Other scholarship opportunities are available to Native American youth from a variety of organizations. These are not administered by the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska. Each scholarship will have its own requirements and application.

This is not an exhaustive list.

Online Scholarship Sites

Other sites with links to scholarships:

scholarships.com

scholarshipowl.com

Open Education Database PhD Scholarships

Open Education Database Graduate Scholarships

Click here to see Native American scholarship opportunities through CollegeScholarships.org

Click here for over 2,000 Nebraska-based scholarships

Nebraska Department of Education Scholarship Opportunities

Colleges that offer Tuition Waivers and Scholarships for Native American Students

National Scholarships for Native American youth

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Native American Scholarships
We foster and support Native culture through scholarships, academic programs, research, events and celebration of Native contributions. Learn more >

Nebraska Indian Community College – The NICC Tuition Waiver
The tuition waiver NICC offers is non‐refundable and will only be applied to my bill if there is no other source of financial aid that I am qualified for and awarded for this class/term. A tuition waiver will be denied if the class is not completed successfully. Download application >

United Tribe Technical College: Native American Tuition Waiver
As of 2022, there is NO application for this waiver, and there is NO deadline. Eligible students will have the waiver applied to their financial aid awards after the census date of each semester. Learn more >

Archaeology Field School
Amount:  The Steven Hanlin memorial scholarship will cover 6 credits of tuition plus fees for the summer dig.
The Anthropology Department at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) will be conducting an archaeology field school this summer at the Gehring site (11MS99), directed by Susan Kooiman. The Gehring site is a multicomponent site with most intensive occupations dating to the Middle Woodland period (Hopewellian, nearly 2000 years old) and Mississippian period (Cahokian, nearly 1000 years old). The Gehring site is located on the SIUE campus, in the northern American Bottom, some 20 minutes north of that great Native American city, Cahokia. For more information about our research, please see videos, photos, and our preliminary excavation reports at https://www.siue.edu/artsandsciences/anthropology/student-opportunties/archaeology-field-school.shtml.

American Indian Services AIS Scholarship
Amount: Varies
Requirements: Enrolled in a university, college, junior college or technical school (1/4) Northern-Native American Indian Blood. Undergraduate student with no more than 150 semester credits or 210 quarter credits. Full-time or part-time status – excluding non-credit courses. Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.25
Deadline: Ongoing

American Indian Graduate Center Wells Fargo Undergraduate Scholarships
Amount: Varies
Requirements: This scholarship is funded by Wells Fargo and administered by American Indian Graduate Center. To be considered an applicant must be enrolled in a federally recognized tribe and be a junior or senior pursuing a career and degree in fields related to banking, resort management, gaming operations, management and administration, including accounting, finance, information technology and human resources.
Deadline: Ongoing

American Indian Graduate Center Graduate Fellowships
Amount: Varies
Requirements: Pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree as a full-time student at an accredited U.S. graduate School; demonstrate financial need; and be an enrolled member of a federally recognized American Indian tribe or Alaska Native group, or be able to demonstrate ancestry of 1/4 degree Indian blood.
Deadline: Ongoing

American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) Scholarships
AISES helps students move forward in their educational journeys by providing a range of programs and scholarship opportunities. AISES scholarships help students acquire skills and training that will help them meet the STEM needs of our communities.
Amount: Varies
Deadline: Varies by scholarship

AICPA Fellowship for Minority Doctoral Students
The program’s goal is to increase the number of minority CPAs who serve as role models and mentors to young people in the academic environment and university classrooms.

Cobell Scholarship
The Cobell Scholarship is competitive, merit first then need-based, non-renewable, and available to any post-secondary (after high school) student who is; an enrolled member of a US Federally-Recognized Tribe, enrolled in full-time study and is degree seeking.

2024-2025 Academic Year Cobell Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarship Opportunities
Applications open on December 15, 2023. Awards for these scholarship opportunities go up to $5,000 per academic year for Undergraduate Scholars and up to $12,500 per academic year for Graduate Scholars. Deadline to apply is March 31, 2024.

