Scholarships

Scholarships (3 programs)

Please read the FAQs below before filling out the application.

The North Dakota Association of Counties/ILG Scholarship

(Click above or on logo for 2025-2026 school year application.)

The NDACo scholarship program was created in 1998 to assist county families afford college. Children and grandchildren of county officials and employees who are entering or already engaged in undergraduate studies or pursuing technical post-secondary education are eligible to apply. This includes step-family members. The scholarship fund is supported by county donors from across the state and corporate sponsors like Nationwide Retirement Solutions. Thanks to their generosity, annual awards have grown from $500 to $2,000, totaling more than $100,000 in scholarships!

Thank you to all who contribute!

Click here for a printable poster to help us promote these scholarships in your county!

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Can I submit my application electronically?
A: Yes. You can scan documents and email them to ndaco@ndaco.org. You can have your recommendation letters and your transcripts emailed to that address as well, and it never hurts to give us a heads-up that they are coming to us separately. Fax is also acceptable at 701-425-0830.

Q: How do you define "county employee or official"
A: Any elected commissioner and all other elected or appointed officials and all employees who are currently on the payroll of a county; in other words, if the county writes their paycheck, or pays it indirectly by funding the employer, such as a health district.

Q: Does this include part-time employees?
A: Yes, if they are "permanent part-time." This does not include seasonal employees.

Q: Does this include appointed board members?
A: No. Members of the Park Board, Water Board, etc. are not considered county employees.

Q: Does this include past employees?
A: No, however if the parent/grandparent is employed at the time the scholarship application is submitted and their employment ends AFTER the application, the application will still be valid.

Q: Can graduate students apply?
A: No, the scholarship is for undergraduates only.

Q: Can juniors and seniors in high school apply if they are taking online or dual credit college classes?

A: No. The scholarships are intended for those enrolled as full-time students in an accredited North Dakota institution.

Q: Which institutions are eligible?

A: Any accredited institution of higher learning in North Dakota. This includes private colleges, technical training centers and all schools in the NDUS System. To look up any institution's accreditation status, please visit www.ed.gov/accreditation.

Q: How are recipients chosen?

A: A selection committee reviews all applications carefully, judging them on community service, personal/professional accomplishments and academics with the emphasis on leadership potential.

If you have any further questions about the NDACo Scholarship program, please contact Jeff Eslinger at 800-932-8730 or jeff.eslinger@ndaco.org.

The North Dakota Association of County Engineers (NDACE) Scholarship

In 1999, NDACE began giving out one scholarship in the amount of $500. Since that time, the scholarship has received great support from the Members of the Association and from our Vendor Sponsors so NDACE is now able to award three scholarships; two $2,000 scholarships and one $2,500 scholarship (Forest Jennings Scholarship Award).

Scholarships are available to college students in their second year or above who are attending any North Dakota institution and are majoring in any of the following programs: Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Construction Engineering, Civil Engineering Technology, Survey Technology, or Construction Management Technology. The Forest Jennings Scholarship Award will be given to the highest scoring applicant. Half time students are eligible to apply.

Applications shall be submitted online at www.ndace.org/scholarship and are due by December 31 of each year.

Any questions that applicants may have about the scholarship can be sent using the form here: www.ndace.org/contact-us.

NACo/Nationwide Scholarships

The National Association of Counties has partnered with Nationwide Retirement Solutions to offer four $2,500 scholarships for high school seniors. Winning applicants will have written a short essay describing why it’s important for a public sector employee to start saving early for retirement.

The Nationwide/NACo scholarship program is intended to encourage high-school seniors to think about retirement.

Why spur high school students, many of whom haven’t even started full-time work, to think about retirement? Three reasons – by applying for the scholarship the students:

May consider the financial impact of their decisions about college and their career and realize it is never too soon to start thinking about saving for retirement.
Begin to recognize the advantage of having a plan and implementing it sooner rather than later.
Identify specific actions that help prepare for a financially successful future.

To be eligible, applicants must be graduating high school seniors who are legal U.S. residents and their parent or grandparent must be enrolled in and contributing to a NACo 457 Deferred Compensation Program plan. In addition, the student must enroll in a full-time undergraduate course of study no later than the fall term at an accredited two- or four-year college.

For more information about this scholarship

All of the information about eligibility, judging criteria and notification process are at the link below. This link typically works only during the application period.