Do I have to apply separately for the Yellowjacket Excellence Scholarship?

No. It is fully automatic based on your unweighted high school GPA. Just apply for admission and submit your official high school transcripts to admissions@msubillings.edu; the award is assigned by GPA tier (University Campus $1,000-$3,000; City College $500-$1,000).

What GPA do I need to keep my scholarship?

For Yellowjacket Excellence renewal you must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA, evaluated at the end of each Spring semester, plus continuous full-time enrollment (12 credits University Campus / 9 City College). Awards are renewable for two or four years.

What is the deadline for the Chancellor's Excellence Award?

The Chancellor's Excellence Award has a firm deadline of February 1st. You qualify with a 3.5 cumulative GPA OR an ACT composite of 26 OR an SAT of 1240, then compete (finalists interview). The award page does not publish a specific dollar amount.

Is the lowest GPA tier really 2.85?

Yes — at the University Campus, a 3.649-2.85 unweighted HS GPA earns the $1,000 Tier 3 Yellowjacket Excellence award. At City College that same tier earns N/A (no award).

MSU Billings award rules

Will the scholarship last four years at MSU Billings?

We pulled the school’s grade, credit, and time limits into one place so you can see what it takes to keep the award.

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

4 of 4 published awards are listed as renewable.

The exact rule can change by award. Check the award your student may receive before you count on the same amount every year.

What to do

Find the award name in the full research below. Save its grade, credit, and deadline rules with your college plan.

See every award rule, common mistake, and source

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 4 of 4
One-time tiers: 0
Tiers with published renewal terms: 4
Renewal risk profile: moderate

Renewal risk profile

MSU Billings's renewal bar is achievable for steady students but isn't generous. Most awards require a cumulative GPA in the 3.0–3.4 band plus full-time enrollment. Audit the strictest tier on this school's list before assuming the four-year value is locked in.

Yellowjacket Excellence Scholarship — University Campus: 2.0 GPA
Yellowjacket Excellence Scholarship — City College: 2.0 GPA
Chancellor's Excellence Award: See notes
Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) reduced tuition: See notes

Renewal terms by tier

Yellowjacket Excellence Scholarship — University Campus
$1,000-$3,000 per year
Entry requirements: Unweighted HS GPA: Tier 1 = 3.95 and above ($3,000); Tier 2 = 3.949-3.65 ($2,000); Tier 3 = 3.649-2.85 ($1,000) GPA
To keep it: Renewable for two or four years. Students must maintain continuous full-time enrollment (12 semester hours at the University Campus) during Fall and Spring and maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA (evaluated at the end of each Spring semester).
Source: https://www.msubillings.edu/scholarships/merit.htm
Yellowjacket Excellence Scholarship — City College
$500-$1,000 per year
Entry requirements: Unweighted HS GPA: Tier 1 = 3.95 and above ($1,000); Tier 2 = 3.949-3.65 ($500); Tier 3 (3.649-2.85) = N/A (no award at City College) GPA
To keep it: Renewable for two or four years. Students must maintain continuous enrollment (9 semester hours at City College) during Fall and Spring and maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA (evaluated at the end of each Spring semester).
Source: https://www.msubillings.edu/scholarships/merit.htm
Chancellor's Excellence Award
Amount not published on the award page
Entry requirements: Minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA OR GPA · 1240 SAT · 26 composite OR ACT
To keep it: Renewable up to four academic years (or until completion of the Bachelor's degree) for recipients who continue to meet the continuation/renewal qualifications, provided funding is available.
Source: https://www.msubillings.edu/scholarships/cexcellence.htm
Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) reduced tuition
Reduced non-resident tuition & fees of $10,480/yr (vs $7,690 resident) — not a scholarship dollar award
Entry requirements: Must meet non-Montana resident admissions standards (no separate GPA published on WUE page) GPA
To keep it: Tuition-rate benefit, not a cash award; continues while the student remains eligible and works toward their first undergraduate degree.
Source: https://www.msubillings.edu/finaid/COA-University.htm

How families lose this aid

Assuming the Chancellor's Excellence Award is automatic if you hit the 3.5 GPA / ACT 26 / SAT 1240 bar.
Those numbers only qualify you to be considered. It is a competitive award — finalists undergo mandatory interviews and must submit three letters of recommendation, an essay, and a signed four-year-degree declaration by the firm February 1st deadline.
Expecting the City College award to match the University Campus award.
City College Yellowjacket Excellence amounts are lower ($500-$1,000 vs $1,000-$3,000), and the lowest GPA tier (3.649-2.85) earns N/A — no award at all — at City College.
Letting your cumulative GPA slip below 2.0 or dropping below full time.
Yellowjacket Excellence renewal requires a 2.0 cumulative GPA (checked each Spring) and continuous enrollment of 12 semester hours (University Campus) / 9 (City College) each Fall and Spring. Miss either and the award does not renew; it is also not deferrable.

Renewal questions families ask

Do I have to apply separately for the Yellowjacket Excellence Scholarship?: No. It is fully automatic based on your unweighted high school GPA. Just apply for admission and submit your official high school transcripts to admissions@msubillings.edu; the award is assigned by GPA tier (University Campus $1,000-$3,000; City College $500-$1,000).
What GPA do I need to keep my scholarship?: For Yellowjacket Excellence renewal you must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA, evaluated at the end of each Spring semester, plus continuous full-time enrollment (12 credits University Campus / 9 City College). Awards are renewable for two or four years.
What is the deadline for the Chancellor's Excellence Award?: The Chancellor's Excellence Award has a firm deadline of February 1st. You qualify with a 3.5 cumulative GPA OR an ACT composite of 26 OR an SAT of 1240, then compete (finalists interview). The award page does not publish a specific dollar amount.
Is the lowest GPA tier really 2.85?: Yes — at the University Campus, a 3.649-2.85 unweighted HS GPA earns the $1,000 Tier 3 Yellowjacket Excellence award. At City College that same tier earns N/A (no award).

Rules that bite at MSU Billings

The renewal trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook, derived from MSU Billings's own tier rules and not generic advice.

Renewal ruleYellowjacket Excellence Scholarship — University Campus: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewable for two or four years. Students must maintain continuous full-time enrollment (12 semester hours at the University Campus) during Fall and Spring and maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA (evaluated at the end of each Spring semester). A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

How MSU Billings compares across our verified dataset

665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
MSU Billings is one of them. The cohort minority (84 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

Sources used on this page

Every renewal claim is checked against MSU Billings’s own published materials.

Policy pageMSU Billings stacking policy
Cost of attendanceMSU Billings cost-of-attendance worksheet
Merit tiersChancellor's Excellence Award
Scholarship pageCorning Honors Scholarship
Scholarship pageGeneral Scholarship Application (AcademicWorks)