College costs keep rising. For many South Dakota families, that pressure collides with another worry: talented graduates leave the state and never come back. The Dakota Corps Scholarship was built to solve both problems at once.
If you graduate from a South Dakota high school, score well enough on the ACT, and are willing to train for a job the state actually needs, this program can cover your tuition and generally applicable fees. In return, you agree to work in South Dakota after graduation for the number of years you received the award, plus one extra year.
That trade-off is the heart of the program. It is not a no-strings gift. It is a contract: the state and private partners invest in your degree, and you invest your early career in South Dakota. For students who already want to teach, nurse, code, engineer, or work in accounting here, it can be one of the strongest undergraduate awards in the region.
Scholarship Summary
- Host Country: United States (South Dakota)
- Host University: Participating South Dakota public universities, private nonprofit colleges, and technical colleges (see list below)
- Scholarship Type: Undergraduate Scholarships
- Eligible Countries: All Countries
- Scholarship Benefits: Partial tuition fee and Full tuition fee, Living stipend, etc.
What the Dakota Corps Scholarship Is Designed to Do
Governor Mike Rounds created the program to keep three things inside South Dakota: students, degrees, and skilled workers. Funding comes from private businesses, nonprofit corporations, and the Governor’s Office. A governor-appointed Dakota Corps Scholarship Board selects recipients.
The goal is simple and specific:
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- Finish high school in South Dakota.
- Earn an undergraduate degree at a participating South Dakota campus.
- Enter a designated critical-need occupation in the state after graduation.
In March 2026, the program notified nearly 40 new recipients from 26 South Dakota high schools. Awards cover tuition and fees as approved by the Dakota Corps Board. Regent and committee chair Pam Roberts described the class as students with strong academics, leadership, and a clear plan to build careers at home.
That scale matters. This is competitive. Meeting the minimums does not guarantee an award.
What the Scholarship Actually Pays
The intent of the program is that recipients do not pay tuition and generally applicable fees out of pocket.
The Dakota Corps award is set at approximately the maximum tuition and generally applicable fees for 16 undergraduate credit hours each fall and spring semester at the public universities under the South Dakota Board of Regents. Students at participating private nonprofit colleges receive a comparable amount. Participating colleges are expected to cover any remaining tuition and generally applicable fees through institutional scholarships or tuition waivers.
Key funding points:
- Coverage is for undergraduate study, generally up to the length of the program, with a four-year cap even if a program runs longer.
- Funding is calculated around a standard 16-credit semester load at the public universities.
- The award can be combined with most other scholarships and financial aid. Extra funds may apply to other education costs or, in some cases, be refunded. The main exception is that it is not stackable with the Build Dakota Scholarship.
- Students in structured accelerated programs may request an adjusted disbursement schedule, with total tuition support still capped (often around 120 credit hours or actual hours taken, whichever is less).
This is a tuition-and-fees scholarship, not a full cost-of-attendance package. Housing, meals, books, and personal expenses still need a plan: family support, other aid, work, or savings.
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Who Can Apply for Dakota Corps Scholarship
Official eligibility is tight and public. Qualified applicants must:
- Graduate from an accredited South Dakota high school with a GPA of 2.8 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Homeschool students may submit supplemental information if the standard GPA rule does not fit.
- Earn a composite ACT of 27 or greater, or the SAT equivalent. A superscore is accepted. Students waiting on a December ACT may still apply by the December 15 deadline and later email updated scores to the Board if selections have not been finalized.
- Apply for a college start that begins within one year of high school graduation, or within one year of release from active duty in an active component of the armed forces.
- Attend a participating South Dakota college as an undergraduate in a program that prepares them for a critical-need occupation.
- Be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national.
- Agree in writing to work in South Dakota in a critical-need occupation after graduation for as many years as the scholarship was received, plus one year.
Selection among qualified applicants is competitive. The Board looks at GPA, test scores, activities, honors, and community service. Some campuses also limit how many Dakota Corps students they will accept.
To keep the award after the first year, recipients generally must:
- Maintain a 2.8 GPA.
- Stay full-time as defined by the college.
- Make satisfactory academic progress.
- Complete the annual acceptance and promissory note.
- Be accepted into the specific program by the start of junior year in a four-year path (or be enrolled in an approved shorter health program where that rule applies).
Critical Need Occupations for Recent Cohorts
The occupation list is reviewed and can change. For the 2026–2027 cohort, approved fields included:
Teaching – K–12
- Special education
- Foreign language
- Vocal or instrumental music
- English as a Second Language (ESL) or English Language Learners (ELL)
Teaching – Secondary
- Math
- Science
- Language Arts
- Career and Technical Education
Other fields
- Accountant / Auditor
- Engineer (all areas except mining, chemical, biomedical, and computer hardware)
- Information Technology
- Registered Nurse
You do not have to lock a single official major title on day one. The Board checks that your program of study reasonably prepares you for one of these jobs. Majors vary by campus, so confirm with both the college and scholarships@sdbor.edu if your plan sits on the edge of the list.
