North Dakota college grants for students with financial need are led by the North Dakota State Grant, a need-based grant from the North Dakota University System (NDUS) that pays up to $1,375 per semester at qualifying North Dakota colleges. A newer Supplemental State Grant, introduced in 2025-26, adds money for State Grant recipients whose family income is $80,000 or less. The FAFSA is the application for both.
NDUS sets out the rules on its State Grant page (NDUS, North Dakota State Grant). The key point is that funding is limited, so filing the FAFSA early each year is the single most useful thing you can do.
What the North Dakota State Grant is
NDUS describes the State Grant, formally the Student Financial Assistance Program, as “non-repayable need-based grants to North Dakota residents who are first-time undergraduate students.” You must be pursuing an eligible program at a qualifying North Dakota institution and be enrolled at least quarter time.
Qualifying institutions include accredited public, tribal and private institutions in the state, provided they offer programs of study at least two years long.
North Dakota State Grant amount
| Calendar | Maximum State Grant (as NDUS publishes it) |
|---|---|
| Semester schools | Up to $1,375 per semester |
| Quarter schools | Up to $917 per quarter |
NDUS says the award is “based on enrollment status,” so a part-time student receives less. Its page does not attach an award year to these figures; they are the amounts listed as of November 2026. Confirm the figure for your year with your college’s financial aid office.
How long you can receive it
Eligibility is limited to eight semesters or twelve quarters of full-time-equivalent undergraduate enrollment, or until you earn a bachelor’s degree, whichever comes first.
Who qualifies
NDUS requires North Dakota resident applicants to meet one of these high school routes:
- Graduated from a high school in North Dakota (make sure your high school’s name, city and state are on your FAFSA).
- Graduated from a high school in a bordering state under N.D.C.C. ch. 15.1-29 (contact NDUS to confirm eligibility).
- Graduated from a nonpublic high school in a bordering state while living with a custodial parent in North Dakota (contact NDUS).
- Completed home education supervised under N.D.C.C. ch. 15.1-23, sending NDUS your final transcript and Statement of Intent to Homeschool.
- Received a GED from the North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction, sending NDUS your GED certificate.
NDUS also allows a narrow exception for students who, because of a medically certifiable disability, enroll at an out-of-state institution that offers services not available in North Dakota.
Supplemental State Grant (new in 2025-26)
NDUS says the Supplemental State Grant “further assists State Grant recipients by providing them an additional award.” To be considered:
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- You must first have been awarded the North Dakota State Grant.
- Your total family income, based on the FAFSA, must be $80,000 or less.
- You must be enrolled in at least 3 credit hours.
- You must be meeting satisfactory academic progress and have completed verification, if selected.
The amount “may not exceed regular undergraduate tuition” and takes your estimated Pell Grant and State Grant into account. If you are eligible, your college places it in your aid package, and it is disbursed after the State Grant each semester. There is no separate application.
How to apply for the North Dakota State Grant
- File the FAFSA each year. NDUS says to complete it “as soon as possible after Federal Student Aid opens the application (generally October 1st).” For fall 2027, that is the 2027-28 FAFSA, which is open now.
- List your North Dakota high school accurately on the FAFSA.
- If you were home-schooled or earned a GED, send NDUS the documents it lists.
- List the North Dakota colleges you are considering.
- Answer verification requests quickly.
NDUS stresses: “Funding under the state grant is limited, so early application is recommended.” Our guide on how to fill out the FAFSA walks through every section, and our FAFSA deadlines guide explains why early filing matters when funds are limited.
The cost-of-attendance cap
NDUS warns that state grant and scholarship awards “may not exceed cost of attendance (COA) at your institution.” Your college counts federal, institutional, tribal and outside scholarships and grants. If the total exceeds COA, state aid “must be reduced or cancelled for that term of enrollment.”
A related federal rule took effect this year: for award years beginning on or after July 1, 2026, a student whose non-federal aid equals or exceeds the cost of attendance is not eligible for Pell, according to a June 4, 2026 Federal Student Aid electronic announcement. Report every outside scholarship to your aid office so your package is built correctly.
North Dakota checklist
- Confirm you are a North Dakota resident and a first-time undergraduate.
- File the 2027-28 FAFSA soon after it opens.
- Double-check your high school name, city and state on the FAFSA.
- Home-schooled or GED? Send NDUS your documents.
- Enroll at least quarter time; full time earns the full State Grant.
- If your family income is $80,000 or less, look for the Supplemental State Grant in your package.
- Report outside scholarships to your aid office.
Questions North Dakota families ask
Can I use the State Grant at a private or tribal college?
Yes. NDUS lists accredited public, tribal and private institutions in North Dakota as qualifying, as long as the school has programs of study at least two years long.
I live in North Dakota but went to high school in Minnesota. Am I eligible?
Possibly. NDUS allows graduates of a high school in a bordering state under N.D.C.C. ch. 15.1-29, and graduates of a nonpublic high school in a bordering state who lived with a custodial parent in North Dakota. In both cases NDUS asks you to contact [email protected] to confirm.
Is the State Grant only for freshmen?
It is for “first-time undergraduate students,” meaning students working toward a first undergraduate credential. It renews each year you file the FAFSA and remain eligible, up to the eight-semester or twelve-quarter limit or your bachelor’s degree.
Do I apply separately for the Supplemental State Grant?
No. NDUS says that if you are eligible, your institution places it on your financial aid package. Your job is to file the FAFSA, finish verification if selected and keep making satisfactory academic progress.
Where to go next
NDUS also lists the North Dakota Scholarship, North Dakota Scholars Program and Native American Scholarship on its state programs menu; check each page for its own rules. Compare North Dakota with other states in our guide to state grants for college, and use our free scholarship finder for private awards. NDUS answers State Grant questions at [email protected].