James & Susie Coats Tsa La Gi "Trail of Tears" Scholarship for 2026-2027

Deadline: May 17, 2026

Qualified applicants must meet ALL of the following requirements:

• Full-time (12 hours per semester)

• Incoming Freshmen must be in the top 10% of their class OR have a 21+ ACT

• Incoming Transfers or Continuing Undergraduate students must have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0+

• Cherokee Tribal Membership 

Please attach the following:

• One-page autobiography 

• Copy of Cherokee Tribal Membership card 

• Two letters of recommendation: uploaded to this application or emailed to scholarships@nsuok.edu by the scholarship deadline 

Previous recipients must reapply each year to be considered for the scholarship again and also maintain full-time enrollment and a 3.0 overall GPA.

Foundation scholarships are subject to legally binding guidelines, so unfortunately, we cannot award scholarships to students who do not meet all listed requirements.

Link 

College Prep Camp for Cherokee Nation 

Remember that you do not automatically receive your scholarship every semester. You have to reapply through the Gadugi Portal with your updated documentation to meet your scholarship requirements each cycle. See below for more detailed guidelines.

The deadline to renew your scholarship for Fall 2026 is Monday, June 15th at 5 PM CST.
 

Before Applying

Gather all of your required documents or your explanation for what documents are missing and when you expect them to become available. Different applications require different documents. Please refer to the attached handout to see what you will need.

• Start the Fall 2026 scholarship application through your Gadugi Portal account

• If you will be attending a different college or university in the Fall semester, update the school information on your application as well as your student ID number.

• Make sure you receive your confirmation email after submitting. You can also check the status of your application on the Gadugi Portal under 'My Applications' at the top of the screen.
   

If you have any questions regarding this program, contact your advisor below.

A-B Becky Kessen becky-kessen@cherokee.org (918) 453-5000 x4021

C-E Jennifer Grayson jennifer-grayson@cherokee.org (918) 453-5000 x5308

F-H Jonathan Meigs jonathan-meigs@cherokee.org (918) 453-5000 x4022

I-M Shayna Macias shayna-macias@cherokee.org (918) 453-5000 x7054

N-R Taylor Goodrich taylor-goodrich@cherokee.org (918) 453-5000 x5998

S Alica Salazar alica-salazar@cherokee.org (918) 453-5000 x7386

T-Z Neesie Blossom neesie-blossom@cherokee.org (918) 453-5000 x5341

Concurrent & Chief/Deputy Chief Awards Bailey Green bailey-green@cherokee.org (918) 453-5000 x5322

Tribal - College Horizon 2026 Summer Program  

Career Guest Speaker  

NSU Native Strong