USDA 1994 Tribal Scholars Program

College. Paid for.

Get full tuition, fees, books, and room and board covered for four years.

Internship. Secured.

Gain experience with paid summer internships.

Become a 1994 Tribal Scholar Today

The USDA 1994 Tribal Scholars Program pays you to complete your bachelor's degree in agriculture, food, natural resource sciences, and related disciplines and prepares you for a career of service. As a scholar, you'll participate in summer internships at the USDA which may convert to full-time employment after graduation. The scholarship is open to students pursuing an agriculture or agriculture-related bachelor's degree at one of the thirty-five Federally recognized Tribal Colleges and Universities.

35 Federally Recognized 1994 Tribal Colleges and Universities

Aaniiih Nakoda College - Montana
Bay Mills Community College – Michigan
Blackfeet Community College - Montana
Cankdeska Cikana Community College – North Dakota
Chief Dull Knife College – Montana
College of Menominee Nation - Wisconsin
College of Muscogee Nation – Oklahoma
Diné College - Arizona
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College – Minnesota
Fort Peck Community College - Montana
Haskell Indian Nations University - Kansas
lisagvik College – Alaska
Institute of American Indian Arts – New Mexico
Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College- Michigan
Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College - Wisconsin
Leech Lake Tribal College – Minnesota
Little Big Horn College - Montana
Little Priest Tribal College - Nebraska
Navajo Technical University – New Mexico
Nebraska Indian Community College - Nebraska
Northwest Indian College – Washington
Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College – North Dakota
Oglala Lakota College – South Dakota
Red Lake Nation College - Minnesota
Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College - Michigan
Salish Kootenai College – Montana
Sinte Gleska University – South Dakota
Sisseton Wahpeton College – South Dakota
Sitting Bull College – North Dakota
Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute -New Mexico
Stone Child College - Montana
Tohono O’odham Community College - Arizona
Turtle Mountain Community College – North Dakota
United Tribes Technical College – North Dakota
White Earth Tribal and Community College - Minnesota

Study Disciplines

1994 Tribal Scholars are required to study one of the following disciplines:

Agriculture
Agricultural Business/Management
Agricultural Economics
Agricultural Engineering/Mechanics
Agricultural Production and Technology
Agronomy or Crop Science
Animal Sciences
Botany
Food Sciences/Technology
Forestry and Related Sciences
Home Economics/Nutrition
Horticulture
Natural Resources Management
Soil Conservation/Soil Science
Farm and Range Management
Other related disciplines, (such as non-medical biological sciences, pre-veterinary medicine, computer science)

Benefits

Get full tuition, paid summer internship, employee benefits, fees, books, and room and board each year for up to 4 years while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in agriculture, food science, natural resource science, or a related academic discipline at one of 35 federally recognized Tribal Colleges and Universities.
Once you complete your degree, you’ll be eligible to convert your summer internship position into a permanent career with the USDA.

Eligibility Requirements

If you are in high school, you must:

Be a U.S. citizen
Have applied for or have been accepted for admission at one of the 1994 Land Grant Institutions
Have a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certificate with a high school grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 unweighted or better (on a 4.0 scale)
Study agriculture, food, natural resource sciences, or other related disciplines (see list below)
Demonstrate leadership and community service

If you are in college, you must:

Be a U.S. citizen
Be a college freshman or sophomore
Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better (on a 4.0 scale)
Attend one of the 35 1994 Land-Grant Institutions
Study agriculture, food, natural resource sciences, or other related disciplines (see list below)
Demonstrate leadership and community service

How to Apply

The application requires you to submit an essay, your resume, two letters of recommendation, and your transcripts.
To access the application, first create a USDA eAuth account at https://www.eauth.usda.gov/eauth/b/usda/home .
Navigate to the USDA Service Portal and when it asks you to select an agency, select “Department of Agriculture” .
On the banner at the top of the page, select DASO Now Platform and select “Request Something” to find the application.
Choose the 1994 Tribal Scholars Program to begin your application!