Scholarships

South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship

The South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship allows South Dakota’s most academically accomplished high school graduates to receive up to $7,500 scholarship from any university, college, or technical school in South Dakota that is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Build Dakota Scholarship

Build Dakota is a scholarship program created for skilled scholars entering high-demand programs at South Dakota technical colleges — allowing South Dakotans to earn their degrees for free, and it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3 to apply. By applying for the Build Dakota Scholarship, you’re one step closer to a successful future – opening the door to get there faster and debt free, by supporting tuition, fees, books, and other required program expenses in the eligible technical college programs.

Current Eligible Programs:

  • Agriculture

  • Automotive

  • Building Trades/Construction

  • Energy Technicians

  • Engineering Technicians

  • Healthcare/Public Service

  • Information Technology/Computer Information Systems

  • Precision Manufacturing

  • Welding

Dakota Corps Scholarship

The Dakota Corps Scholarship is for South Dakota students entering college in the coming year provides full tuition and generally applicable fees to selected qualified applicants seeking degrees that will set them up to work in a critical-need occupation following graduation.

To be eligible for the Dakota Corps Scholarship students must:

  • Have graduated from an accredited South Dakota high school with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.8 or greater on a 4.0 scale. Home schooled students will be allowed to provide supplemental information to qualify if the information for this requirement is not available.

  • Have 27 ACT Composite or Superscore or greater (or the SAT equivalent).

  • Agree in writing to stay in South Dakota and work in a critical need occupation after graduation for as many years as the scholarship was received plus one year.

  • Apply for the Dakota Corps Scholarship for a school period that begins within one year of high school graduation, or within one year of release from active duty of an active component of the armed forces.

  • Be an incoming freshman at a participating South Dakota college as an undergraduate student in a program that will prepare the student to work in a critical need occupation

  • Be a U.S. citizen or national

Current Critical Need Areas:

  • Teacher – K-12 (select areas)

  • Teacher – Secondary (select areas)

  • Accountant/Auditor

  • Engineering (select areas)

  • Information Technology

  • Registered Nurse

South Dakota Statewide Scholarship Bulletin Board

Search scholarship opportunities on the Statewide Scholarship Bulletin Board, which includes scholarships that are managed by the South Dakota Board of Regents and state colleges as well as scholarship opportunities from outside organizations.

Fastweb

Fastweb is a free scholarship search platform that connects students to college scholarships, trade school scholarships, and financial aid tools. The goal is to help you find scholarships to make college or vocational school more affordable.