South Dakota Retailers Association Scholarship

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