Frequently Asked Questions - MUSHS/STEM

MUSHS and STEM – Students must be graduating from a Montana High School accredited by the Montana Board of Public Education, therefore homeschool students and some students graduating from private high schools in Montana are NOT eligible to apply. Some private high schools ARE accredited by the Montana Board of Public Education, please view the list of eligible high schools.

MUSHS and STEM – If a student took Algebra I in middle school and needs to “count” that course to meet the math requirements AND it is not listed on their high school transcript, the student will be required to upload their middle school transcript in addition to their high school transcript when they apply.

MUSHS – Students must meet the Rigorous Core Requirements

STEM – Students must complete 4 years of college preparatory math.

MUSHS – Accepting an offer does not obligate the student to enroll at a certain campus, it does ensure the award is available if they matriculate to a qualifying campus. The campus can be updated at any time while utilizing this award.

STEM – Accepting an offer does not obligate the student to enroll at a certain campus or in a certain major, it does ensure the award is available if they matriculate to a qualifying campus and they declare a qualifying major. The campus can be updated at any time while utilizing this award.

Majors are checked every semester; students do not need to communicate a change to Award Montana as long as they remain enrolled in a qualifying major. If the new major doesn’t qualify, the scholarship will be suspended, and the student will be notified via email.

View the list of qualifying STEM/Healthcare majors.

MUSHS – No, more awards are offered than the target number of awards each year, anticipating a certain percentage will decline the offers (due to going out-of-state or private, etc…) so additional offers are not made “down the line”.

STEM – No, every eligible student is offered a STEM Scholarship.

A student can accept both, but tuition can only be waived once, therefore only one will be utilized (they cannot be “stacked”). It is generally recommended students accept ALL offers and let the campus help determine the most advantageous combination of awards.

Yes, tuition waivers can only be applied toward tuition (see the question above), but the STEM Scholarship can be used toward any Cost of Attendance, so students can utilize both (STEM can be “stacked” with a tuition waiver).

MUSHS – Students must begin by the Spring semester immediately after receiving the award. Some campuses will allow students to take a gap year, but they will “charge” them for 2 semesters of eligibility, this is up to each campus, please check directly with the campus Financial Aid Office for further clarification.

STEM – Students must begin the Fall semester immediately after receiving the award. If they do not, the scholarship will be suspended, students can appeal due to extenuating circumstances. If/when an award is suspended, the student can log into the Portal and click on “Suspension Appeals” on the top row of tabs to provide an explanation and related documentation supporting the request.

In addition, students who are entering military service can request a “Deferral” BEFORE they miss a semester, by sending an email to AwardMontana@montana.edu these will be granted on a case-by-case basis.

MUSHS – Per policy, a student’s 8 semesters of eligibility must be continuous (Fall/Spring). However, exceptions can be granted by the campus (typical considerations may be due to health issues, outside academic experience, or military) this is up to each campus, please check directly with the campus Financial Aid Office for further clarification.

STEM – Per policy, a student’s 8 semesters of eligibility must be continuous (Fall/Spring). Appeals may be granted for reinstatement after an award has been suspended.

Students can appeal due to extenuating circumstances. If/when an award is suspended, the student can log into the Portal and click on “Suspension Appeals” on the top row of tabs to provide an explanation and related documentation supporting the request.

In addition, students who are entering military service can request a “Deferral” BEFORE they miss a semester, by sending an email to AwardMontana@montana.edu these will be granted on a case-by-case basis.

MUSHS – This award should be applied to accounts a few weeks prior to the beginning of each semester after the campus verifies the students are meeting the requirements.

STEM – This award may be applied differently depending on the campus a student attends. Some will add it to the student’s account as “pending” or “anticipated” and the student will not be required to pay this portion of their bill. Other campuses will show it as “pending” or “anticipated” in the Award Letter but it will not be applied to the account until after the 15^th day of class each semester. In this case, a student may need to set up a payment plan (no cost through the Financial Aid Office) to extend this portion of their bill until after that time. If a student pays their bill in full, the campus should issue a refund once the funds have been applied to their account (this can take an additional week or so).

ALL Funds will be sent to the campuses AFTER the 15^th day of class each semester AFTER Award Montana verifies the students are meeting the requirements.

MUSHS – This award does not require certain majors.

STEM – Majors are checked every semester as of the 15^th day of class; students do not need to communicate a change to Award Montana as long as they are enrolled in a qualifying major. If a student declares a new major that doesn’t qualify, the scholarship will be suspended, and the student will be notified via email.

View the list of qualifying majors.

MUSHS – Most campuses do not allow use during summer semesters and if they do, they typically “charge” the student for one eligibility semester (this may be advantageous for a student that knows they will graduate earlier than 4 years). This is up to each campus; please check directly with the Financial Aid Office to inquire how they handle these requests.

STEM – These awards are only available for Fall and Spring semesters.

MUSHS and STEM – Students are required to enroll in at least 12 credits each semester while utilizing these awards. However, students on track to graduate within 4 years are not required to enroll in 12 credits during their final two semesters.

Students must have met the cumulative credits requirements prior to reducing their credit load for their final semester(s); 30 credits after 2 semesters, 60 after 4 semesters and 90 after 6 semesters.

MUSHS and STEM – Yes, as long as the credits have been accepted by the student’s home campus (they should show up in their online campus account). The cumulative requirements are checked prior to the beginning of each new year and also include courses taken during summer semesters as long as they have been accepted by the student’s home campus.

MUSHS and STEM – Prior to transferring to a new campus, students must log into the Award Montana Portal and fill out the Campus Change Form on the top row of tabs. Once the transfer has been reviewed and approved, the student will receive an email. (Please note: this notification only transfers the MUSHS and/or STEM awards, all other transfer actions must be handled through the campuses directly).

MUSHS – Yes, appeals are processed by the campus Financial Aid Office, check their website for a Scholarship Appeal Form, and/or contact the Financial Aid Office directly.

STEM – Yes, appeals are processed by Award Montana, if/when an award is suspended, the student can log into the Portal and click on “Suspension Appeals” on the top row of tabs to provide an explanation and related documentation supporting the request.

MUSHS – This waiver is only available for undergraduate students and cannot exceed 8 semesters, once a student receives their degree, the scholarship is no longer available. If the student requires more than 8 semesters to obtain their degree, campuses are not required to extend to a 9^th semester, however, they do have the option to do so as a discretionary waiver. Please check with the Financial Aid Office directly to inquire how they handle these requests.

STEM – This award is only available for undergraduate students and cannot exceed 8 semesters. However, if a student notifies OCHE prior to graduation that they will receive their bachelor's degree in less than 4 years, and the campus confirms this status, OCHE will pay the remaining scholarship amount during the student's final semester. To qualify, students must email a notification to AwardMontana@Montana.edu  prior to their final semester.