Minnesota Indian Scholarship Program (MISP)
Offered by Minnesota Office of Higher Education · Free to apply
Minnesota funds American Indian students through undergraduate and graduate study, at a scale most identity-based state awards do not reach: up to $4,000 a year for undergraduates and up to $6,000 a year for graduate students. Eligibility runs on ancestry or tribal citizenship rather than a single enrolment document, accepting either one-quarter or more American Indian ancestry or enrolled membership in a federally recognised American Indian tribe or Canadian First Nation. The lifetime structure is unusually generous and worth planning around: up to five annual undergraduate awards, limited to three for students in programmes shorter than four years, plus up to five more at graduate level, covering one degree per educational level and one terminal graduate degree.
How hard is the Minnesota Indian Scholarship Program (MISP) to win?
A large applicant pool chases this award. Apply if the student is a genuinely strong fit, but build the plan around better-odds awards first.
- Estimated odds
- roughly 1 in 1,008 applicants
- Modelled applicant field
- ~1,000 students
- Payoff per hour of work
- $4 / hr
What drives the odds here
Odds on a scholarship are mostly a question of how many students can enter. Each rule below changes the size of that field.
- Fewer rivalsOpen only to Minnesota residents
- Fewer rivalsRequires documented tribal enrollment
How Solyo estimates this: We model the applicant field from how narrow the eligibility rules are, then divide the awards available by that field. Requirements such as essays and recommendation letters improve a serious applicant’s odds, because most browsers never complete them. These are estimates derived from each award's published structure, not reported acceptance rates, which almost no scholarship provider discloses. Treat them as a way to rank where the hours go, not as a guarantee.
Who can apply for the Minnesota Indian Scholarship Program (MISP)?
These are the eligibility rules Solyo verified against the official award page, translated into plain English. Your student must meet each one.
- Must be a resident of Minnesota
- Open to high school seniors, current college students, transfer students, and adult learners
- Requires documented enrollment in a recognized tribe
- Must possess one-quarter or more American Indian ancestry, or be an enrolled member or citizen of a federally-recognized American Indian tribe or Canadian First Nation
- New applicants must submit American Indian ancestry documentation with the application
- Must complete the FAFSA or the Minnesota Dream Act Application and apply for all available state and federal aid
- Undergraduates must enrol at least 3/4 time; graduate students at least 1/2 time
- Must be enrolled at an accredited postsecondary institution in Minnesota and demonstrate financial need
- The College or University Section must be completed by an authorised representative at your institution, usually the financial aid office
- Lifetime limit: up to 5 annual undergraduate awards (3 for programmes shorter than four years) plus up to 5 graduate awards
What the application takes
No essay, recommendation letters, or transcript are required. This is one of the lighter applications in the directory.
Deadline and application cycle
The current deadline is July 1, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around July 1 each year. Complete applications on file by the July 1 priority deadline receive award notices by early August; later applicants are notified only as funds allow.
- FAFSA opens for the next school year
- October 1, 2026
- Priority deadline
- July 1, 2027
- Award notices for complete applications
- early August 2027
Does your student actually qualify?
See if your student qualifies in 30 seconds. Solyo checks 20+ criteria against their real profile: GPA, state, grade level, intended major, and more, across every award in this directory at once.
Common questions about the Minnesota Indian Scholarship Program (MISP)
How much is the Minnesota Indian Scholarship Program (MISP) worth?
The Minnesota Indian Scholarship Program (MISP) awards up to $4,000/yr undergraduate, up to $6,000/yr graduate and is renewable in later years.
When is the Minnesota Indian Scholarship Program (MISP) deadline?
The current deadline is July 1, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around July 1 each year. Complete applications on file by the July 1 priority deadline receive award notices by early August; later applicants are notified only as funds allow.
Who is eligible for the Minnesota Indian Scholarship Program (MISP)?
Key requirements: Must be a resident of Minnesota; Open to high school seniors, current college students, transfer students, and adult learners; Requires documented enrollment in a recognized tribe.
Does the Minnesota Indian Scholarship Program (MISP) require an essay?
No essay is required. The application is light on requirements. Expect to spend about 2 hours on it.
How hard is it to win the Minnesota Indian Scholarship Program (MISP)?
Solyo estimates the odds at roughly 1 in 1,008 applicants, against a modelled field of ~1,000 students. The pool stays that size because open only to Minnesota residents and requires documented tribal enrollment. At 2 hrs of work, that is about $4 of expected value per hour. This is an estimate from award structure, not a published acceptance rate.
Is the Minnesota Indian Scholarship Program (MISP) free to apply?
Yes. The Minnesota Indian Scholarship Program (MISP) is free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge an application fee, and Solyo verifies every listed award against its official page.
More identity & background
- AAIA Native Scholarship$3,000 (varies by year)
- AISES Scholarships$1,500 - $20,000 (varies by scholarship)
- APIA Scholarship$2,500 - $20,000
- CBC Spouses Education Scholarship$2,500 - $20,000 (one-time)
- Cobell ScholarshipVaries; recent awards up to $12,000
- Connecticut Minority Teacher Incentive ProgramUp to $5,000/yr for two years, plus $2,500/yr loan reimbursement for up to four years teaching
Lists this award appears on
Award details are curated by Solyo and verified against the official scholarship page. Deadlines and requirements can change between cycles, so always confirm on the provider's site before applying.