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William C. and Corinne J. Dietrich Scholarship Program
Deadline to apply: March 14, 2025 3:00 pm CT

Corinne (Connie) J. Dietrich grew up in Mapleton, as the top-ranked student in her graduating class and went on to teach at a variety of high schools. William C. Dietrich (Bill) was born, raised, and worked for much of his life in Le Sueur. Surrounded by a family of teachers, he was passionate about lifelong learning, even choosing to teach after he retired.

Connie established the William C. and Corinne J. Dietrich Scholarship Awards in 2004 to encourage the educational pursuits of the class valedictorians from her alma mater and to honor her husband Bill’s memory and encourage the educational pursuits of students from his alma mater.

This program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor, and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.

Applicants to the William C. and Corinne J. Dietrich Scholarship Program must:

  • Plan to enroll in full‑time undergraduate study at an accredited two-year or four‑year college or university for the entire upcoming academic year.
Competitive award applicants must also:
  • Be current high school seniors attending a public high school in Minnesota.
  • Demonstrate financial need.
Merit award recipients must also:
  • Be current high school seniors of Le Sueur- Henderson High School in Le Sueur, MN or Maple River High School in Mapleton, MN or other such public high schools serving Le Sueur or Mapleton.
  • Be the outstanding scholastic achiever in the graduating class named by Le Sueur- Henderson High School and Maple River High School as the top ranked students in their respective high schools.

Awards

Merit awards

  • One $10,000* William C. Dietrich Award to the top ranked student in the graduating class of Le Sueur- Henderson High School in Le Sueur, MN.
  • One $10,000* Connie Borchert Dietrich Award to the top ranked student in the graduating class of Maple River High School in Mapleton, MN.
  • Merit awards are renewable for three additional years based on the student maintaining a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale.).  Merit Award recipients whose awards exceed their undergraduate educational expenses may apply award payments to graduate school costs for up to an additional two years, provided they meet renewal requirements.

Top ranked students will be identified by official representatives of the respective schools.

Competitive awards

  • One $10,000* William C. Dietrich Award will be granted to a student in the graduating class of Le Sueur- Henderson High School in Le Sueur, MN.
  • One $10,000* Connie Borchert Dietrich Award will be granted to a student in the graduating class of Maple River High School in Mapleton, MN.
  • William C. and Corinne J. Dietrich Award- Up to 16 competitive awards in the amount up to $10,000* each will be given to applicants from any public high school in Minnesota, if funds are available. The number of competitive awards will be determined according to funds remaining for distribution after allocation of funds for William C. Dietrich awards and Connie Borchert Dietrich awards.  Competitive awards need not be made every year if appropriate recipients cannot be identified.
  • Competitive awards are renewable for three additional years of full-time undergraduate study based on the student maintaining a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale).

Competitive awards are for undergraduate study only.

Recipients may not receive both merit and competitive awards.

*Award amounts are subject to change at the discretion of Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation.

Selection of Recipients

Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:

  • Academic record
  • Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
  • Work experience
  • A statement of educational and career goals and objectives
  • Unusual personal or family circumstances
  • An online recommendation

Financial need, as calculated by Scholarship America, must be demonstrated for the student to receive a competitive award.

Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship America. In no instance does any officer or employee of Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation play a part in the selection. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.

Notification

Applicants will be notified in June. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients.

Payment of Scholarships

Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation. Awards will be paid in early August. Awards will be made payable to the institution for the student.

As part of your application, you must upload the following documents:

    • A current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display:
      • Student name
      • School name
      • Grades
      • Credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.

NOTE: If you are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload a copy of your test score report(s) separately. If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required.

Also as part of your application, one online recommendation form must be submitted on your behalf no later than March 19, 2025 3:00 pm Central Time.

Your application is not complete unless all required documents are submitted electronically.

The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation have partnered with Scholarship America. Selecting the button below will redirect you the Scholarship America Student Hub!

Please make sure to add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org as well as the program email address provided below in the footer as safe senders in your email contact list.