Dakota Corps Scholarship Program

Scholarship Sponsored by South Dakota Board of Regents

Dakota Corps Scholarship — Overview

The Dakota Corps Scholarship is a state-focused award that helps South Dakota high school graduates pursue post-secondary education and enter careers that address the state's workforce needs. Recipients are expected to complete their education at a participating South Dakota institution and commit to working in a designated critical need occupation. The program is designed to reduce or eliminate tuition and generally applicable fees for eligible students. Selection is competitive and based on application review by the Dakota Corps Scholarship Board.

Description: The scholarship provides financial support tied to study at participating South Dakota colleges and requires a post-graduation work commitment in a critical need occupation.

• Supports in-state post-secondary enrollment and workforce retention.
• Competitive selection through an annual application process.
• Reduces tuition and generally applicable fees for recipients.

Application and Deadline

Applications are reviewed annually by the Dakota Corps Scholarship Board and then released on the South Dakota Board of Regents Scholarship Portal for student completion. The application cycle opens November 1 and closes in December each year. Applicants must log in to the SD Board of Regents Scholarship Portal to submit materials. All applicants are notified after the Board makes funding decisions.

Application Timeline: The application opens November 1 and closes in December; students apply through the SD Board of Regents Scholarship Portal.

• Annual application cycle with a November opening and December deadline.
• Submitted through the SD Board of Regents Scholarship Portal.
• Decisions communicated after Board review.

Eligibility

Eligibility requires meeting academic, residency, timing, program, and citizenship criteria. Applicants must be recent South Dakota high school graduates (or meet home-school provisions) and enroll at a participating South Dakota institution in a program that prepares them for a critical need occupation. Test score, GPA, and application timing requirements apply, and applicants must agree in writing to the program’s post-graduation work commitment. The scholarship is limited to U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals.

Eligibility: Key criteria include GPA, standardized test scores, timing of enrollment, program alignment with critical need occupations, and U.S. citizenship or national status.

• Minimum 2.8 GPA on a 4.0 scale (supplemental documentation for home-schooled students allowed).
• 27 ACT composite or superscore (or SAT equivalent).
• Must apply for a school period beginning within one year of high school graduation or within one year of release from active duty.
• Must enroll in a participating South Dakota college in a program that prepares for a critical need occupation.
• U.S. citizen or U.S. national required.

Scholarship Award

The scholarship is intended to cover tuition and generally applicable fees so recipients generally do not pay those costs. Award amounts are tied to the maximum tuition and fees for 16 undergraduate credit hours per semester at public four-year South Dakota Board of Regents institutions, with adjustments for private non-profit, technical, and tribal colleges. Private non-profit institutions must cover any remaining tuition and fees through institutional scholarships or waivers. Not all eligible applicants will receive awards; the pool of recipients is limited and individual colleges may cap participation.

Award Value: Awards are approximately equal to maximum tuition and generally applicable fees for 16 credit hours per semester at public four-year institutions, with institutional adjustments for other college types.

• Covers up to the maximum tuition and generally applicable fees for 16 credits per semester at public four-year institutions.
• Private non-profit colleges receive the same payment amount and must cover any remaining tuition or fees through institutional aid.
• Technical college awards are set individually and will not exceed the public four-year maximum for 16 credits.
• Tribal college recipients may receive up to the maximum tuition and fees for full-time undergraduates at tribal colleges.
• Awarding is competitive and subject to institutional participation limits.

Commitment

Recipients must sign a written agreement to work in a designated critical need occupation in South Dakota after completing their program of study. The required service period equals the number of years the scholarship was received plus one additional year (for example, four years of scholarship requires five years of service). Failure to fulfill the service obligation converts the scholarship into a low-interest loan that must be repaid. The commitment ensures alignment between scholarship support and the state's workforce needs.

Description: Service obligation equals years of scholarship received plus one year; noncompliance converts the award to a repayable loan.

• Work in a critical need occupation in South Dakota for years equal to scholarship years plus one.
• Noncompletion triggers conversion of the scholarship to a low-interest loan.
• Obligation is formalized in a written agreement at the time of award.

Critical Need Occupations

The scholarship requires recipients to work in approved critical need occupations in South Dakota following graduation. The list identifies occupations where the state has workforce shortages; majors need not be identical across campuses but must reasonably prepare students to enter one of these occupations. The Critical Need Occupations for the 2026–2027 cohort include a range of teaching fields, technical and professional roles, and healthcare and IT positions. Students are evaluated to ensure their chosen program aligns with an eligible occupation.

List: Approved occupations cover specific teaching fields, technical education, accounting/auditing, engineering (with exceptions), IT, and registered nursing.

• Teaching — K-12; Teaching — Secondary; Special Education; Math; Foreign Language; Science
• Vocal or Instrumental Music; Language Arts; English as a Second Language (ESL); Language Learners (ELL)
• Career and Technical Education; Accountant / Auditor
• Engineer (all areas except mining, chemical, biomedical, and computer hardware); Information Technology; Registered Nurse
• Majors must reasonably prepare recipients to work in one of the listed occupations.

History of the Award

The Dakota Corps Scholarship was established through collaboration among private businesses, non-profit organizations, and the Governor’s Office to strengthen South Dakota’s workforce by encouraging graduates to remain in the state. The program was created to align post-secondary training with state employment needs and to incentivize graduates to pursue careers in shortage areas. Governance and award decisions are overseen by the Dakota Corps Scholarship Board and administered through participating institutions and the SD Board of Regents.

History of the Award: Funded and established by private sector partners, non-profits, and the Governor’s Office to promote in-state education and workforce development.

• Created to retain South Dakota graduates and address state workforce shortages.
• Funded by private businesses, non-profit corporations, and the Governor’s Office.
• Administered and reviewed annually by the Dakota Corps Scholarship Board and the SD Board of Regents.