NDSU Tuition Award Program

Generally speaking, gift aid refers to financial assistance students receive that does not have to be repaid. The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NAFSAA) defines gift aid on their website.

Pell-eligible refers to eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant. Students pursuing their first bachelor’s degree and show high financial need on the FAFSA application may be eligible for the Federal Pell Grant if additional factors are met. The FAFSA application is required to determine eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant. Learn more about the Federal Pell Grant on our website.

The SAI is calculated using information provided on the FAFSA, and is used to determine financial aid eligibility. Learn more on the Federal Student Aid website.

Yes, the FAFSA application is required for consideration each year. The FAFSA application must be completed every year to determine financial aid eligibility.

The 2025-2026 FAFSA application is currently available and NDSU has a FAFSA priority deadline of February 1. Our Federal FAFSA School Code is 002997. 

• This is a “last dollar” scholarship, meaning it is applied after all other gift aid is applied (ex: grants, scholarships, waivers from federal, state, institutional or external sources). Examples of gift aid include but are not limited to:
  • Grants
    • North Dakota State Grant
    • Federal Pell Grant
    • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
  • Scholarships
    • NDSU-funded (e.g., departmental, Foundation, athletics)
    • External (e.g., high school and other community-based scholarships such as VFW or Dollars for Scholars)
  • Tuition Waivers
    • NDSU-funded (e.g., Cultural Diversity Tuition Waiver)
    • State-mandated (e.g., Veteran dependent, ND National Guard, Law Enforcement)
  • Third Party Payments
    • Employment reimbursement or payment programs
    • Military and Veteran benefits (i.e. Post-9/11 GI Bill Chapter 33)
       
• The dollar amount of the scholarship program will vary depending on the amount of other gift aid received.
• If eligible, the program will cover base tuition and mandatory student fees for the fall and spring semesters. The program does not cover the New Student Fee, books, housing, meal plan or other miscellaneous charges.

If you meet the eligibility criteria outlined above, you will be considered for this scholarship program. NDSU hopes to provide a preliminary scholarship amount in Spring 2025 when financial aid award notices are sent. If you receive gift aid from other sources after you receive your financial aid award notice, the amount received through this scholarship program will be adjusted. In other words, the amount of this scholarship can change over time depending on a number of factors.

An agreement between North Dakota and Minnesota makes students eligible for tuition comparable to resident tuition. Students graduating from a Minnesota high school who enroll at NDSU within 12 months of graduating automatically qualify for this rate. Transfer students, home-schooled students and students earning a GED must apply for this rate at www.ohe.state.mn.us. Students are welcome to email a screenshot of the application approval page to ndsu.registrar@ndsu.edu to expedite the update in our system. Learn more about the Minnesota reciprocity tuition rate on the NDSU One Stop and Minnesota Office of Higher Education websites. 

No – International students are not eligible for federal financial aid and thus cannot complete the FAFSA.  However, NDSU does offer some partial scholarships specifically for international undergraduate applicants. More information on these awards can be found on our international undergraduate scholarships page.

NDSU Financial Aid and Scholarships recognizes the information reported on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may not reflect your current financial situation or ability to pay for educational expenses. If you are an undergraduate student and you or your family has experienced one or more of the special circumstances listed on our website, you may submit the Special Circumstance Form to have your financial aid eligibility re-evaluated. Generally, Special Circumstance Forms are based on drastic changes in a family’s financial situation.  The Special Circumstance process does not include minor adjustments in a family’s income.

The Tuition Award Program covers only base tuition and the corresponding mandatory student fees. It does not cover the New Student Fee, books, housing, meal plan, or other miscellaneous charges. Other forms of financial aid (e.g., federal loans) may be used to address these expenses.

External scholarships (non-NDSU scholarships), federal loans or private loans can be considered to cover additional college costs. We encourage you to review NDSU’s estimated cost of attendance on our website or connect with your Admission Counselor if you have questions.

Yes, please submit the FAFSA by the following deadlines based on your start term:

• Spring 2025 - February 10
• Fall 2025 - September 22
• Spring 2026 - February 9
   

• Collaborative course enrollment will only count toward the full-time requirement for students enrolled in Bismarck Nursing, Elementary Education and Social Work undergraduate programs.
• Costs of all other collaborative course enrollment are not eligible to be covered by this program. 

• This award is currently available to new students beginning Summer or Fall 2025, or returning NDSU students who first enrolled at NDSU in Summer 2024, Fall 2024 or Spring 2025. NDSU is exploring options for continued funding for subsequent terms.

Yes, this can happen if you meet the eligibility requirements but are receiving enough gift aid from other sources to cover the costs of base tuition and mandatory student fees.