South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship

The South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship enables our state's top academic high school graduates to access funding for education at any participating university or technical college within South Dakota.

Program Overview

Founded by the South Dakota Legislature in 2003, the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship (SDOS) awards up to $7,500 over four years to South Dakota’s top high school graduates who attend a participating university or technical college in the state. Its goal is to prepare students for college success, provide affordable education, and promote staying in South Dakota for further education. Managed by the South Dakota Board of Regents, the scholarship is funded through state legislative appropriations. Although not competitive, it requires academic achievement, and any qualifying student who completes the application is likely to receive it. Recipients are not required to reside or work in South Dakota after graduating.

Recipients have no obligation to live or work in South Dakota after graduation.

SDOS Flyer (PDF)

How to Apply?

Students wishing to apply for the SD Opportunity Scholarship will log in to the South Dakota Board of Regents Scholarship Portal at sdbor.edu/scholarships.

  • If a student has a South Dakota public university* email address because they participated in High School Dual Credit or are an enrolled student, they will log in using that email as their username.

  • If they do not have a public university email, they will need to create a manual account.

*Black Hills State University, Dakota State University, Northern State University, South Dakota Mines, South Dakota State University, and the University of South Dakota.

 

Login to the SDBOR Scholarship Portal

Application and Deadlines

SD Opportunity Scholarship Application
First-Time College Student Deadlines
In-State Transfer Student Deadlines
Out-of-State Transfer Student Deadlines

Initial Eligibility Requirements

There are two paths that students can take to meet initial eligibility requirements for the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship.

Option 1:

  • South Dakota resident
  • Attend a participating school
  • Within 5 years of high school graduation
    • (or within 1 year of the student’s release from active duty with an active component of the armed forces if the release is within 5 years of the student’s graduation from high school)
  • Minimum ACT Composite or Super Score of 24 or higher*
  • Unweighted GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
  • Curriculum Requirements (final grade cannot be below “C”)

Option 2:

  • South Dakota resident
  • Attend a participating school
  • Within 5 years of high school graduation
    • (or within 1 year of the student’s release from active duty with an active component of the armed forces if the release is within 5 years of the student’s graduation from high school)
  • Minimum ACT Composite or Super Score of 28 or higher*
  • No curriculum or GPA requirements if ACT score of 28 or higher
*Starting with the Class of 2027 and beyond, students will be required to take the Science portion of the ACT and submit their ACT Composite or Super Score as well as ACT STEM score to be considered for SDOS eligibility.

Approved High School and Dual Credit Curriculum

Students with ACT scores of 24-27 also need to complete high school curriculum requirements with a “C” or higher to be initially eligibility for the SDOS. The complete list of approved SDOS curriculum and more information about the specific category requirements can be found below. Curriculum requirements differ slightly for students graduating in 2027 and beyond.

It is advised that students’ high school transcripts denote the ADVANCED HONORS ENDORSEMENT when students have met those curriculum requirements since they are the same curriculum requirements for the SDOS eligibility.

Note: Students with ACT scores of 28 or above do not need to satisfy curriculum or GPA requirements.
SDOS Approved Curriculum Document (PDF)

Class of 2026

Language Arts: 4 Units
Mathematics - 4 Units (advanced)
Science - 4 Units
Social Studies - 3 Units
World Language / Career and Technical Education - 2 Units
Other Coursework (find in dropdown)

Class of 2027 and Beyond

Language Arts - 4 Units (subcategories in dropdown)
Social Studies - 3 Units (subcategories in dropdown)
Mathematics - 4 Units (subcategories in dropdown)
Science - 4 Units (subcategories in dropdown)
World Language or Career and Technical Education - 2 Units
Other Coursework (find in dropdown)

Decorative divider

Participating Institutions

To be eligible for the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship, students must attend a participating university, college, or technical school that is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and offers instruction on a campus located in South Dakota.

• Augustana University
• Black Hills State University
• Dakota State University
• Dakota Wesleyan University
• Lake Area Technical College

• Mitchell Technical College
• Mount Marty University
• Northern State University
• South Dakota Mines
• South Dakota State University

• Southeast Technical College
• University of Sioux Falls
• University of South Dakota
• Western Dakota Technical College

Administered by South Dakota Board of Regents

The South Dakota Board of Regents (SDBOR) oversees the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship in accordance with SDCL 13-55-30. All official rules and guidelines for the scholarship are available on the South Dakota Board of Regents’ website and are based on South Dakota Codified Law and Administrative Rules. Our Dakota Dreams program relies on the official information provided on the SDBOR website.

sdbor.edu/scholarships

SDOS Continuing Eligibility Requirements

Once awarded, students must meet certain continuing eligibility requirements, or the scholarship renewal award is cancelled. In order to maintain scholarship eligibility, college students must:

Maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale
Maintain persistence
Meet credit threshold benchmarks

Award Breakdown

Students are eligible to participate in the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship program for up to four academic years (eight consecutive fall and spring terms) or until they earn a bachelor’s degree, whichever comes first. At the start of the fall semester, half of the annual opportunity scholarship is awarded to recipients. The remaining half is paid at the beginning of the spring semester. The examples below illustrate standard award distributions and the timing of ongoing eligibility checks for students beginning college in either the fall or spring semesters.

Example SDOS Paths

Opportunity Scholarship Toolkit

South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship Frequently Asked Questions
South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship PowerPoint Presentation
Approved High School & Dual Credit Curriculum Document
Approved CTE Course List
Approved CTE for Core Content List
SDBOR South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship Knowlege Base
South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship Flyer

Newsletter Sign Up

To make sure you don’t miss any important deadlines, updates or growth opportunities, sign up to receive quarterly emails.

Sign Up