Daughters of the American Revolution: American Indian Scholarships
Amount: $4,000
Requirements: AMERICAN INDIAN SCHOLARSHIP provides a one-time $4,000 scholarship to American Indian college and technical school students of any age, from any tribe in any state, who have financial need and a minimum grade point average of 3.25 based on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent GPA on the scale used by the applicable educational institution. A tribal card qualifies as identification and must be included with the application. These awards are available for vocational training or college/university undergraduate or graduate students. Preference is given to undergraduate applicants. 
Scholarship applications are accepted during the submission period found on the DAR public website. The DAR Scholarship webpage link is: https://www.dar.org/national-society/scholarships

Bureau of Indian Affairs Grant 
The Bureau of Indian Affairs funds 26 institutions and provides numerous scholarships to Native American undergraduates and graduate students seeking assistance. Check with your local BIA office for applications, eligibility, and deadlines. 

Catching the Dream Scholarship
Catching the Dream is a nonprofit chartered in 1986. They strive to help improve the quality of life in Indian Country through the higher education of indigenous people. They provide scholarship funds for students who demonstrate academic achievement, clearly defined goals, leadership, the determination to succeed, and the desire to return to their communities and help others realize their dreams. 

Texas A&M:
Doctoral Diversity Excellence Fellowship (PDF)

Alaska:
Randy Rogers Wood Bison Foundation (PDF)

Nebraska Scholarship Sites and colleges

Nucor Steel Nebraska Scholarship

Nucor Steel Nebraska is proud to offer a scholarship program to Southeast Community College and Central Community College for students starting in Fall 2024 who are interested in a career in robotics, electro-mechanical technology, or automation.

Apply: https://bit.ly/3IsBzHa

Deadline: March 28, 2024

Nucor IT Operations Intern

Nucor Business Technology (NBT) is seeking qualified applicants for the position of IT Operations Intern. This position is responsible for configuring, operating, and maintaining various enterprise-wide systems as well as supporting internal IT partners across the enterprise. This position will be onsite, located in Norfolk, NE.   Click here to apply.

Basic Job Functions

  1. Provide technical support to employees using phone, email, chat, and the ticketing system; provides in-person support to onsite employees and remote support to other locations 
  2. Order, configure and deploy new equipment and manage used inventory and returned/loaner hardware and peripherals for timely disposition 
  3. Assist in the implementation/installation, maintenance/troubleshooting, and licensing of software/applications 
  4. Troubleshooting and maintaining certain IT infrastructure equipment such as computers/laptops, phones, printers, conference room, servers, access control systems and network devices 
  5. Procure, setup, configure, distribute and troubleshooting of all mobile devices 
  6. Work on projects and perform other duties as assigned 

Minimum Requirements

  • Currently majoring in Computer Information Systems, Information Technology, or related fields
  • Expected graduation by May 2026
  • Deadline: March 22, 2024

Wayne State College Native American Community College Tuition Award

Eligibility: Awarded to a limited number of Native American community college students transferring to Wayne State College. See application for additional details.
Amount: Full tuition for two years.
Application: Complete the Native American Community College Tuition Award application form and submit to the Financial Aid Office at Wayne State College.

Wayne State College Transfer Tuition Award

Incoming transfers are eligible for Wayne State College’s current/transfer student scholarship opportunities.
Deadlines:
Scholarship applications: Feb. 1
FAFSA (Priority Deadline): April 1

Lincoln Community Foundation

The Lincoln Community Foundation has scholarships to assist Native American youth pursuing post-secondary education. Students will need to sign up to apply for these scholarships on the Lincoln Community Foundation website at https://lcf.academicworks.com.

Scholarships available through the Lincoln Community Foundation include the following:

  • The Chief Standing Bear Scholarship is awarded to students pursuing an undergraduate degree who are Nebraska residents and are able to provide proof of tribal affiliation. Click here to view the full guidelines.
  • The Leonard F. Hartwig Scholarship is awarded to current graduating Native American seniors from public or private high schools in Lincoln, NE who are pursuing post-secondary education. Click here to view the full guidelines.

