Scholarship Program

The Minnesota Council of Airports (MCOA) is an organization providing member airports support services to enhance their airports and aviation services. The Minnesota Council or Airports' goal is to offer one or more scholarships each year to full-time students who are actively pursuing a degree or certificate in an aviation management related program. The scholarship application is a one-time award of $2,000 dollars. The scholarship applications that are submitted will be evaluated by the Professional Development Committee (PDC) with concurrence of the Board.

Scholarship funds may be used to pay for tuition and fees at an accredited college or university for studies in an aviation related program, technical school or (e.g., enrolled in a course of study in the pursuit of an FAA mechanics certificate or other comparable certificated aviation or aerospace position), or flight training at a Part 141 school.

To be considered for the award of this scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Be enrolled in an aviation-related program approved by the Minnesota Council of Airports' Professional Development Committee and plan to continue to pursue a career in that aviation-related career field.
• Be a resident of the State of Minnesota if attending an approved school outside the state.
• Be a student in good standing in either a two or four-year aviation-related program at the time the application is submitted.
• Have achieved academic proficiency (grade point average) at the time of the application of 3.0 or better (based on a 4.0 system).

The Professional Development Committee will review the candidates’ applications and rank the candidates according to a set of criteria. The following is a summary of the criteria that the committee will use to select candidates for a scholarship:

• The candidate’s career goals, articulating a passion for an aviation/aerospace career and a commitment to the aviation/aerospace community; and
• The candidate’s overall academic success, motivation, teamwork, history of achievement, community service, attitude, and leadership.

• Submit a 250 word (maximum) typed paper telling why you are interested in an aviation career and where you see yourself in the aviation field after graduation. A two-minute or less video may also be submitted.
• Applications must be accompanied by a copy of an official transcript of semester/quarter grades from the applicant’s school that include up to the last quarter/trimester/semester grades prior to the application
• The applications must be accompanied by a letter of recommendation from a member of the school’s aviation faculty at the institution in which the applicant is currently enrolled.
• The applicant must not have previously received the scholarship from MCOA.

Award recipients will be contacted by an official of the Minnesota Council of Airports. Please do not contact the any Minnesota Council of Airports member before award recipients are announced. We will strive to notify award recipients no later than April 1.

To the best of our ability, names and addresses of applicants will remain confidential and will not be shared with organizations or individuals outside the scope of the scholarship process. It should be understood, however, that correspondence necessary in processing an application (such as follow up requests for letters of recommendation, transcripts, etc.) may be made by the Minnesota Council of Airports.

Scholarship award recipients will be asked to allow the use of their name and photograph in the Minnesota Council of Airports', website, public events and press release(s) for publicity purposes. Award recipients will be asked to grant express permission to the Minnesota Council of Airports for these purposes.

Scholarship recipients will also be invited to attend the awards banquet at the Annual Airports Conference. The 2026 conference is at Grandview Resort in Nisswa, MN. The awards luncheon is on April 23, 2026. The Minnesota Council of Airports will pay up to two nights lodging and all conference registration fees. The scholarship recipient(s) is responsible for transportation to and from the conference.

Applications are due on March 1, 2026 and must include all required documentation. The Minnesota Council of Airports reserves the right to reject any incomplete application.