by the University of Great Falls. Incoming freshmen from Montana would receive faculty-led research mentoring, weekly support sessions, and internships from the National Science Foundation. Please apply before March 1st with two recommendations. UGF also has the Fichna Trust Scholarship for Health Science.
Eligibility:
- Have completed three years of high school lab science
- Declare majors in chemistry, biology, or mathematics
- Maintain full-time enrollment with a GPA of 3.0 or greater
- Score at least 500 on the SAT Math or 22 on the ACT
Located in Bozeman, Montana State University created the Tribal Homelands Scholarship to waive approximately $16,000 yearly for non-resident Native American students. Incoming freshmen or transfers must belong to federally recognized tribes outside Montana, such as Comanche, Shoshone-Bannock, Standing Rock Sioux, Kiowa, and Eastern Shoshone. To pay the in-state tuition rate, apply for admission and submit the FAFSA before July 1st.
Eligibility:
- Matriculate full-time at MSU for a bachelor’s degree
- Rank in the upper half of their class with a 2.5 GPA or higher
- Score at least 1120 on the SAT or 22 on the ACT
- Affiliate with tribes that once called Montana their “Homelands”