Is the UND freshman scholarship automatic?

Yes. If you meet the GPA criteria (or the 3.00 GPA + 30 ACT/1370 SAT pathway) and submit your application, transcripts, and any required test scores by Feb. 1, the academic scholarship is awarded automatically — no separate application for the base award.

Does the $1,500 scholarship renew?

No. The 3.50-3.69 GPA award is a one-time, non-renewable $1,500. Only the $14,000 and $11,000 tiers are paid over four years.

North Dakota· Renewal Rules

Keeping North Dakota’s Merit Aid for Four Years

What the financial-aid office actually requires after freshman year: minimum GPA, credit-hour pace, and the cliffs that quietly downgrade families mid-degree.

Verified Jun 20268 days ago· CC

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 5 of 6
One-time tiers: 1
Tiers with published renewal terms: 5
Renewal risk profile: low

Renewal risk profile

North Dakota's published renewal rules cluster around a 3.0 floor with no major-GPA gating, which is survivable for the typical freshman with steady study habits. The risk is non-renewal due to enrollment status (dropping below full-time), not GPA.

UND Freshman Scholarship — Top Tier: See notes
UND Freshman Scholarship — Mid Tier: See notes
National Merit Scholar Award: See notes
UND Transfer Scholarship — Top Tier: See notes
UND Transfer Scholarship — Mid Tier: See notes

Renewal terms by tier

UND Freshman Scholarship — Top Tier
$14,000 ($3,500/year for a maximum of 4 years)
Entry requirements: 3.90+ unweighted cumulative HS GPA, OR a 3.00+ GPA combined with a 30+ ACT (1370+ SAT) GPA · 1370 (only required for the 3.00 GPA + test pathway) SAT · 30 (only required for the 3.00 GPA + test pathway) ACT
To keep it: Paid as $3,500 per year for a maximum of four years; the page states 'Renewal criteria apply' but does not publish the specific renewal GPA.
Source: https://und.edu/admissions/freshmen/scholarships.html
UND Freshman Scholarship — Mid Tier
$11,000 ($2,750/year for a maximum of 4 years)
Entry requirements: 3.70 - 3.89 unweighted cumulative HS GPA GPA
To keep it: Paid as $2,750 per year for a maximum of four years; 'Renewal criteria apply,' specific renewal GPA not published.
Source: https://und.edu/admissions/freshmen/scholarships.html
National Merit Scholar Award
Equivalent to full tuition and mandatory student fees
To keep it: Renewable for up to 3 additional years if renewal criteria are met.
Source: https://und.edu/one-stop/financial-aid/scholarships.html
UND Transfer Scholarship — Top Tier
$2,000 ($1,000/semester)
Entry requirements: 3.90 - 4.00 cumulative college GPA GPA
To keep it: Paid as $1,000 per semester; renewal criteria apply.
Source: https://und.edu/one-stop/financial-aid/scholarships.html
UND Transfer Scholarship — Mid Tier
$1,000 ($500/semester)
Entry requirements: 3.50 - 3.89 cumulative college GPA GPA
To keep it: Paid as $500 per semester; renewal criteria apply.
Source: https://und.edu/one-stop/financial-aid/scholarships.html

How families lose this aid

Assuming the $1,500 award renews like the higher tiers.
The 3.50-3.69 GPA award is explicitly 'non-renewable' — a one-time $1,500, not $1,500/year. Only the $14,000 (3.90+) and $11,000 (3.70-3.89) tiers pay out over four years.
Thinking $14,000 / $11,000 is an annual amount.
Those are four-year totals: $3,500/year and $2,750/year respectively, for a maximum of four years. Budget the per-year figure, not the headline total.
Believing you need test scores for every tier.
Only the top tier's alternate pathway (3.00 GPA + 30 ACT/1370 SAT) requires test scores. The GPA-only routes (3.90+, 3.70-3.89, 3.50-3.69) do not require ACT/SAT.

Renewal questions families ask

Is the UND freshman scholarship automatic?: Yes. If you meet the GPA criteria (or the 3.00 GPA + 30 ACT/1370 SAT pathway) and submit your application, transcripts, and any required test scores by Feb. 1, the academic scholarship is awarded automatically — no separate application for the base award.
Does the $1,500 scholarship renew?: No. The 3.50-3.69 GPA award is a one-time, non-renewable $1,500. Only the $14,000 and $11,000 tiers are paid over four years.

How North Dakota compares across our verified dataset

669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
North Dakota is one of them. The cohort minority (82 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
133 of 751 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.
North Dakota is one of them. NMF packages typically carry their own stacking and renewal carve-outs separate from the standard automatic merit ladder; confirm those before assuming the headline NMF value is final.

Sources used on this page

Every renewal claim is checked against North Dakota’s own published materials.