2025 Annual Scholarship Report - North Dakota - Academic, Career & Technical Education (CTE) and North Dakota Scholarship

Oct 15, 2026

2025 Annual Scholarship Report details three state merit-based awards—Academic Scholarship, Career and Technical Education (CTE) Scholarship, and the North Dakota Scholarship—focused on strengthening high school rigor and retaining North Dakota students for postsecondary study. It outlines eligibility tied to high school curriculum, GPA, and test score requirements, and summarizes distribution, student retention, and disbursement performance. The report also describes program authorization, joint administration roles, and conditions governing scholarship payments and continued eligibility.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Report Summary

Program Overview

Program Administration

Disbursement Requirements

Eligible Institutions

Eligible Students

2025 Annual Scholarship Report • North Dakota • Academic • Career & Technical Education October 28, 2025 600 E Boulevard Department 215 Bismarck, North Dakota 58505‐0230 [Website: www.ndus.edu](Website: www.ndus.edu) Table of Contents REPORT SUMMARY 1 PROGRAM OVERVIEW 2 PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION 2 DISBURSEMENT REQUIREMENTS 2 ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS 4 ELIGIBLE STUDENTS 5 DISBURSEMENTS & APPROPRIATIONS 6 SCHOLARSHIP DISTRIBUTION 7 STUDENT RETENTION 8 Report prepared by Brenda Zastoupil, NDUS Financial Aid Director Report Summary The Academic Scholarship, Career and Technical Education (CTE) Scholarship, and the North Dakota Scholarship are state merit-based awards aimed at increasing high school rigor and retaining students within North Dakota for postsecondary education. High school students can receive up to $6,000 by completing specific high school curriculum and fulfilling grade point average, and test score requirements. This annual report provides detailed information about these scholarships since inception. 􀂾 A total of 27,103 students qualified for the state scholarship. [Table 2] 􀂾 Twenty-three percent of seniors have qualified for the scholarship since 2018-19. Twenty-one percent of seniors have qualified since inception. [Table 2] 􀂾 North Dakota resident students have received $96.1 million in scholarship disbursements. [Chart 2] 􀂾 Since inception, 24,153 (89%) of students have received at least one payment under the scholarship. This equates to an average of $3,978 per student. 􀂾 The average amount disbursed for the first seven cohorts was $6.1 million. The subsequent seven cohorts’disbursements averaged $7.0 million, with four of those years still receiving payment. [Chart 2] 􀂾 Of the 27,103 eligible students, o 8,505 (31%) still have remaining scholarship eligibility; o 8,376 (31%) have been paid in full at $6,000; o 10,222 (38%) have lost scholarship eligibility due to not maintaining a 2.75 GPA or not fully utilizing the award within 6 years of high school graduation. [Chart 1] 􀂾 Disbursements in the 2025-27 biennium are expected to be $16.4 million, which is a 10% change from the prior biennium. The 2023-25 biennium saw the first decline in total payments since inception. [Table 3] 􀂾 Since inception, $110.8 million has been appropriated to this scholarship program, which includes a $2.5 million transfer from the ND State Grant to cover a shortfall in the 2019-21 biennium. [Table 3] 􀂾 Scholarship recipients are retained in North Dakota at a higher rate than non-scholarship recipients following high school graduation. [Chart 4 and Table 4] Program Overview The Academic and Career & Technical Education (CTE) Scholarships have been awarded to North Dakota highschool graduates since the 2010-11 academic year. Beginning with the 2022 high school graduates, the North Dakota Scholarship, which is closely aligned to Choice Ready, was also awarded. Beginning with the 2025 highschool graduates, only the North Dakota Scholarship eligibility criteria will be used to determine eligibility for the award. Current Academic and CTE scholarship recipients will continue to be eligible for payment until 2030 when the last cohort reaches 6 years after high school graduation. The scholarships are designed to increase high school rigor and retain students within North Dakota for postsecondary education. Specific highschool curriculum, grade point average, and testing score requirements are required to earn these meritbased scholarships. The program is authorized in N. D.C.C. § 15.1-21-02.4 through 15.1-21-02.10. Students who meet the requirements and who apply with the ND Department of Public Instruction are awarded a $6,000 scholarship. Awards may not exceed $750 per semester, $500 per quarter or clock-hour term, or $500 per apprenticeship term. Beginning in the 2023-24 academic year, students enrolled in a qualifying apprenticeship program within North Dakota are eli

FAQs

What scholarships are covered in the 2025 Annual Scholarship Report?

The report covers the Academic Scholarship, the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Scholarship, and the North Dakota Scholarship.

What requirements must students meet to receive scholarship disbursements?

Students must enroll full time at a qualifying higher learning institution in North Dakota and meet eligibility standards tied to high school curriculum, GPA, and test scores, along with other program conditions.

Who administers the scholarship program and what are their roles?

The ND Department of Public Instruction (DPI) manages the application process and makes initial awards, while the North Dakota University System (NDUS) handles postsecondary payments, eligibility monitoring, verification before disbursement, and related tracking and reporting.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Taylor Morgan