The South Dakota Education Association/NEA awards scholarships to outstanding students who are planning on entering the teaching profession. This is a four-year scholarship that awards $750 per year.
Eligibility:
Must be South Dakota high school seniors or college sophomores who plan to enter the teaching profession and attend a South Dakota college or university.
Must be the daughter/son or granddaughter/grandson of an active SDEA member or an SDEA-Retired member.
Required Field of Study:
Education
Applicable Institutions:
South Dakota College or University
Questions:
Sandra Waltman at 605-224-9263 or sandra.waltman@sdea.org
Dacotah Bank is proud to continue their scholarship program. Dacotah Bank offers a top scholarship award of $10,000 for one high school graduate. Dacotah Bank also offers twenty-nine $2,000 individual scholarships to be awarded in different market areas across Dacotah Bank’s diverse, three state territory. Judging criteria is outlined in the application.
Dacotah Bank has been happy to help youth in the communities they serve move on to secondary schools in their territory. To be eligible, high school seniors must be attending a higher education institute in South Dakota, North Dakota or Minnesota, and the applicant or immediate family member must have an account with Dacotah Bank.
Eligibility:
- High School Senior who will attend a higher education institution in North Dakota, South Dakota or Minnesota.
- Applicants must be high‑school seniors in ND, SD, or MN with an established Dacotah Bank relationship.
- Children of employees are ineligible for competitive awards but receive $500 with a full application and 3.0 GPA.
Applicable Institutions:
Any Higher Education Institute in South Dakota, North Dakota, or Minnesota
Questions:
Brittney Paulson at 605-226-5391 or Brittney.Paulson@dacotahbank.com
Each BankWest Scholarship has a $2,000 value and may be used to fund tuition at any accredited, post-secondary educational institution. The application process considers involvement in community activities, personal character, and academic integrity.
Eligibility:
- Must be a BankWest deposit account holder for a minimum of six months preceding the application deadline.
- Must be a United States citizen.
- Must be a high school senior or full-time undergraduate student currently attending an accredited post-high school educational institution.
- Must not have previously received a BankWest scholarship
Applicable Institutions:
All Accredited, Post-Secondary Educational Institutions
Questions:
Dinah Vasquez at 800-253-0362 or info@bankwest-sd.bank
The South Dakota Education Association (SDEA) awards scholarships to high school students who are planning on entering the teaching profession. The Association may annually award up to two $500 scholarships for each academic year with the possibility of a one-year renewal if the student meets continuing eligibility requirements.
Eligibility:
- Have a GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or be in the top half of his/her class as of January of the year of application.
- Be a student in a South Dakota public education institution.
- Be an active member in a South Dakota Educators Rising Chapter.
- Be accepted and/or enrolled in a South Dakota college or university with a School of Education.
- Participate in local and statewide Educators Rising activities.
* Special consideration will be given to students who have volunteered to assist with SDEA activities.
Applicable Institutions:
Any South Dakota public university with a School of Education
Questions:
Sandra Waltman at 605-224-9263 or sandra.waltman@sdea.org
The Folds of Honor Scholarship provides educational assistance to the families of those who have made extraordinary sacrifices for our country and communities. Administered by the nonprofit organization Folds of Honor, the scholarship helps offset the cost of education for eligible students pursuing K–12 private education, college degrees, technical or trade programs, and other approved postsecondary pathways. The program honors service and sacrifice by supporting educational opportunity.
Eligibility:
- Must be a spouse or dependent child of:
- A U.S. military service member who has been killed or permanently disabled while serving in the line of duty, or
- A first responder (including law enforcement, firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics) who has been killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty.
Applicable Institutions:
All Accredited Colleges and Universities
Questions:
Folds Of Honor – South Dakota Chapter
Don Zwart at 605-321-7001 or donald.zwart060@gmail.com
This scholarship program provides a limited number of $1,000 scholarships to be awarded to incoming freshman students who are South Dakota residents and whose parent(s) or legal guardian(s) graduated from the University of South Dakota (USD).
Eligibility:
- Incoming freshman USD in Fall 2026
- South Dakota resident
- Parent(s) or legal guardians(s) graduated from USD
Applicable Institutions:
University of South Dakota
Questions:
Cori Hup at 605-658-6214 or cori.hup@usd.edu
The University of South Dakota is proud to offer the SD Dual Credit Scholarship to South Dakota students who successfully completed High School Dual Credit courses.
Eligibility:
- Earn a “C” or higher in all High School Dual Credit (HSDC) courses
- Any HSDC course completed with a D, F or W will not be counted toward the credit total considered for the scholarship
- Enroll at USD as a first-time, full-time student
- Award amounts will be based on how many credit hours the students have completed with USD
- 1-6 USD credit hours, $600 total ($150 per year)
- 7-12 USD credit hours, $1,100 total ($275 per year)
- 13+ USD credit hours, $1,600 total ($400 per year)
Applicable Institutions:
University of South Dakota
Questions:
Cori Hup at 605-658-6214 or cori.hup@usd.edu
The South Dakota Retailers Association scholarship program provides assistance to students studying for a career in retail and hospitality businesses, whether as an owner, manager, or employee. In 2025, their Scholarship Committee awarded funds to five students, in amounts ranging from $2,750 to $3,700.
