Scholarships

Start earning credits toward a 4-year degree at a reduced cost with our transfer programs. Take the classes you need at a cost you can afford. Transfer your credits to the school of your choosing.

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These $2,500 scholarships are funded by the State of Minnesota and are targeted at Minnesota residents majoring in high-demand occupations in the areas of advanced manufacturing, agriculture, health care services, information technology programs, transportation, and early childhood.

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North Star Promise (NSP) Scholarship program will create a tuition and fee-free pathway to higher education for eligible Minnesota residents at eligible institutions as a "last-dollar" program by covering the balance of tuition and fees remaining after other scholarships, grants, stipends, and tuition waivers have been applied.

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Nursing students are eliglible for additional scholarships. 

Scholarships for Nursing Students

Additional scholarships are available for multiple diverse groups. See if you are eligible! 

Available Scholarships

The American Indian Scholars Program was established in the 2023 Legislative Session. This program provides a first-dollar tuition and fee-free pathway for Minnesotans eligible for resident tuition who are enrolled members or citizens of any federally recognized tribe or Canadian First Nation to attend a Minnesota State institution or the University of Minnesota. Students not eligible for resident tuition who are enrolled members or citizens of a Minnesota Tribal Nation are also eligible for the program.

Apply Here

Submit the completed application along with a copy of your Tribal Enrollment Care to the Financial Aid Office.

Many companies, professional associations, and service organizations make scholarship awards to deserving students, each with its own deadline.  

External Scholarships

When the scholarship application window is open, an “apply now” button will be available on this page. Also, see the tutorial video above.

You will be notified via the email you used to apply for the scholarships. Notification emails will occur in May (for the fall term) and in December (spring term). Recipients must accept the scholarship using the link in that email.

Minnesota West Foundation-based scholarships will apply to your student account within two weeks of the start of the term, along with any other need-based aid, such as Pell Grants and student loans.

You can view your scholarship awards in e-Services under the “Financial Aid” tab and then under the “Awards” tab. 

When a scholarship is placed on your student account it will not automatically subtract from your tuition balance due. You can view your balance due by going to e-Services, then “Bills and Payment”. You will need to calculate your total balance due by subtracting your Financial Aid and Scholarship Awards from your tuition balance. The amount remaining is what you owe. There are four ways to pay tuition:

For example: 

You go under the “Financial Aid” tab then under “Awards” and see you have a $1,000 scholarship and $500 in financial aid. Your total awards = $1,500. Then you go under “Bills and Payments” and see your tuition Balance is $2,000. 

$2,000 Balance – $1,500 Awards = $500 Due

After paying the $500 due, you will still have a tuition balance due of $1,500 until aid applies. Once aid applies on the ninth day of the semester your tuition balance due should be $0. 

Financial aid and scholarships are disbursed after the last day to add/drop classes each semester. You will see your awards applied to your tuition balance at this time. Aid and scholarships are applied on the 9th day of the term and they are dispersed starting on the 11th day of the term.

 If you have an external scholarship check please include the following information before mailing or delivering your check to campus: 

• Information to include with the check – this can be written on a separate piece of paper: 
• Your student Tech ID (8-digit number)
• Your full name
• Any documents that came with the check
• Is the check “payable” to you (the student)?
• If yes, sign the back of the check. 

If students cannot locate the email that apprises them of the scholarship and the needed steps to complete to accept, follow these steps:

• Log into the scholarship software (student will see that they have an award waiting to be accepted)
• Here is the log-in link: https://mnwest.academicworks.com/users/sign_in
• Student should use the email address that they provided on the application.
• If student has forgotten password, they will need to reset it using the “Trouble signing in “link
• If your login is still not working, you can email scholarships@mnwest.edu for assistance

 No, you do not need to re-apply. The scholarship software will match you to any eligible scholarships. However, you may need to log in and update your application.