Scholarship Descriptions

All of the following scholarships can be applied for with a single application, students will be automatically matched with criteria through the UM Scholarship Portal.

The purpose of the Knute W. Bergan Scholarship is to provide an annual award to a Native American student who is an enrolled member, or a child of an enrolled member of any Montana Tribe.

The purpose of this scholarship is to provide an annual award to an enrolled member of the Salish and Kootenai Confederated Tribes.

The recipient must:

  • Have been admitted to The University of Montana for fall semester of the award year
  • Be enrolled for at least 16 credits
  • Have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better
  • Be involved in extra-curricular activities, including cultural activities
  • Write a 5-10 page essay which outlines issues facing the Salish Kootenai and how the applicant's education will address these issues

The purpose of the Dennis and Gretchen Eck Native American Scholarship is to provide an annual award to an enrolled member of the Assiniboine tribe or children of enrolled members. The recipient must be enrolled for at least 14 credit hours at The University of Montana and maintain a 3.0 grade point average as an upperclassman or 12 credit hours and a 2.5 grade point average as a freshman. If no enrolled members of the Assiniboine are identified, then other Montana tribal members may be considered.

The purpose of the Ralph E. and Hulda M. Fields Native American Scholarship is to provide an annual award to Native American students. The awards are to be available to majors in the schools of Forestry, Journalism, Law, and Pharmacy.

The purpose of the Marion E. Garess Scholarship is to provide an annual award to a Native American student who is attending The University of Montana full time.

The purpose of the Francis and Florence Jones Greaves Native American Scholarship is to provide annual awards to entering freshman Native American students qualified and enrolling at The University of Montana. Preference should be given to a Native American student who is from Montana.

The purpose of the Bonnie Heavy Runner Scholarship is to provide an annual award to Native American students enrolled in the School of Law and in the Native American Studies Department. Preference shall be given to students with a current grade point average of at least 3.0.

The purpose of the Julia Hendrickson Staffanson Scholarship is to provide an annual award to a Native American student enrolled full time at The University of Montana.

The purpose of the Hileman Family Scholarship is to provide an annual award to a Native American student who is enrolled full time at The University of Montana.

The purpose of the Peter Left Hand Award is to provide an annual award to a Native American student who is from Montana. Selection will be based on scholarship and merit.

The purpose of the Anna Marie Lucas Scholarship is to provide an annual award to a Native American student enrolled full time at The University of Montana.

The purpose of the Carl McFarland Scholarship Endowment is to provide annual awards to Native American students at The University of Montana who are Montana residents.

This scholarship shall be given to undergraduate students who are enrolled members of Native American Tribe. Recipients must have a cumulative GPA of 2.7 or higher.

The purpose of the Alan P. Merriam Scholarship is to provide an annual award to a Native American student at The University of Montana who is an incoming freshman, undergraduate or graduate student. The recipient must be a full-time student, must demonstrate an expressed interest in Native American Studies, and must show evidence of high academic potential.

The purpose of the Native American Studies General Scholarship Fund is to provide scholarship money for Native American Students.

The purpose of the Earl Old Person Scholarship is to provide an annual award to an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe that meets the following criteria:

  • Admission to UM for fall of award year
  • A recent high scholl graduate, or transfer graduate from the Blackfeet Community College, or a high school graduate who has never attended college
  • A GPA of 3.0
  • Involvement in extra-curricular activites, including cultural activities
  • Write a 5-10 page essay that outlines the issues facing the Blackfeet tribe and how the applicant's education will help address these issues

The purpose of this fund is to provide scholarships to enrolled members of a Montana tribe, who are Montana residents, and who have shown scholastic ability and financial need.

The purpose of the Alice M. Phillips Scholarship is to provide an annual award to a Native American student at The University of Montana. Recipient must be an enrolled member or child of an enrolled member of a Montana tribe who has financial need. Preference will be given to Native American students who show an interest in the field of history, especially Montana history.

This graduate scholarship will be awarded through a competitive process to a highly qualified Native American student seeking to pursue interdisciplinary Ph.D. studies in the humanities with a focus on Native American history, culture or literature.

The Helen Roberti Native American Graduate Scholarship Fund provides scholarships for students who are engaged in full-time study, enrolled in, or accepted into, a graduate professional degree program at UM in law, education or a field with a Native American Studies focus of study (interdisciplinary, anthropology or history). The students must have a record of high academic achievement and be Native American, either enrolled or a descendant.

The purpose of the Sappenfield Scholarship is to provide a scholarship to a Native American graduate student at The University of Montana. Preference should be given to a psychology major or in another of the social sciences: anthropology, communication studies, economics, geography, political science or sociology. The student should show promise for professional achievement or community service. The recipient should demonstrate an awareness or an interest in the improvement of conditions of Native Americans on and off the reservation

The purpose of the Kate and Russell F. Stark Memorial Fund is to assist and enhance the education of Native American graduate students enrolled at The University of Montana.

The Owen D. and Ruth Stetson Speer Scholarship shall be used to provide an endowed scholarship to aNative American student from the Flathead Indian Reservation.

The purpose of the Burt and Eva Spaulding Scholarship and Opportunity Endowment is to provide a scholarship for Native American undergraduate or graduate students.

The purpose of the Fred and Kay Voget Fund is to provide a scholarship for a Native American student with preference to Crow or Hidatsa tribal members or members of other Montana tribes.

The Fund shall provide a scholarship to a student who is a member of a federally-recognized tribe. Awards shall be made to students who are in good academic standing (cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher) and based upon financial need.

Enrolled members of an American Indian Tribe. A short essay on a topic yet to be determined must be submitted along with the application.

Enrolled member of an American Indian Tribe who has financial need as determined by the Office of Financial Aid need analysis.