Field of Study Requirements:
- Hospitality
- Business*
- Trades
*We consider a broad range of business programs eligible for the scholarship including agribusiness, auto mechanics, business administration, computer science, culinary arts, heating/ventilation, hotel/restaurant management, pharmacy, tourism industry management, and more.
Applicable Institutions:
All South Dakota Colleges and Universities
Eligibility:
- Applicant must desire a career in a retail or retail-related field, including hospitality and trade businesses.
- Applicant must enroll in a retail-related course of study at a qualifying, accredited technical school, college, university, or certified professional training institute in the fall of 2026. Enrollment in an online degree program from a qualifying school is acceptable.
- Examples of fields of study considered to be retail-related include (but are not limited to): Accounting, Agribusiness, Apparel Merchandising, Auto Mechanics, Automotive Technology, Business Administration, Business Management, Collision Repair, Computer Science, Commercial Baking, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Diesel Mechanics, Electrical Maintenance, Entrepreneurial Studies, Gemology, HVAC, Hotel/Restaurant Management, Landscape Design, Pharmacy, Photography, Printing Industries, Refrigeration, Sales/Marketing Management, and Tourism Industry Management. (NOTE: this list is not all-inclusive.)
- South Dakota Education – applicant must meet one of these three requirements
- Graduated from a South Dakota high school – OR –
- Have earned high school equivalency (such as a GED) in South Dakota – OR –
- Plan to attend post-secondary school in South Dakota
- Applicant must meet one of these four requirements:
- have completed at least 24 credits from a qualifying college or university by September 2026
- have completed 12 credits from a qualifying tech school or certified professional training institute by September of 2026
- have successfully completed ProStart Levels 1 and 2 (high school culinary arts program)
- non-traditional student who has full-time work experience after high school
- Students must enroll in 12 or more credit hours of classes at a qualifying post-secondary school or online degree program for the fall of 2026. (Internships do not qualify)
- Prior recipients are eligible
Questions:
Brooke Bohnenkamp at 605-224-5050 or bbohnenkamp@sdra.org
The Yankton College Scholarship Program awards post-graduate scholarships from endowed or restricted funds to deserving students each academic year to use at an accredited educational institution (college/university). The applicant’s name and personal information is first redacted then ranked by the application reviewers on academic merit, leadership potential, good citizenship and exemplary character and for those scholarships with a financial need component. The recipients to receive financial aid are selected anonymously by the highest percentage. The Yankton College Scholarship Committee makes the final recommendations.
Eligibility:
- Applicant must seek a graduate degree from an accredited educational institution.
- Applicant will be given points for relationship(s) based on:
- A) have a family relationship to Yankton College alumni, former faculty or staff; OR
- B) be recommended by a family friend, teacher, pastor or other person with a connection to Yankton College; OR
- C) be a Yankton College graduate or former YC faculty or staff member.
- Applicant must show evidence of high academic ability and promise. Such evidence should include but not necessarily be limited to:
- an overall undergraduate grade point average of 3.00 on a 4-point scale
- a composite of 800 on the GRE or equivalent on a nationally recognized graduate admissions test
- leadership in one or more academic or non-academic activity while in college and/or since graduation
- Include 2 letters of reference from a college faculty member or other appropriate person attesting to your scholastic ability, leadership qualities and character.
- Include a leadership statement revealing as much as possible the leadership roles you have assumed during college, at work, in the community or in your church.
- Include undergraduate transcript(s)
- Include a personal statement demonstrating creativity and skill in writing which includes your educational objectives and future goals. Statement must be typed and not exceed one page, double-spaced and use a font size of 10 or more.
Applicable Institutions:
Any Accredited Post-Secondary Institution
Questions:
Melanie Mines at 605-665-3661 or ycoffice@yanktoncollege.org
Each year, the Independent Insurance Agents of South Dakota (IIASD) awards $20,000 in scholarships to students who recognize the positive impact that service has in their hometowns. Our members are deeply rooted in communities across South Dakota, and this scholarship reflects that same commitment to helping others. This program is designed to uplift the stories of individuals who make a meaningful difference — and the students who notice.
We’re not evaluating GPAs or résumés. We’re looking for students who recognize and value the people around them who make South Dakota communities stronger.
Eligibility:
- Any South Dakota student (high school senior, current college student, or nontraditional student)
- Who will be attending a South Dakota college, university, or technical school this fall
- And who submits their essay through a participating IIASD member office
Applicable Institutions:
Any South Dakota college, university, or technical school
Questions:
Blake Severyn
