Muehlberger Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by Oregon Trail Community Foundation

Building a Stronger Panhandle — Together

For nearly five decades, the Oregon Trail Community Foundation has matched generous donors with practical community needs. From scholarships to healthcare, the arts, history, environment, and recreation, OTCF aims to enhance quality of life across the Panhandle. Gifts are managed carefully to produce lasting benefits for today and future generations.

Muehlberger Scholarship — Overview

Created in 2004 through the estate of Waldemar Muehlberger, the Muehlberger Scholarship supports residents of eleven Nebraska Panhandle counties (Banner, Box Butte, Cheyenne, Dawes, Deuel, Garden, Kimball, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan and Sioux) and Goshen County, Wyoming, who are pursuing an undergraduate major in education or a health-care-related field. Eligible institutions include accredited two- and four-year colleges, universities, and technical schools. The award is available to high school graduates, non-traditional students, and continuing college students. Each year winners and alternates are chosen.

Award Amount and Renewal

- Annual award: up to $1,000 per year ($500 per semester).
- Renewable for up to four years, providing up to $4,000 total for undergraduate study.
- Payments are made directly to the recipient’s school and posted to the student account.

Eligibility Requirements

To be considered for the Muehlberger Scholarship, applicants must:
- Have a minimum ACT score of 21.
- Be majoring in education or a health-care-related field at an accredited college or university.
- Be enrolled full time, as defined by the educational institution.
- Maintain at least a 2.5 GPA.

Application Deadline and Required Documents

- Deadline for the application and all supporting materials: April 1.
- High school applicants: upload an official ACT/SAT score report and a high school transcript (final senior year grades are not required).
- College students and non-traditional applicants: submit the most recent college transcript.

Renewal and Reporting Obligations

Recipients must:
- Provide OTCF with college transcripts within three weeks after the close of each grading period. Failure to submit transcripts may jeopardize scholarship renewal.
- Notify OTCF of any changes of address or phone number (this applies to recipients and, if applicable, their parents).
- Inform OTCF if they transfer to a different college.

The scholarship will be withdrawn and awarded to an alternate if the recipient fails to enroll as a full-time student for the first semester the scholarship is intended to cover.