The Honors College Presidential Scholarship

The 2027 Presidential Scholarship will open on October 1, 2026. It will close December 1, 2026 at midnight MST.

Presidential Scholarships are Montana State University's most distinguished academic awards, recognizing scholastic achievement, demonstrated leadership, and unique personal qualities. Scholarship recipients receive annual tuition waivers, a generous stipend, and priority registration. Recent Presidential Scholars have gone on to receive renowned awards such as the Goldwater, Truman, Rhodes, Marshall and Mitchell scholarships. As ambassadors of the university, they reflect its highest ideals through demonstrated leadership, public service, and academic excellence.  Montana residents and non residents are eligible.

The Presidential Scholarship is a rigorous, competitive application, doubling as your application to the Honors College at Montana State University. Recipients of the scholarship routinely have a 3.9 non-weighted GPA or higher and are ranked in the top 3% of their class.

Please review our Frequently Asked Questions to determine if you are a competitive candidate for the scholarship.

All students interested in the Presidential Scholarship must complete the MSU application and be accepted to the university before completing the Presidential Scholarship Application. 

Eligibility Requirements 

• Incoming freshman, first-time, first-year student
• High school non-weighted GPA of 3.7 or higher on a 4.0 scale
  
  • If you do not have a 3.7+ GPA, but feel you would be competitive for this scholarship, please contact the Honors College office at honors@montana.edu.
• Acceptance to MSU

How To Apply

1. Apply and be accepted to MSU.
2. Claim your NetID. 
3. Sign in to the Cat$cholarships portal (gold button on the upper right corner of the screen). 
4. Submit the General Scholarships Application as soon as possible. This must be complete to be considered for the Presidential Scholarship. 
5. Access the Presidential Scholarship application and contact your recommenders. 
   1. Talk to one (1) high school counselor and two (2) recommenders. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all materials, including letters or recommendation, are recieved by the deadline. 
   2. Input the emails of the high school counselor and two recommenders into the Cat$cholarships portal and press "save". This sends your recommenders a link to complete their portion of the application. 
   3.  You can review your reference submissions under the recommendation tab on the Cat$cholarships portal home. 
6. Complete the Presidential Scholarship Application. Return to complete or update the General Scholarships Application. 
7. The portal will shut off at midnight Mountain Standard Time. Do not wait until the last minute to submit. 

Selection Criteria

• Honors College Alignment
• Academic Excellence
• Leadership and Service

Recommender Information

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure letters of recommendation are received by the December 1st deadline. Transcripts and letters of recommendation will not be accepted by mail or email. They must be uploaded to the Cat$cholarship application portal via the personal links counselors and recommenders receive by email. Please check your spam before contacting our office. 

Scholarship Renewal

Presidential Scholars must maintain a 3.7 MSU GPA and complete an average of 16 MSU credits per semester (32 MSU credits per year). Presidential Scholarships are renewable for up to eight (8) academic semesters (excluding summer terms). Early graduation results in forfeiting of unused semesters. 

Questions? 

Please contact our office ASAP to resolve any errors. We can help if you ask! 

Additional Scholarships

Please visit the Office of Admissions for additional information regarding MSU Scholarships.

MSU also has a scholarship program for students identified as National Merit Finalists. 

Additional information regarding Financial Aid is available at Montana State University.