Exclusive Scholarships for Minnesota Students in 2024

About scholarships in Minnesota

Minnesota students enrolled in college programs can find themselves burdened by the financial stress of college tuition. Minnesota residents may find it useful to seek out scholarships in Minnesota to offset the rising costs of higher education. There are many scholarship programs out there designed to support students during their undergraduate studies.

Minnesota students and student debt

Affording college without debt is becoming more and more uncommon. Student debt creates financial strain that follows students even after they have graduated. In Minnesota, 64% of students graduated college with debt and 16% with private student loans. The average student debt is $32,012 in Minnesota.

Though in 2016, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education found that the rate of borrowing among students began to decrease. This decline is good news for Minnesota residents looking for affordable education.

Minnesota education attainment

In 2018 83.2% of Minnesota high school graduates graduated on time, but minority students had much lower high school graduation rates. Only 51% of Native American students, 67% of Black students, and 67% of Hispanic students graduated on time.

After completing high school, many Minnesota residents choose to further their education. 35.4% of Minnesotans over 25 had earned a bachelor's or higher degree in 2018. This beats the 31.5% of people who earned the same nationwide.

Minnesota colleges

There are 30 Minnesota State Colleges and 7 universities serving 219,643 undergraduate students and 43,192 graduate students. The University of Minnesota Twin Cities is the largest college in Minnesota with 52,017 students. Another prominent Minnesota State College is the University of Minnesota Crookston.

It can be hard for a full-time student to balance figuring out how to pay for tuition and a heavy course load, but it is the reality for many students. Nearly twice as many students are enrolled in school full-time than are part-time. 68,817 Minnesota college students are part time and 150,826 are full-time.

Minnesota college demographics

As is the case with most colleges there are more female college students than male students in Minnesota, as  92,832 undergraduate students are men and 125,100 are women.

Minnesota's diverse student population consists of 142,956 White students, 22,685 Black students, 15,276 Asian Students, 14,857 Latino students, and 1,727 Native American students. This diversity also extends to citizenship as Minnesota is home to 7,300 international students.

Costs of college in Minnesota

The ever-rising cost of higher education is a problem for many students. In Minnesota, the cost of tuition increased 3.23% from the fall semester of 2019 to the spring semester of 2020. The cost of attendance at a public 4-year university in Minnesota is $21,6111. Students who attend private colleges and universities are much worse off. The cost of attendance at an average private 4-year university is $45,198.

The cost of attendance at Carleton College is $74,499 per year, making it the most expensive college or university in Minnesota. The most expensive public university in Minnesota is the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in-state students can expect to pay $25,385 per year.

Financial aid in Minnesota

Undergraduates in Minnesota receive a total of $2,744,376,638 in aid, while more than half of this is in the form of grants, a significant portion is loans. As students have to pay back loans with interest after they graduate, this reliance on loans hinders many students.

Even undocumented students are eligible to receive financial assistance. Regardless of citizenship status, the Minnesota DREAM Act provides eligible undocumented students, including DACA recipients, with access to state financial aid.

The best scholarships for Minnesota students 

Undergraduate and graduate students in Minnesota do not have to take on crushing student debt to pay for university. Scholarship awards can provide students the aid they need. Many Minnesota scholarships exist to award students who need financial assistance to attend school. Applying specifically to scholarships in MN can increase your chances of winning scholarship funds.

Tyrell Terry "Challenge and Opportunity" Scholarship

This $11,100 scholarship will be awarded to one student who has faced adversity during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is intended to support high school seniors in Minnesota or Texas as they go on to university.

Katelynn Berry Memorial Scholarship

This $4,000 scholarship supports high school seniors in Minnesota or Montana who struggle balancing mental health and school.

Crenati Foundation Supporting International Students Scholarship

International students in Minnesota who are not US citizens and wish to have a positive impact in their home country with their future career should apply to this $1,000 scholarship opportunity.

Peter T. Buecher Memorial Scholarship

This $1,000 scholarship seeks to support student athletes in Minnesota who wish to enrich the lives of their community. You must be a Minnesota high school senior or undergraduate student who plays sports to apply!

Grady Reese Memorial Scholarship

Description: This $500 scholarship seeks to support high school students who have a strong interest in photography as they continue their education. You must be a high school student at Lakeville North High School in Minnesota interested in photography to apply.

