Montana residents who graduated from high school in Academic Year 24-25 and who are eligible for a Pell Grant. We will send letters to eligible students inviting them to apply.

Pell eligibility is determined based on the information submitted with your FAFSA. If you received a Pell Grant, it will be included in the financial aid award letter you received from MSU.

Don’t let FAFSA stop you from applying! We will work through Pell eligibility and critical financial need later.

Yes.

Unfortunately not. The MSU Hilleman Scholars Program is only open to incoming undergraduate students who graduated in Academic Year 24-25 from a Montana High School.

Unfortunately not. The MSU Hilleman Scholars Program is only open to incoming resident undergraduate students.

Only students who graduated from high school in Montana in Academic Year 24-25 and have Montana residency are eligible.

If you’ve been invited to apply for the MSU Hilleman Scholars Program, you simply need complete the online application, including your application essay. We’ll contact your counselor or teacher of significance for a reference.

The application is open now for the 2025 MSU Hilleman Scholar cohort!

The first priority application deadline is Tuesday, February 11th, 2025 at midnight. Give it a shot, it might change your life! 

The scholarship is worth $4,000 per year for four years, for a total of $16,000. Additionally, for attending the Summer Success Academy, you’ll receive $2,000 ($1,000 stipend and $1,000 to be applied to your fall semester tuition). If you complete the academy with a satisfactory participation record and a 3.0 GPA in your math and writing classes, you’ll be eligible for a bonus of up to $500 to be used for educational expenses. And if you meet all the requirements of the program, you can earn a further $3,000 ($1,000 per year for the first three years) to be used toward a group study abroad trip at the end of your junior year. To serve as many students as possible fitting our eligibility criteria, Hilleman Scholars Program scholarships cannot be "stacked" or combined with other scholarship monies such as those provided by the Horatio Alger Scholars Program.

You are expected to participate fully in all aspects of the program, beginning with the Summer Success Academy and continuing throughout your four years at MSU. This will include working at least ten hours per week. You will also be expected to graduate within four years.

In short, you can expect to be both challenged and supported as you get a head start on your college career. You can also expect to have some fun. During the Summer Success Academy, you’ll live in the dorms (with free room and board) and take intensive, college-level math and writing courses (for credit, at no cost). You’ll work with tutors and mentors, in addition to professors, to complete your work for these classes. You’ll spend time reading and critically discussing news articles and other texts. You’ll get to know up to 65 other incoming students, as well as older student mentors and tutors. And you’ll get to know the campus, Bozeman, and the surrounding area as you hike, canoe, and explore it with your fellow Hilleman Scholars.

You’ll be busy—the Summer Success Academy runs seven days per week, up to twelve or fourteen hours a day. There will be some personal time for you to spend working on homework, relaxing, and hanging out with your peers, but the program’s focus is on setting you up for success as you embark on your first year of college.

The Summer Success Academy is designed to give MSU Hilleman Scholars a head start at no cost to the student. In addition, all scholars, provided engaged attendance and participation, will also be provided with a stipend while they are participating in the Summer Success Academy. 

The 2025 Summer Success Academy runs from July 14th until August 15th (note: dates are currently tentative).

You will live and eat in the residence and dining halls at no cost to you.

Yes--and at no cost to you.

If you are accpeted into the program, please sign up for orientation 3 (July 14-16).

Mentors are carefully selected from a previous class of MSU Hilleman Scholars and undergo thorough training to be able to provide the best support possible as you transition to college life. You will meet your mentor at the beginning of the Summer Success Academy. 

Due to the college-level nature of summer coursework, material is taught with complexity and at a rapid pace. Scholars will be required to be present and engaged for the entirety of the Summer Success Academy. Further inquiries about missing part of the Summer Success Academy should be directed to the MSU Hilleman Scholars Student Success Program Manager, at 406-994-7627.

No. Some returning Hilleman Scholars may work at future Summer Success Academy sessions as mentors for incoming students, but you only participate as a student before your first year. 

We need investments from people who want to help cultivate more Dr. Hillemans in Montana. While Montana State University is making a heavy investment in this program, we need investors to help advance the effort. Please click Make a Gift or contact the MSU Alumni Foundation for more details.