Good things are happening at Montana State University Billings. And we’re just getting started: a new school year, a vision focused on our students’ success, and an unstoppable Yellowjacket spirit. And that’s why we need scholarship and programmatic support from donors like you.
When you give the MSU Billings Foundation a gift, you choose what your gift supports: specify a college or fund or contribute to current leadership priorities. Together, we can ensure a bright future for MSU Billings and its students. We are selling access and social mobility to help students with grit succeed – and these five scholarships help us accomplish that.
Learn more by expanding the sections below or connect with a member of our development team.
Priorities for Fundraising Year 2024-2025
Yellowjacket Excellence scholarship
The MSU Billings Yellowjacket Excellence Scholarships are automatic awards based upon high school GPA. University Campus award amounts vary between $1,000 – $3,000 annually and City College award amounts vary between $500 – $1,500. Awards are renewable for two or four years. This award helps MSUB more closely align with best practices in current higher education in awarding students a financial aid package on their acceptance to school to help them better understand the total cost of their education.
Finish Line Scholarship
Too many students drop out for lack of financial support, leaving our institution with student debt and without a degree. The Finish Line Scholarship honors their determination while removing that last financial hurdle between an MSU Billings student and their graduation ceremony.
Our goal is to raise $100,000 to support this graduation initiative. When MSU Billings students cross the finish line, diploma in hand, it’s a win for every aspect of our university: our student completion rate, our campus vitality, our community engagement, and most importantly, our new alumni.
General Athletic Scholarships
The 230+ Yellowjacket student-athletes are some of the best and brightest of the MSUB student population. Not only do these athletes demonstrate exceptional talent in their respective sports, but they also demonstrate talent in the classroom, with the department featuring a 3.28 collective GPA last year and 40 student-athletes who walked across the stage with their degrees. Your support of General Athletic Scholarships helps attract and retain competitive student-athletes. The competitiveness of the athletic program elevates the university’s positive visibility, fostering a sense of pride and community spirit. For many student-athletes, especially those facing financial constraints, athletic scholarships serve as a gateway to higher education.
Student Crisis Fund
There is story after story of how circumstances beyond a student’s control, put them in a situation where they just need a little help to get back on track to continue on their academic journey. The Student Crisis Fund Awards are typically a few hundred dollars, but the impact is worth far more. Often, it is a difference between continuing their education or having to withdraw from school. With a little help, we make a world of difference for our students.
Chancellor’s Excellence Award
Since 2002, the Chancellor’s Excellence Awards have been awarded annually to incoming Montana State University Billings first-year students who exemplify the institution’s core values of academic excellence, demonstrated leadership, and service to others — skills necessary to impact an evolving global community.
The MSU Billings University Honors Program is receiving increasing applications for our most prestigious scholarship. In 2021, 48 students applied, but only enough funding was available to support three of these exceptional incoming students. We aim to enhance the existing Chancellor’s Excellence Award endowment to $2.5 million. At that level, 20 award recipients would receive $5,000 per year for up to four years or until their bachelor’s degree completion.
