Scholarship snapshot
Amount: $10,000
Scope: Partial
Target Country: United States
Target Audience: National Merit Finalists
Deadline: November 1 early action
Gold Scholar Award is one of the University-wide scholarships available at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
Our previous article on UMN Scholarships covered broad categories of Minnesota’s scholarships, like Need-based scholarships and International scholarships. It also provided an overview of specific scholarships under those categories.
However, this article focuses on the Gold Scholar Award. We will cover all the essential information you must have to aid a successful application including the award amount, eligibility requirements, and how you can apply.
About Minnesota’s Gold Scholar Award
The Gold Scholar Award supports high-achieving students who have excelled in academics, leadership, and community involvement. This scholarship mainly prefers National Merit Finalists who declare the University of Minnesota Twin Cities as their first-choice college by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s final deadline for its awards.
Gold Scholar Award amount
The Gold Scholar awards scholarships worth $10,000 renewable for four years. This can cover tuition, books and supplies, and other educational expenditures.
UMN Gold Scholar Award requirements
To be eligible for the Gold Scholar Award, you must make sure to meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Recipients must be citizens of the U.S or permanent residents, or be eligible for the Minnesota Dream act.
- Must be an undergraduate of the University of Minnesota
- Preference is given to National Merit Finalist. who declare the University of Minnesota Twin Cities as their first-choice college by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation final deadline.
- The performance of a student in high school is used to determine the level of academic preparedness. The scholarship considers your grade point average, class rank (if available), and Rigor of academic curriculum based on what is available in the high school (including enrollment in honors, AP, IB, A-Level, or college-level courses when available)
- Students whose native language is not English or who have lived in the United States for fewer than eight years will require an English proficiency test.
How to apply?
Become a National Merit Finalist
As stated earlier, this scholarship mainly prefers National Merit Finalists. High school students who desire to be National Merit Finalists and meet the program’s eligibility requirements, have to enroll in the National Merit Scholarship competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).
To know more information entry requirements and how to take part in the program, visit the NMSC website.
Declare the University of Minnesota as your first-choice college
The University of Minnesota is a college sponsor of the National Merit Scholarship Program. So while applying for the National Merit Scholarship using the OSA, declare the University of Minnesota Twin Cities as your first-choice college by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation final deadline.
To determine the final group of candidates to a college or university that sponsors awards, NMSC must receive college choice reports before May 31, 2023, as the deadline, to ensure consistency and to conclude the annual competition promptly.
If you have questions about how to declare the University of Minnesota as your first choice college or the deadline, please contact the National Merit Scholarship Corporation at 847-866-5100
Apply for admission to the University of Minnesota
The Gold scholar award considers all admitted freshmen that are National Merit Finalists based on an overall assessment of their freshman application. It only reviews applications submitted by the corresponding application deadline date. It does not require any separate application..
You can apply through any of the following platforms of preference: Golden Gopher or the Common Application. Submit only one application, a double submission will hinder your admission decision.
Application Deadline
| Deadline Category | Date | Admission decision on Application Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Early Action I Deadline | November 1 | January 31 |
| Early Action II Deadline | December 1 | February 15 |
| Regular Deadline | January 1 | March 15 |
At Scholarship Monitor, we are committed to providing you with up-to-date information on scholarship opportunities. Make sure to always check back for more updates and take advantage of the resources we have provided to help you achieve your academic and career goals.