Additional scholarships that students in Minnesota should consider 

Minnesota residents have more scholarships available to them than just the Minnesota scholarships listed above. Students in Minnesota should apply for as many scholarships as possible to increase their chances of landing a scholarship award. Scholarships can be helpful for students with financial need who might otherwise struggle to pay for their education. On Bold.org you can find hundreds of scholarships that are perfect for Minnesota students.

Scholarships for high school students in Minnesota

Students can lessen their future worries over tuition by applying for scholarships as early as high school.

Scholarships for high school juniors in Minnesota

1. Isaac Yunhu Lee Memorial Arts Scholarship
2. Janey Mae Memorial Scholarship
3. Shoot Less, Throw More- Girls Wrestling Scholarship

Scholarships for Minnesota high school seniors

1. Eleven Scholarship
2. Jake Thomas Williams Memorial Scholarship
3. Richard Neumann Scholarship
4. Sports In Action Scholarship

Minnesota scholarships for college students

Students who are already enrolled in a college program can still find many sources of financial assistance.

1. Jameela Jamil x I Weigh Scholarship
2. Education is Bling: The Moore the Blingyer Scholarship
3. "$$$ Isn't Everything" Scholarship
4. Women’s History Scholarship
5. Bold Reflection Scholarship
6. Papi & Mamita Memorial Scholarship

Frequently asked questions about scholarships in Minnesota

How to apply for scholarships in Minnesota

Applying to scholarships is easy. To apply all you need is to create a free Bold.org profile. After completing your profile Bold will begin recommending relevant scholarships to you.

To apply, you just need to make sure you meet all eligibility requirements and provide all the materials before the application deadline. Some scholarships provide a prompt and ask that you write a short essay on the chosen topic, while others only ask eligible applicants to click "Apply."

It's important to read the information section of scholarships you're interested in to determine what the application process will require. If you feel more confident in your skills in fine arts such as in painting or poetry, there are even scholarships that accept artistic submissions rather than essays.

After you apply for a scholarship, it is up to a scholarship committee to determine if you'll be awarded. Winners will be chosen based on a number of things like academic achievement or how involved an applicant is in community service projects.

Bold.org makes it quick and simple to find the perfect scholarship opportunities for you.

Are there Minnesota scholarships for out-of-state students?

Out-of-state students can still apply to state-specific Minnesota scholarships as long as the requirements don't specify that you need to have attended a Minnesota high school or be a Minnesota resident to apply. Many Minnesota scholarships might just require that students be enrolled in a Minnesota college.

Out-of-state Minnesota students can also find other general scholarships on Bold.org in order to expand their scholarship opportunities.

Are there scholarships in Minnesota for international students?

There are many scholarship awards that international students in Minnesota are eligible to apply to. The Crenati Foundation Supporting International Students Scholarship listed above is specifically for international students in Minnesota, but students can also look at our list of Exclusive Scholarships for International Students to find other scholarships available throughout the United States.

Are there Minnesota scholarships for low-income students?

Low-income students have many scholarships intended specifically to support them. Students who face significant challenges in attending university have many resources available to support them. Low-income Minnesota students can apply to the Tyrell Terry "Challenge and Opportunity" Scholarship if they faced hardships during the pandemic.

By creating a profile on Bold.org you can gain access to many scholarship funds intended specifically for students from low-income backgrounds. Many scholarships will state that applicants demonstrate financial need to apply.

When can I start applying?

You can start applying to scholarships on Bold.org as long as you are at least high school age. Before even beginning a university admission application, you can already have prepared funds for your education. By applying to scholarships in high school students can save themselves from future stress. Many students also take on much more responsibility as they enter college, so it is a good idea to apply in high school while you might have more free time.

Don't worry if you haven't already begun applying to scholarships, many scholarships are open to applicants who are currently enrolled in college or university or even students who have recently graduated.

How do I know if I'm eligible for a scholarship?

Each scholarship will have the eligibility requirements clearly listed in the description. Some scholarships will be more general and open to students of any education level and major, but others might require applicants to be in a certain academic program like creative writing.

Bold.org will even make it easy to determine your eligibility by blocking you from applying to certain scholarships if your profile information makes you ineligible to apply.

Are scholarships counted as income?

Scholarships are not counted as taxable income when used for necessary tuition expenses. When you are awarded scholarships through Bold.org the award amount is sent directly to the college you are attending and is not counted as income.