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Scholarships
- Scholarships Find out how to get scholarship money for college that you don’t need to pay back.
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Scholarships
Top South Dakota scholarships for you
Find South Dakota scholarships that can help you pay for college.
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What are South Dakota scholarships?
South Dakota scholarships are financial aid for college created specifically for students living in South Dakota or looking to go to school in South Dakota. South Dakota scholarships can help students attain higher education opportunities that otherwise may be out of reach due to financial reasons. All scholarships are free money for college that you don’t have to pay back.
Eligibility requirements for South Dakota scholarships
Before you apply for South Dakota scholarships, make sure you check the eligibility requirements. To qualify for South Dakota scholarships, you’ll most likely need to prove you’re a resident or you’re attending school in that state. Some other common eligibility requirements may include your GPA, community service, citizenship, plan to attend an accredited program, leadership potential, and submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®). Scholarship eligibility requirements vary, so don’t assume you won’t qualify. Check them out!
Are South Dakota scholarships worth my time?
Some scholarships are quick and easy to apply for. Others require time and effort. Typically, fewer students apply to scholarships that require work which means you could have better odds of winning.
Pro tip: Don’t skip over South Dakota scholarships with smaller award amounts ($). There’s typically less competition for them—and they add up!
How do I find South Dakota scholarships?
There are many resources to help you find South Dakota scholarships.
Scholarship resources
- The financial aid office at a college or career school
- Organizations (such as professional associations) related to your field of interest
- Federal agencies
- Free scholarship search tools like Scholly Scholarships
- Local libraries, businesses, or associations
Your high school guidance office is a great place to start when looking for local scholarships. You could also try doing a search for your city’s name and “community foundation,” or the county you live in and “foundation.”
Scholly Scholarships
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Easily search through thousands of college scholarships based on your background, major, state you live in, and more.
Hot tip! Smaller scholarships may have less competition, increasing your odds of winning.
Scholarships for South Dakota
WICHE's Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP)
Due: Varies
No Essays
No min. GPA Required
No Recommendations Required
No Transcripts Required
Amount Varies
The WICHE's Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) is open to students who are residents of WICHE-region state or territory, applying to a participating public university in another Western state. Students must apply directly to the University's graduate school. Please visit the scholarship's website for more information about the application and eligible programs and institutions.
WICHE's Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)
Due: Varies
No Essays
No min. GPA Required
No Recommendations Required
No Transcripts Required
Amount Varies
The WICHE's Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) is an agreement among WICHE's 16 members, through which 160 and more participating public colleges and universities provide steep nonresident tuition savings for Western students. It is open to students who are residents of WICHE-region state or territory, applying to a participating college or university in another of WICHE's 16 states and territories. Students must apply directly to the schools and indicate their interest in seeking WUE in the application. Please visit the scholarship's website for more information about the application and eligible programs and institutions.
South Dakota Board of Regents Ardell Bjugstad Scholarship
Due: 2/25/2025
No Essays
No min. GPA Required
$500
The Ardell Bjugstad Scholarship is for Native American students who are pursuing studies in agribusiness, agricultural production, agricultural sciences or a natural resources degree at any postsecondary institution. The scholarship will be allocated to the institution for distribution to the student in two installments during the fall 2023 and spring 2024 semesters. To be considered for this award, an applicant must be a high school senior who has demonstrated academic achievement and an enrolled member of a federally recognized Indian tribe whose reservation is located in South Dakota or North Dakota. Two letters of recommendation are required. Please visit the scholarship's website for more information.
Printing Industry Midwest Education Foundation Scholarship
Due: 4/3/2025
$2,000
The Printing Industry Midwest Education Foundation offers renewable scholarships to those enrolled in two or four-year institutions and technical colleges offering degrees in the print communication discipline. In order to ensure acceptance, students must apply for admission to an accredited technical school, college or university. The scholarship grants are restricted to accredited colleges, universities, and technical schools that offer established one, two, and four-year programs leading to an associate degree, bachelor's degree, or graphic arts diploma recognized by the print communications industry, and are approved by the PIM Education Scholarship Committee. Priority will be given to a son or daughter of a full-time employee of a member of the Printing Industry Midwest. Applicants must provide two recommendation forms completed by a high school teacher, principal, advisor, counselor, employer, or another adult (other than a family). Please visit the scholarship's website for more information.
PFund Foundation Scholarship Program
Due: 3/11/2025
No min. GPA Required
No Recommendations Required
No Transcripts Required
$12,000
The PFund Foundation Scholarship Program awards LGBTQIA individuals for their commitment and leadership within LGBTQIA communities. Scholarships support post-secondary academic programs as well as non-scholastic leadership development opportunities. Applicants must be either from or currently attending school in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, or South Dakota. Applicants must also be currently enrolled in or admitted to a GED program, community college, four-year college, university, graduate school, trade school, professional certificate program, or apprenticeship program for the 2024-2025 academic year. Preference will be given to applicants with a strong vision for making a social or political impact in LGBTQIA communities; applicants serving, leading and working for culture change in communities around LGBTQIA issues, recognizing that access to leadership opportunities can vary; and applicants of diverse backgrounds, particularly those from traditionally under-represented communities and demographic groups including but not limited to: (1) Indigenous, Black, People of Color; first generation, immigrant, and new Americans; (2) Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming people, and (3) LGBTQIA Individuals from rural communities across the upper Midwest. Please visit the scholarship's website for more information.
