Minnesota vs Washington: Scholarship Climate 2026
Which climate fits best? Washington offers a broader range of scholarships with higher average awards, making it suitable for applicants seeking significant financial support. Minnesota, while having fewer opportunities, still provides valuable funding options for specific fields.
State A
Minnesota
State B
Washington
Quick comparison
| Metric | Minnesota | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Active scholarships in catalog | 47 | 191 |
| Avg. award (where known) | $2,915 | $3,652 |
| Max indexed award | $9,000 | $25,000 |
Financial Aid Overview for 2026
In 2026, Minnesota presents a scholarship climate with a total of 36 grants available, averaging $3,125 per award, and a maximum award size of $9,000. The top universities in Minnesota include the Minnesota Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which offers 4 grants, and several others with 2 grants each.
In contrast, Washington boasts a more extensive scholarship landscape with 124 grants, an average award size of approximately $3,739, and a maximum award of $25,000. Notable institutions include the Wenatchee Valley College Foundation, providing 27 grants, and various community foundations.
Final verdict explanation
ScholarshipTop publishes this supplemental “Final verdict explanation” whenever the primary matchup body for 2026 skews thinner than editorial depth standards. The comparison table summarizes about 47 scholarships indexed today for listings commonly associated with Minnesota alongside about 191 scholarships indexed today for listings commonly associated with Washington using the same ingestion window, so deltas highlight catalog-wide signals rather than courthouse-grade guarantees. Residents, transfers, and commuter students weighing Minnesota campuses against Washington footprints should corroborate every figure with authoritative financial aid disclosures, state higher-ed portals, endowed scholarship riders, reciprocal tuition agreements, Honors supplements, or graduation timelines before staking savings plans.
After reviewing the matchup metrics above, continue with Matches-style browsing, internationally inclusive corridors when visas matter, streamlined application corridors when time is scarce, followed by essay hubs and evergreen resource articles covering drafting workflows, budgeting, appeals, parental contribution conversations, and scholarship renewals tied to academic performance. ScholarshipTop provides these cues as scaffolding; students still validate final award letters directly with campuses and adjust strategy whenever policies evolve during 2026 and afterward.
Top Scholarship Providers in Minnesota
Ranked by number of active scholarships
- 4 grants
- 2 grants
- 2 grants
- 2 grants
- 2 grants
Top Scholarship Providers in Washington
Ranked by number of active scholarships
- 27 grants
- 25 grants
- 17 grants
- 6 grants
- 2 grants
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Scholarship climate by state
Minnesota
Minnesota's scholarship climate is characterized by fewer opportunities but focused awards, making it ideal for applicants in specific fields.
Washington
Washington's scholarship environment is robust, offering a wide variety of grants and higher average award sizes, appealing to a broader range of applicants.
Public reference data
Cost of living & wages
State-level affordability context to complement scholarship climate above - not ScholarshipTop grant totals.
Visual comparison
Median household income
Census ACSFair market rent (2BR)
HUD monthly estimateLiving wage
Single adult, MIT modelBLS median wage
State occupational estimateMinnesota
Median household income
$89,564
Census ACS
Fair market rent (2BR)
$1,046
HUD monthly estimate
Living wage
21.55/hr
Single adult, MIT model
BLS median wage
$56,920
State occupational estimate
Reported violent crime rate (state aggregate): 22.22 per 100k population. Public safety context is based on aggregate state-level public data - not a safety rating.
Public planning context
Community indicators vary by county and are included only as public planning context. Use this alongside scholarship amount, school cost, and living expenses - not as an eligibility rule.
CDC SVI band
lower indicator band
ADI band
middle indicator band
SVI counties
87
ADI counties
87
- CDC SVI county data is available for 87 counties; county indicators vary and are best used as public planning context.
- ADI block-group data is available across 87 counties; local conditions can vary within the same state.
Washington
Median household income
$97,733
Census ACS
Fair market rent (2BR)
$1,418
HUD monthly estimate
Living wage
23.29/hr
Single adult, MIT model
BLS median wage
$62,990
State occupational estimate
Reported violent crime rate (state aggregate): 27.40 per 100k population. Public safety context is based on aggregate state-level public data - not a safety rating.
Public planning context
Community indicators vary by county and are included only as public planning context. Use this alongside scholarship amount, school cost, and living expenses - not as an eligibility rule.
CDC SVI band
middle indicator band
ADI band
lower indicator band
SVI counties
39
ADI counties
39
- CDC SVI county data is available for 39 counties; county indicators vary and are best used as public planning context.
- ADI block-group data is available across 39 counties; local conditions can vary within the same state.
Sources: Census ACS, HUD FMR, MIT Living Wage, BLS OEWS, and public reference datasets where available. Rent figures may reflect metro or state averages.
Public safety context uses aggregate public data and is included only as planning context.
Reference only - not ScholarshipTop eligibility rules or guarantees.
Data availability varies by school, city, state, and source year.
FAQ
What is the average scholarship amount in Minnesota?
How many scholarships are available in Washington?
What is the maximum scholarship award in Washington?
Which university in Minnesota offers the most scholarships?
Sources and official pages
Official and high-authority pages used to support this State vs State comparison.
- Federal Student Aid (U.S. Department of Education) - government reference
- College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education) - government reference
- NCES College Navigator - government reference
- Minnesota and Washington scholarship search reference - high-authority reference
More guides around this State vs State comparison
Internal reading paths around scholarship search, application strategy, and essay preparation for students comparing Minnesota and Washington.
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