Dakota Corps Scholarship
Offered by South Dakota Board of Regents and participating institutions
About this scholarship
The Dakota Corps Scholarship pays full tuition for academically strong South Dakota students preparing for occupations the state has designated as critical needs. Participating colleges may also cover required fees, but each institution decides whether to accept a recipient, which eligible majors it supports, and whether to impose requirements above the statewide minimum. Housing, meals, books, and ordinary living expenses are not universally guaranteed, so the award is classified as partial funding and no dollar amount is invented. Applicants must be South Dakota residents, be U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals, graduate from accredited South Dakota high schools, earn at least a 2.8 high school GPA, and score at least 27 on the ACT. They must enroll at a participating South Dakota college in an approved critical-need program and sign a promissory agreement. After graduation, recipients must work in South Dakota in the funded critical-need occupation for the number of years they received the scholarship plus one additional year. Failure to complete the study or service obligation can trigger repayment. The South Dakota Board of Regents has announced that the 2027 application opens November 1 and closes December 15, 2026 through its scholarship portal.
Eligibility
- Be a resident of South Dakota
- Be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national
- Graduate from an accredited South Dakota high school
- Have at least a 2.8 cumulative high school GPA
- Earn a composite ACT score of at least 27
- Enroll at a participating South Dakota institution in an approved critical-need program
- Sign the scholarship acceptance and promissory agreement
- Work in the funded critical-need occupation in South Dakota for each funded year plus one additional year