Access College Early (ACE) Scholarship Program

https://ecmp.nebraska.gov/CCPE-ACE/Account/Login

Authorized by the Nebraska Legislature in 2007, the Access College Early (ACE) Scholarship Program pays tuition and mandatory fees for qualified, low-income high school students to enroll in college courses from Nebraska colleges or universities, either through dual-enrollment or early enrollment agreements with these institutions. High school students may apply for funding under this program by completing the ACE Student Application, which is reviewed by the Coordinating Commission for award consideration.

Please note the following application and deadline dates for the ACE Scholarship:

For Summer classes that have a start date of July 1 or later – application can be submitted starting April 1 (July 15 for Career Program of Study); deadline September 15

For Fall term classes – application can be submitted starting August 1 (October 15 for Career Program of Study); deadline December 15

For Winter term classes – application can be submitted November 1 (January 15 for Career Program of Study); deadline March 31

For Spring term classes – application can be submitted November 15 (March 15 for Career Program of Study); deadline May 15

For Summer classes that have a start date prior to July 1 – application can be submitted April 1 (May 15 for Career Program of Study); deadline June 15

Nebraska Community College Gap Assistance Program

https://ccpe.nebraska.gov/gap
The Community College Gap Assistance Program aims to address this looming shortage by offering financial aid to community college students enrolled in credit or non-credit programs that are not eligible for Pell grants that could lead to jobs in high-need fields.

STEM Connect Scholarship

STEM Connect is a partnership among the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Southeast Community College, and Western Nebraska Community College. STEM CONNECT awards scholarships to and provides curricular and co-curricular support to academically talented, low-income students with interest in careers that require strong skills in mathematics or computer science. https://www.southeast.edu/stem-connect/

Norfolk Public Schools Foundation

The Norfolk Public Schools Foundation has a comprehensive scholarship program for Norfolk High School students seeking post-secondary education: https://www.norfolkpublicschools.org/foundation/scholarships/

Goodrich Scholarship Program | University of Nebraska Omaha 

https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-public-affairs…
Since 1972, the Goodrich Scholarship Program has enabled more than 1,900 students to complete a first-class education at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO). You know many of our alums today as doctors, educators, engineers, artists, and elected officials. What they are and always will be is Goodrich. Once a Goodricher, always a Goodricher. 

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy 

https://ncpa.unl.edu
The Nebraska College Preparatory Academy (NCPA) is an innovative college access program that prepares academically-talented, first-generation, low-income students in grades 9-12 for college.

Teacher Scholars Academy

https://cehs.unl.edu/cehs/teacher-scholars-academy
We intend that teachers who emerge from the academy will be engaged in ways that prepare students for the future. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Teacher Scholars Academy will support the preparation of exceptional teacher/leaders who: Are effective and confident in facilitating learning for all of Nebraska… 

Scholarships | University of Nebraska at Kearney 

https://catalog.unk.edu/undergraduate/financial-information/scholarships
University of Nebraska at Kearney Scholarship Guidelines. The philosophy of the Scholarship Committee is to assist… Athletic Grants. Scholarships for athletes are available at the discretion of the Athletic Director and the coaching… Freshman Scholarship … 

Scholarships | Wayne State College

https://www.wsc.edu/scholarships#scholarships
Wayne State College offers more than 200 types of scholarships.

Susan T. Buffett Foundation scholarship

The Susan T. Buffett Foundation has offered scholarships to college students in Nebraska for over 50 years. Scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis to first-time freshmen entering college who live in Nebraska, graduate from a Nebraska high school (or GED) with plans to attend a Nebraska public college, and demonstrate financial need. There are a limited number of scholarships, so the Foundation is unable to provide awards to all eligible candidates.

The Susan T. Buffett Foundation scholarship application for the 2024 academic year opens November 1st. The link to the application will be posted on our homepage: https://buffettscholarships.org/