Post Secondary Planning

The Dakota Dreams website was launched by the SDBOR and SDDOE to support students, families, and educators as they navigate the college preparation process.

Included on the website is the Statewide Scholarship Bulletin Board - a central place for students to search scholarship opportunities. 

Please click here to access the resources listed above. 

We are excited to announce the opening of applications for the Dakota Corps Scholarship for the academic year 2025-2026! This is a full ride scholarship designed to support outstanding students who are committed to pursuing higher education in South Dakota and remaining in the state to work in a Critical Need Area! Some examples of these critical need fields are teaching, accounting, engineering, IT, and nursing.

All of the details, including a specific list of this year's critical need fields can be found here: https://tdx.sdbor.edu/TDClient/33/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=278

Complete the online application for the Dakota Corps Scholarship – 2025-2026 at www.sdbor.edu/applyforscholarships

• Available for South Dakota seniors who have had Junior Achievement at some point in their K-12 education (including the high school JA Ethics program).
• Application Deadline: March 1, 2025
• Click here for the application document. 

The Diocese awards a $1,000 scholarship in each of the seven deaneries, to enable a student to attend Mount Marty University.

The scholarships are available to new students, students already in college and non-traditional students interested in attending or already attending Mount Marty University, Yankton.

To obtain an application, contact your pastor or the Financial Aid Office at Mount Marty University. Applications must be returned to the Office of Catholic Schools, 523 North Duluth Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD 57104-2714.  Applications are due March 15^th.

• More than $500,000 is awarded to students across the state.
• Each scholarship will have unique qualification criteria. 
• Scholarship application period is December 15, 2024 through March 15, 2025 and can be accessed online.

• If you receive a Build Dakota Scholarship, you’re one step closer to a successful future. And you’ll be able to get there faster and debt-free, as the scholarships will support tuition, fees, books and other required program expenses in the eligible technical college programs. Accepting the scholarship means you agree to:

  • Enroll full-time in a high-need industry program at a South Dakota technical college.
  • Following graduation, work full-time in your field of study for a minimum of three years in South Dakota.
  • Students who graduate from South Dakota technical colleges have a 98-100% placement rate.
• Your next opportunity to apply for a Build Dakota Scholarship starts January 1, 2025 through March 31, 2025. Check out their website for more information

Kibble Equipment has partnered with Lake Area Tech (Watertown, SD), NDSCS (Whapeton, ND) and Northeast Iowa Community College (Calmar, IA) to provide students who wish to become a Diesel tech within the Kibble Equipment family. 

Depending on the program, you can be eligible for (but not limited to):

• 100% tuition paid up front by Kibble Equipment
• Paid internships
• Books and fees paid by Kibble Equipment
• Laptop computer provided

Applicants will be committing to 3-5 years of post-graduation work commitment with Kibble if they are accepted and enroll in the program.

For more information, please visit their website or contact Shane Uttenhove at Careers@KibbleEq.com or 605-2237-3956. 

Deadline: December 1, 2023.

This renewable scholarship is automatically awarded to qualified students who submit their application and materials before the published deadline. 

Requirements (see website for full details):

• Be a resident of South Dakota
• Have and ACT composite or superscore of 24 or higher (SAT score of 1180 or higher is also accepted)
• Complete the high school course requirements (note 4 years of math, 4 years of science, and 2 years of world language and/or CTE is required) with no final grade below a "C" and a cumulative unweighted GPA of at least 3.0.
  • Note that GPA and curriculum requirements may be waived if a student earns and ACT score of 28 or higher (equivalent to SAT score of 1310 or higher).
• Attended a participating South Dakota college or university

The deadline to apply is September 1 of the year you enter college. Applications are submitted and processed online. 

The Freedom Scholarship is a needs-based scholarship for SOuth Dakota students who plan to study and work in state. If you demonstrate financial need and meet the requirements, you can use the scholarship at 10 South Dakota universities for any bachelor's degree. 

Visit their website for the list of participating universities, qualifications, requirements and application details. Completion of the FAFSA and acceptance at a participating South Dakota institution are required steps in the application process. 

Please note, each of the 10 participating universities have their own application process and deadline.