Applicants must submit their completed application with three references by March 15, 2024. The application form is here.

All materials (application, transcript, essay, and references) must be submitted to the Dude Ranch Foundation office, postmarked by March 15, 2024. Materials postmarked after this date will not be considered.

1. General Requirements

Eligible applicants must be:

• high school seniors, graduating in the spring and attending college in the fall, or
• community college second-year students, graduating in the spring and attending a 4-year college or university in the fall, or
• college sophomores entering their junior year in the fall
• students with a minimum GPA of 3.0
• legal citizens or permanent residents of the United States or Canada

2. Career in the dude ranch industry

The DRF scholarship was created for students who desire a career in the dude ranch industry, a multifaceted industry with jobs in a variety of professions. An applicant, seeking education in a field without an apparent tie to ranching, can explain the applicability of their chosen field of study to ranching in their scholarship application.

3. School Accreditation

The DRF scholarship is conditioned upon an applicant attending an accredited university, college, or trade school.

4. Full-time student status

Applicants commit to maintaining full-time status in their selected educational program throughout the school year. Recipients that have not maintained full-time status may be required to refund scholarship awards to the Foundation.

5. Scholarship Renewals

Scholarship renewals are based on a maintained 3.0 GPA, a letter of good standing from the school’s administrative office each year, and a publishable summary written by the recipient expressing annual accomplishments, progress toward long-term goals, and the value of the scholarship in achieving those goals.

6. Financial need

Financial need may be considered in the selection of, and the dollar amount of awards to scholarship recipients.

7. Application Process

Applicants must submit their completed application with three references by March 15, 2024. The application form is here.

All materials (application, transcript, essay, and references) must be submitted to the Dude Ranch Foundation office, postmarked by March 15, 2024. Materials postmarked after this date will not be considered.

8. Complete a telephone interview

A personal telephone interview is required by the Dude Ranch Foundation Executive Director, a Board Member, or both. Please include the phone number where you can be reached for an interview.

9. Volunteering

Each applicant and/or recipient is encouraged to volunteer at a dude ranch or industry-related partner, the Foundation office, or the museum. For high school seniors, a record of volunteering is key to gaining admittance to many colleges and universities. Future DRF scholarship applicants should check with their high school counselors to establish that volunteer work for the Foundation meets applicable HS graduation and/or college entrance requirements.

Call the Dude Ranch Foundation with any questions at 307.250.1981.