MSU President's Newspaper Column
February 7, 2026
Mayville State expands Honor Scholarship program with new renewable awards for first-year students
Scholarships are critically important to a student in pursuit of earning a college degree. Very often, a scholarship is the difference in whether reaching the goal is even possible.
I am extremely excited about the improved Honor Scholarship opportunities Mayville State is offering for new students enrolling in the Fall Semester of 2026. The Honor Scholarship program, launched in 2024, is meant to give students a nice financial boost as they begin their college careers and embark on the journey toward earning degrees.
We’ve re-doubled our commitment to the program. Starting with the upcoming fall semester, new first-year students have the opportunity to renew their scholarship for a second year, provided they achieve a 3.0 grade point average or better during their first year at Mayville State. In addition, scholarship amounts available for some first-year and transfer students have been increased.
First-Year Honor Scholarships for all new freshmen are based on final high school grade point averages. To be eligible, a student must enroll with Mayville State as their first post-secondary institution. First-year students who have taken dual credit, PSEO, or concurrent enrollment credits are eligible for the First-Year Honor Scholarship, regardless of the number of college credits they may have earned while in high school.
Starting with students who enter Mayville State next fall, those with the highest high school grade point average (GPA) of 4.00 will receive $5,000/year x 2 ($10,000). Students with GPAs of 3.75 to 3.99 will receive $4,000/year x 2 ($8,000); GPAs of 3.5 to 3.74 qualify a student for $3,000/year x 2 ($6,000); GPAs of 3.25-3.49 qualify for $2,000/year x 2 ($4,000); GPAs of 3.0 to 3.24 qualify for $1,000/year x 2 ($2,000); and GPAs of 2.00 to 2.99 make students eligible for $750/year x 2 ($1,500).
Students transferring from another institution of higher education and who have earned 24+ college-level credit hours and are pursuing their first bachelor’s degree are also eligible to receive one-year Honor Scholarships. College GPA is used to determine the award level for transfer students.
Beginning next fall, new transfer students with GPAs of 3.75 to 4.00 will receive $2,000. Those with GPAs from 3.50 to 3.74 will receive $1,750. GPAs of 3.00 to 3.49 make a student eligible to receive $1,500, and GPAs of 2.00 to 2.99 qualify a student for $500. All awards are for one year.
Recipients of the First-Year and Transfer Honor Scholarships may also apply for competitive named scholarships that are annual named or endowed scholarships provided through the MSU Foundation. Generous alumni and friends have established these scholarships through the Foundation over the years, and they are critical to student success, as well as overall success of the university.
The Mayville State President’s Cabinet members have invested a great deal of time effort over the last several weeks working on the newest version of the Honor Scholarship Program. I am grateful for the opportunity to work closely with them on this project and thank them for their thoughtful work that has culminated in the final plans. In addition, we are grateful to the MSU Foundation board for their critical support for the plan. We all look forward with great anticipation to the results of our efforts. Availability of scholarships is crucial in the student recruitment process, as well as retention.
Generous gifts from alumni and friends are helping to make our scholarship program for new first-year and transfer students, along with many other scholarships available to all new and continuing Mayville State students, possible. Without the support of donors who contribute to general scholarship funds, endowments, and other named scholarships, these initiatives would not be possible. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to these groups and individuals who give of their financial resources to help future Comets. This is a great team effort!
To learn more about the Honor Scholarship Program and all the opportunities at Mayville State, go to www.mayvillestate.edu/scholarships, or contact our enrollment office at 701-788-4842. If you know someone who could benefit from a Mayville State University education, please encourage the individual to check it out by visiting our website and/or the campus. It’s always a great day to be a Comet!