North Central Region 9 Scholarship
Due: 2/1/2025
No Essays
No Recommendations Required
No Transcripts Required
Amount Varies
The North Central Region 9 Scholarship Seeking an Associate's or Bachelor's degree in manufacturing, mechanical, industrial engineering or industrial technology. Applicants must attend two- or four-year colleges or universities within the North Central Region (Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan). First preference to applicants who are North Central Region 9 members, their spouse, and/or children or grandchildren. Second preference will be given to applicants who reside within the states located in North Central Region 9 (Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan).
MAC Louisa Bowen Memorial Scholarship for Graduate Students in Archival Administration
Due: 3/31/2025
$1,000
The Louisa Bowen Memorial Scholarship for Graduate Students in Archival Administration aims to provide financial assistance to a resident or student of the MAC region pursuing education in archival administration and to encourage the study of archival administration. A scholarship and a one-year membership to MAC will be awarded. Two letters of recommendation must be submitted. Please visit the scholarship's website for more information.
ISL Midwest Senior Scholarship
Due: 4/30/2025
No Essays
No min. GPA Required
No Recommendations Required
No Transcripts Required
$1,000
The ISL Midwest Senior Scholarship is sponsored by ISL Education Lending, a national nonprofit organization committed to helping students attending college obtain the resources needed to succeed. Recipients are randomly drawn from among all eligible entries. The scholarship is open to either high school seniors in one of the qualifying states; or the parent or legal guardian of one or more high school seniors. They must either attend college classes offered by a qualifying Title IV eligible college or university that is physically located in the United States of America during the Fall 2024 session; or are the parent or legal guardian of a student who will do so. Please visit the scholarship's website for more information.
NIAF Norman R. Peterson Scholarship
Due: 3/1/2025
No Essays
Amount Varies
The NIAF Norman R. Peterson Scholarship will be awarded to an outstanding Italian American student (undergraduate or graduate) at John Cabot University. The student must originally be from the Midwest. Applicants must have an active NIAF Membership. Students may use their parent, guardian or grandparent's membership. Applicants must have Italian American ancestry. To be considered Italian American, the student must have at least one ancestor who has immigrated from Italy. Please visit the scholarship's website or contact the National Italian American Foundation for more information.
What types of scholarships are available for students?
Need-based scholarships
These are scholarships for students who have demonstrated a financial need. There’s no universal number or set income level that tells you if you qualify. How each scholarship defines what financial need means varies. The federal government as well as specific organizations, corporations, and colleges/universities/schools offer need-based scholarships.
Merit scholarships
Merit scholarships are for students who have shown high academic, athletic, or extracurricular achievement over their high school careers. Not all schools/colleges offer merit-aid—highly selective schools typically don’t. The process for applying for merit scholarships varies. For merit scholarships offered through colleges and universities, you generally don’t have to do anything other than complete the application to the school itself. For some schools, you need to submit the FAFSA® to be eligible.
Career-specific grants or scholarships
These are awarded to students who know they want a career in a specific industry. Maybe they know they want to be a teacher, a nurse, or an engineer. To be eligible for grants, students must submit the FAFSA®. To find career-specific scholarships, try searching for your major and “association.”
Community or nonprofit scholarships
Nonprofit and community organizations often receive funding from donors to create scholarship programs for students who need them.
Tips for successful scholarship applications
- Pull together everything you need for the application including transcripts, so you can submit a complete scholarship application.
- You may need a recommendation letter or letters for a scholarship. Ask a teacher, employer, or someone else who knows you to write one for you—and be sure to give them enough time to do it.
- If you’re writing a scholarship essay, follow the prompt, answer the essay question completely, and write from your experience. A few well-written essays that you can reuse for different scholarship applications can really pay off.
- Highlight your strengths and achievements in your application.
- Talk about your financial need and what you would use the scholarship money for if you won. How would it help?
- Have to interview for a scholarship? Dress to impress in a professional outfit. And do your research! Look into how/why the scholarship was created. Try to bring up why it’s meaningful to you. Also, don’t forget to send a thank-you note afterwards.
- Keep track of all the deadlines for the scholarships you’re applying to. If you miss one, they may not extend the due date.
- Apply for scholarships year after year, all through college. As you continue your studies, gain more experience, and try new extracurricular activities in college, you might be eligible for more scholarships you weren’t originally qualified for.
Here are more tips that can help you understand all there is to know about scholarships and up your chances of winning.
Frequently asked questions
These tips can help as you get ready to apply for South Dakota scholarships.
When are scholarship application deadlines?
There’s no standard deadline for scholarship applications. Each scholarship has its own deadline, so be sure to keep track of dates and make sure you don’t miss any deadlines of scholarships that you want to apply to.
Do you need to know which college you’re attending?
You don’t need to know which college you’re going to attend before applying for most scholarships. However, once you’re awarded scholarships, some of them may ask for eligibility verification—which can include proof of college enrollment.
Is there a limit on how many scholarships you can apply for?
Absolutely not, so apply for as many as you can to increase your chances of winning free money. Want to find more types of scholarships? There are so many, check them out!
Pro tip: Apply for scholarships each year you’re in college.
Does every scholarship application require an essay?
Not every scholarship will ask you to submit an essay—different scholarships have different requirements. If you’re applying for a scholarship with an essay and need help writing yours, get tips for writing scholarship essays.
Need more money for college?
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More resources to explore
Tips for writing scholarship essays
Get tips for writing scholarship essays. Learn what makes a good scholarship essay.
Find scholarship resources
Explore our scholarship resources, articles, and guide to get all the tips and tricks to help pay for college.
Fill out the FAFSA®
Learn when and how to apply for the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to maximize your chances of getting federal student financial aid. Get tips now.
*No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Ends 12/31/2025.
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