Northwest Technical College understands the rising cost of higher education and is committed to offering a variety of scholarship opportunities to as many students as possible. There are many scholarship opportunities available to Northwest Technical College Students. Check out Workforce Development scholarships, Indigenous student funding opportunities, private scholarships, foundation scholarships and the Delta Dental Scholarship.

FAQ

This program is designed to provide eligible Minnesota residents a tuition-free pathway for earning a certificate, diploma, associate’s degree and bachelor’s degree in high-need careers. Funding comes from the State of Minnesota and is awarded to eligible students after grants and scholarships have been paid.

Eligible Northwest Technical College Programs:

  • Accounting
  • Accounting Clerk
  • Administrative Assistant
  • Administrative Business Specialist
  • Administrative Support
  • Automotive Service & Performance
  • Business
  • Business Foundations
  • Business Transfer Pathway
  • Child Development
  • Child Development Careers
  • Commercial Refrigeration/HVAC
  • Community Health Care
  • Computer Support
  • Dental Assisting
  • Electrical Construction & Maintenance
  • E-Merging Computer Technology
  • Engineering Technology
  • Health Sciences Broad Field
  • Healthcare Administrative Leadership
  • Healthcare Administrative Support
  • Human Resources
  • Industrial Maintenance
  • Medical Coding
  • Nursing
  • Practical Nursing
  • Production Technologies
  • Residential Plumbing/HVAC
  • Sales & Marketing
  • Sales, Marketing & Management
  • Welding Technology

Income Eligibility: 

  • Have a Family Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)* reported on FAFSA or MN Dream Act Application of less than $50,000
  • Have a Family AGI* reported on FAFSA or State Aid Application of less than $100,000 and have worked in a critical industry listed in Executive Order 20-74 at least part-time between March 1, 2020 – December 31, 2021; OR received unemployment benefits between March 1, 2020 – December 31, 2021

*Family AGI for a dependent student includes parent and student AGI and for an independent student it includes student and spouse AGI.

Other Eligibility Factors: 

  • You first enrolled during the 2021-22 or later OR you are returning to college and have not been enrolled at any college in the last three semesters
  • Meet the Minnesota residency criteria
  • Not have already earned a baccalaureate degree
  • Not in default on a state or federal student loan
  • Not on a SAP/FA suspension
  • Student eligibility for the grant will be determined every semester. You will need to fill out the FAFSA each year. A student who receives a grant one semester is not guaranteed to receive funding for the next semester.  Eligibility is subject to the availability of funds and any changes in your enrollment, FAFSA or other financial aid may change the amount you receive each semester.
  • Details can be found on their website

If you are eligible for a Minnesota Future Together Grant, your college will contact you with an award amount or additional questions to determine your eligibility.

If you do not receive a communication from the Financial Aid Office but believe that you are eligible, please send us an email to review your file.

NTC has been allocated a total of 25 Workforce Development Scholarships for students for the fall 2022 semester in certain high demand fields. Applications received by May 31, 2022 will receive priority review and consideration, but applications after that date will still be accepted. Scholarships are $2,500 each (award amount divided equally between the fall 22 and spring 23 semesters).

Workforce Development Scholarships are available for the 2022-2023 academic school year. Priority is given to full-time, first-time NTC students. You must be enrolled in at least 9 credits. APPLY.

Eligible programs:

  • Automotive
  • Early Childhood/Childcare
  • Dental Assisting
  • Emerging Computer Technology
  • Engineering Technology
  • Gerontology and Aging CARE
  • Health Science Broad Field
  • Healthcare Administration
  • Medical Coding
  • Nursing Generic (RN)
  • Practical Nursing (PN)
  • Gerontology
  • Community Health Worker

Minnesota residents with documented one-fourth or more Indian ancestry may be eligible for the Minnesota Indian Scholarship Program. Students of Indian ancestry may also be eligible for a Tribal Grant.

Minnesota Indian Scholarship Program
Minnesota Office of Higher Education
1450 Energy Park Drive, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55108
Tel: (651) 642-0567 or (800) 657-3866
Fax: (651) 642-0675

Lara Gerhardson, Outreach Liaison
Tel: (218) 755-2557
Bemidji State University
114 Decker Hall
Bemidji, MN 56601
E-mail: misp.lara@hotmail.com

Students should contact their individual Tribal Education Office for specific information and application forms. Map of Tribal Scholarship Contacts.

Ethel Curry American Indian Leadership Scholarship

The application packet is available annually online through MDE Indian Education webpage by March 1 and have a FIRM deadline of May 31 for completed applications to be postmarked. To be eligible for priority consideration, an applicant must meet the following requirements: An enrolled member of a Federally recognized tribe; Attending an accredited college or university in Minnesota; Pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree; Have a minimum GPA of 2.0 for undergraduate applicants and a 3.0 for graduate applicants. Applicants must be able to demonstrate leadership qualities within the American Indian community. A list of required documents necessary for consideration appears on the Ethel Curry Scholarship Application form which may be found on the Indian Education page of the Minnesota Department of Education website, or by contacting Kristen Aeikens at 651-582-8558 or kristen.aeikens@state.mn.us.

Funding for Indigenous Students Flyer

Many private organizations in your home town offer scholarships to help with the costs of attending college. You may wish to contact your high school counselor or the public library for information on local scholarships.  A reputable scholarship search tool should not charge a fee, so beware of scholarship scams that guarantee results for a fee. Anticipated private scholarship funds should be reported to the NTC Financial Aid Office.

Scholarship Opportunities

Scholarship Search Tools

Northwest Technical College Foundation manages scholarships for current and new NTC students enrolled part-time and full-time. Typically over $40,000 in scholarships are awarded each year. Scholarship awards range from $250 to $1,500 per semester and a few scholarships may be renewed for more than one semester.

Students complete an online application and the scholarship committee selects the recipients for a specific scholarship(s) based on how well you answer the three essay questions on the application. Successful applicants must meet the scholarship criteria such as GPA, program of study and the other criteria noted on the scholarship list below.

Increase your chance to receive a scholarship! Type your answers to the essay questions in a Microsoft Word document first; have someone else proof your answers; then cut and paste your final document into the online form. The online form does not offer Spellcheck.

Please Note: Letters of recommendation are required for the Paul Bunyan Vintage Auto Club, Fred Breen and the Young Professional scholarships. To be eligible for those scholarships, submit the letters of recommendation to the Admissions Office separately from the online application.

Find more information: Scholarship Opportunities

The Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation has awarded $50,000 to the Northwest Technical College Foundation to launch a new Delta Dental Equity and Education Scholarship Program for qualifying students who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). APPLY

The grant extends through Spring 2024 and a total of $39,000 will be used for scholarship and supportive success dollars. Each year, at least three students will receive Delta Dental Equity and Education Program scholarships of up to $6,500, which includes $4,000 in academic scholarship funds and $2,500 student success funds that can be used for housing, child care or other needs.

Throughout 2022, NTC’s Office of Admissions and American Indian Resource Center staff invites prospective dental assisting students from the area, including Bemidji’s neighboring Indigenous nations — the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and the Red Lake and White Earth nations — to apply for the scholarships.

The Foundation will reserve to establish an endowed Delta Dental Foundation & Partner Fund to extend the scholarship program into the future. The remaining $1,000 will be used for recruitment and marketing efforts.