Scholarship FAQ

Who is eligible for the scholarship application?

• Students earning a GED are not eligible for scholarship the application.
• Home educated students are eligible for the scholarship application with verified documentation by completing the Home Education Transcript for the North Dakota Scholarship Program SFN 60374, Home Education Verification for the Scholarship, and “Statement of Intent – Home Education Statutory Requirements” SFN 16909 form that was filed with their school district for the past four years that their child was home-educated.
• Students receiving a diploma from the ND Center for Distance Education are eligible for scholarship application with verified documentation of all eligibility requirements.

May a school use a weighted grading system?

While a school may use a weighted grading system (assigning a point value higher than 4.0 to specific course work) for their own internal purposes (such as selecting the valedictorian), schools may NOT use a weighted GPA for scholarship purposes.

How is the GPA calculated for scholarship eligibility in schools with non-weighted or weighted grading systems?

When calculating GPA for scholarship eligibility, grades must be converted to point values based on a non-weighted 4.0 scale.

• For schools using non-weighted grading, the point conversions would be:
  A = 4 points
  B = 3 points
  C = 2 points
  D = 1 point
  F = 0 points
   
• For schools using a weighted 5.0 grading scale for example, the point conversions would be:
  A = 4 points
  B = 3 points
  C = 2 points
  D = 1 point 
  F = 0 points

May a school use +’s and –‘s when reporting grades? How are these considered when calculating GPA?

A school may use +’s and –‘s when reporting grades. A grade point value must be assigned to every gradient of grade with the maximum point value of 4.0 assigned to an A or A+.

If a school does not offer AP classes, where may a student get these classes?

Advanced Placement courses are available through the North Dakota Center for Distance Education (NDCDE). NDCDE has an extensive offering of AP courses available for all North Dakota students. With the ability to enroll in these courses year-round, NDCDE can provide an option for these students and schools at any time. If you have any questions about NDCDE’s AP course offerings, please contact NDCDE at (701) 298-4830 or (701) 298-4840.

What is considered a “dual credit” course?

• A “dual credit” course is defined as a one-semester college course taken through a two or four-year institution of higher education for which the student earns ½ unit of high school credit.
• The course must be documented on the student’s official high school transcript and the earned grade calculated into the student’s cumulative GPA.
• A student must be earning both high school and college credit for the course.
   
  Note:  For purposes of determining credit, a three-semester-hour course offered by a postsecondary institution is equivalent to a full semester high school course (NDCC 15.1-25-02).

How will a dual credit course be recorded?   

• The course must be listed on the high school transcript and will be designated as a dual credit course.
• This designation must include either printing “DC” prior to the course name or writing the name of the college/university before or after the course name.

Can a student use an early entrance college course in place of a dual credit course to meet the dual credit indicator in the Post-Secondary Ready or Workforce Ready pathways? 

No, NDCC 15.1-21-02.10(6) states that these courses must be dual credit courses, meaning that the student is receiving both high school and college credit simultaneously.

A student takes a dual credit class at their high school and chooses not to pay the course fee in order to receive college credit for the course. Does this count as a dual credit course for the ND Academic Scholarship?

No. The student must receive both high school and college credit for the course.

If a district permits 8th grade students to take the first year of a foreign language, or any other course, may these classes count toward scholarship eligibility?

This is a local district decision. If a district elects to award credit for a foreign language taken in the 8th grade, the 8th grade courses must be identical in content to the same course taught in the high school and be taught by a highly qualified teacher. If this is so, the course must be posted on the high school transcript with the grade earned and credit awarded. This ensures the satisfaction of scholarship eligibility.

What test scores may be used for scholarship eligibility?

• A composite score of 24 or higher on the ACT may be used for the Post-Secondary Ready or Workforce Ready Pathway. ACT superscores may be used. 
• A WorkKeys assessment score of a 5 or higher on three test areas: Graphic Literacy, Workplace Documents, and Applied Math for the ND CTE scholarship.
• An ASVAB score of 50 or higher may be used for the Military Ready Pathway. 
• Please see the North Dakota Scholarship Framework for more information.

Can an ACT superscore of 24 or higher be used to satisfy the requirement of receiving an ACT composite score of 24 or higher for the Academic, CTE, or North Dakota Scholarship? 

Yes, an ACT superscore of 24 or higher meets the requirement of having met a composite score of 24 or higher for the North Dakota Scholarships. All ACT tests being used to calculate the superscore need to have occurred before the student graduates from high school. Students qualifying via a superscore will need to send an official ACT score report to NDDPI.

The NDUS recently announced that the ACT is no longer required for admission into North Dakota universities and colleges. Does that mean the ACT is no longer required for the scholarship?

No, all testing requirements, including the ACT, are still in place for the Academic, CTE, and North Dakota scholarships. NDUS only waived the ACT requirement for determining admission into colleges and universities but for the scholarship, the ACT requirement is still in place.

How does a student apply for a scholarship?

• Students may apply online from the first Monday in January through the first Friday in June.
  • Apply by entering the students North Dakota login and password.
• On the right side of the page, the student clicks on “Register Now” and fills out all the requested information.
• Once submitted, the student will receive an email at which time they will activate the login and password by clicking on the link provided.
• The student will then go back to the website address listed above, enter his or her login and password which takes the student to the application.
• The student completes and submits the application.
• Students must print and retain the application prior to submitting the application. This is very important!

Who does the student contact if he/she has a question about their scholarship after his/her scholarship is approved? (i.e. change of status, college changes, ready to activate after deferment, etc.)

Upon approval, all scholarship data is sent to the North Dakota University System (NDUS). Any questions or changes regarding the scholarship should be directed to the NDUS at (701) 328-4156.

College Student’s Responsibility for Maintaining Scholarship Eligibility

• Students must be enrolled full time. Full time enrollment has the same meaning as defined by the financial aid office at the institution the student is attending.
• Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.75. If the NDUS determines that a student’s cumulative grade point average at the conclusion of a term is below 2.75, a one-time exception shall be granted, and the student is entitled to the scholarship for the next semester or quarter in which the student is enrolled full time. This exception is applicable to a student only once.
  • If the NDUS determines that the student’s cumulative grade point average at the conclusion of a term is below 2.75 for a second time, the student is no longer eligible to receive scholarship payments under this program.
• Progress toward degree completion must be maintained to qualify for a subsequent disbursement of the scholarship. To qualify for a payment, the following is required in addition to meeting the GPA requirement and full-time enrollment:

• A student is not entitled to receive more than six thousand dollars under the academic, career and technical education, and North Dakota scholarships. Eligible students meeting the scholarship requirements will receive $750 per semester or $500 per quarter. 
• The scholarship is valid for six academic years after the student’s graduation from high school for enrollment at eligible institutions within North Dakota.
• The scholarship may be applied to graduate programs if all other eligibility criteria are met.
• Students who defer the scholarship or transfer to a new college or university must contact the North Dakota University System (NDUS) at (701) 328-4156 to re-activate the scholarship or to update the institution.

  Updated 7/25/2024