Students may also satisfy the work requirement in a field added to the list after they were awarded the scholarship.
Participating Colleges and Universities
Recipients must enroll at a participating South Dakota institution. Lists published by the Board have included:
Public universities
- Black Hills State University
- Dakota State University
- Northern State University
- South Dakota Mines
- South Dakota State University
- University of South Dakota
Private universities
- Augustana University
- Dakota Wesleyan University
- Mount Marty University
- University of Sioux Falls
Technical colleges
- Lake Area Technical College
- Mitchell Technical College
- Southeast Technical College
- Western Dakota Technical College
Always verify current participation before you apply. A campus can limit seats or change its role in the program.
The Work Commitment Is Not Optional
This is the clause that separates Dakota Corps from a typical merit award.
After you finish the degree, you must begin work in a critical-need occupation in South Dakota (generally within six months of earning the baccalaureate degree) and stay for a period equal to the years of scholarship received plus one year.
Examples:
- Four years of scholarship = five years of service
- Three years of scholarship = four years of service
- Two years of scholarship = three years of service
Part-time work is prorated. Graduate school after the bachelor’s degree may allow a deferral of the work obligation in some cases; confirm that in writing with the Board before you enroll.
If you do not complete the commitment, the scholarship converts to a low-interest loan that must be repaid. Recipients also complete annual status and employment verification. That paperwork is how the state tracks both enrollment and the later service period.
Read the promissory note before you accept. A full-tuition award is valuable. A converted loan is expensive.
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How and When to Apply
The application is reviewed each year by the Dakota Corps Scholarship Board, then released on the Board of Regents Scholarship Portal.
Typical calendar:
- Application opens: November 1
- Application closes: December 15
For the cycle opening after this writing, that window is November 1, 2026 through December 15, 2026. Scholarships.com and Board timeline pages align with that December 15 close.
Apply here:
- Board of Regents scholarships overview: https://sdbor.edu/cost-aid/scholarships/
- Statewide bulletin board / related listings: Our Dakota Dreams – Dakota Corps Scholarship
- Questions: scholarships@sdbor.edu or 605-773-3455
Practical application tips:
- Create your portal account early. Do not wait until mid-December.
- Have unofficial transcripts, test scores, activities, and honors ready.
- If a December ACT is your path to a 27, still submit by the deadline and send updated scores promptly.
- Choose a program that clearly maps to a listed occupation.
- Apply to a participating campus and keep admission timelines in view. A scholarship offer does not replace college admission.
- If offered an award, accept by the date on the notice. Unaccepted awards go to alternates.
How to Make a Competitive Application
Minimum scores get you into the pool. They do not finish the race.
Strengthen the file by showing:
- A GPA comfortably above 2.8, not barely at the line
- ACT 27 or higher, with a superscore if that helps
- Sustained activities, not a last-semester scramble
- Honors, leadership, and community service that look like someone who will stay and contribute
- A credible plan to work in teaching, nursing, engineering, IT, or accounting in South Dakota
Counselors at South Dakota high schools already flag this award for students with a 27 ACT. Pair it with the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship if you also meet that program’s rules. They are different awards with different amounts and different conditions.
Is This Scholarship Right for You?
Choose Dakota Corps if all of the following are true:
- You are a South Dakota high school graduate (or soon will be) with a realistic shot at a 2.8 GPA and ACT 27.
- You want to attend college in South Dakota.
- You can see yourself teaching, nursing, engineering, working in IT, or working as an accountant/auditor in the state.
- You are willing to stay for several years after graduation.
- You understand that walking away from the service term turns the gift into a loan.
Look elsewhere, or treat this as a backup, if you are set on leaving South Dakota, chasing a major that does not map to the occupation list, or you need a living stipend rather than tuition coverage.
For students who already planned to build a life in the state, the math is hard to ignore. Four years of tuition and fees in exchange for five years of work you may have done anyway is a rare deal.
Next Step
If the next window is still weeks away, use the time well: retake the ACT if you are under 27, confirm your intended major with a participating campus, gather activities and honors, and bookmark the Board of Regents portal. When November 1 arrives, apply early.
Official sources to keep open:
The Dakota Corps Scholarship is one of South Dakota’s clearest answers to a national problem: how to educate high-ability students without exporting them. If you meet the bar and want your career here, the application is worth the work.
Official program details live on the South Dakota Board of Regents scholarships page and the Board’s scholarship knowledge base. Applications go through the SD Board of Regents Scholarship Portal.