KIGG Scholarship

2024 Scholarship Awardees have been named, please check back for more information for 2025. Thank you to all applicants!

The University of Minnesota - Water Resources Center’s Onsite Sewage Treatment Program (OSTP) is thrilled to announce a new scholarship opportunity to cultivate onsite wastewater professionals across our industry in Minnesota. The OSTP has long believed and supported the importance of educating onsite wastewater professionals in Minnesota and beyond using the common phrases Keep it simple (KISS), Keep it natural (KINN) and Keep it level (KILL). To honor this strong educational philosophy and pay it forward – we proudly announce the Keep it going (KIGG) scholarship!

KIGG scholarship recipients will be awarded waived registration fees for select U of M OSTP courses. We anticipate awarding one or two scholarships per Certification workshop topic (bulleted below) for a total of up to ten awards. This is expected to be an annual scholarship with total awards determined and announced each year with our educational workshop brochure. This award will cover registration expenses only (any required manuals, supplies, lodging, etc. are the responsibility of the applicant). The KIGG scholarship committee reserves the right to review all submitted application materials, determine eligibility and award scholarships for education courses offered by the U of M OSTP.

Rules

  • Applicant must have completed the U of M OSTP Certification course: Introduction to Onsite Systems and passed MPCA Introduction exam.
  • Applicant must be seeking a new SSTS certification (new to SSTS or a new SSTS specialty area of certification).
  • Applicant can only be awarded scholarship once.
  • Applicant must complete the entire scholarship application to be considered.
  • 2024 KIGG scholarship submission deadline for application is March 1, 2024.
  • KIGG scholarship is not available for Continuing Education Credits.

Applicants may apply for up to two of the following U of M OSTP educational Certification workshops

  • Installing Onsite Systems
    • Must have passed MPCA exam Introduction to Onsite Systems before applying
  • Maintaining Onsite Systems
    • Must have passed MPCA exam for Introduction to Onsite Systems before applying
  • Service Provider
    • Must have passed MPCA exam for Introduction to Onsite Systems before applying
  • Basic Design of Onsite Systems
    • Must have passed MPCA exams for Introduction to Onsite Systems and Soils before applying
  • Inspecting Onsite Systems
    • Must have passed MPCA Introduction to Onsite Systems and Soils before applying
  • Intermediate Design and Inspection of Onsite Systems
    • Must be a certified Basic Designer or certified Basic Inspector before applying
  • Advanced Design and Inspection of Onsite Systems
    • Must be a certified Intermediate Designer or certified Intermediate Inspector before applying

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2024 Inaugural KIGG Update – March 2024

It is with great pride that the University of Minnesota - Onsite Sewage Treatment Program announces the overwhelming success of our first ever Keep It Going (KIGG) scholarship cycle! Our UM OSTP is founded on supporting and strengthening the onsite wastewater industry across Minnesota through excellence in education. The KIGG scholarship is a natural advancement of these ideals. We began this scholarship program officially on December 1, 2023, with the expectation of receiving 3-5 applications in this first year, which we would have considered a success. Imagine our eyes when we tallied the applications in early March to find that we received 23 applications from all across our great state of Minnesota (see more details below)! Ultimately we were able to award 17 scholarships to 14 different applicants across all seven certification areas. 

If you missed the announcement or application deadline for 2024 or did not get awarded a scholarship this year, the UM OSTP plans to offer the KIGG scholarship annually. While details might change as we review and receive feedback, this opportunity will continue into the future. If you are interested in supporting this effort, the University of Minnesota Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has been charged by the Regents of the University of Minnesota to receive and administer gifts on behalf of our KIGG scholarship in Fund 21850 – Onsite Sewage Treatment Program Fund.

KIGG - By the numbers

23 total applications received:

  • 6 Central Region
  • 5 Northeast Region
  • 4 Northwest Region
  • 2 Southwest Region
  • 6 Southeast Region

15 Existing SSTS certified professionals

8 Non SSTS certified applicants

Multiple applicants for all 7 certification courses (each applicant could apply for up to 2 courses)

  • 6 Installing
  • 4 Maintaining
  • 6 Service Provider
  • 5 Designing
  • 6 Inspecting
  • 4 Intermediate

  • 3 Advanced

Thank you all very much for your efforts every day to keep our industry going strong!