Montana Agriculture Student Loan Assistance Program (SLAP)

The Montana Agriculture Student Loan Assistance Program encourages Montana's college-educated youth to pursue a primary career in farming or ranching, reduces financial stress on farm and ranch operators, and promotes succession planning. Successful applicants may receive student-loan repayment assistance for up to five years for qualified education loans.

An applicant must: be a Montana resident; have earned an associate or baccalaureate degree from a Montana-based postsecondary institution (Montana university system unit, Montana community college, or accredited Montana tribal college); have an outstanding balance on an eligible student loan from that degree; be the primary owner, heir, successor, or assignee of a farm or ranch in Montana; participate in day-to-day operations; agree to operate a Montana farm or ranch for at least five years; and be in non-default status on the student loan.

Total loan-repayment assistance may not exceed 50% of the applicant's total educational loans outstanding; the minimum outstanding loan amount is $10,000. Assistance is available for up to five years. Payments may be made as one annual payment or 12 monthly payments per year of eligibility, disbursed by the department directly to the educational loan. No more than $100,000 of Agriculture Development Council funds per biennium may be expended for the program. Recipients must operate a farm or ranch full-time for at least five years after application, and must repay assistance received if they cease before the five-year commitment ends. Legal authority: MCA 90-9-203, 90-9-501; ARM 4.16.104, 4.16.503.

Applications for the 2026 cycle were accepted April 15 – May 18, 2026 (5:00 PM deadline). Apply by creating an account at mtagr.webgrantscloud.com and following the online instructions. Qualifying applicants are presented to the Agriculture Development Council at its June meeting; award announcements are made in June.