Scholarships

State and Local Scholarships: 

• South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship - https://ourdakotadreams.com/k12-students/opportunity-scholarship/ 

• SD state scholarships- https://ourdakotadreams.com/paying-for-college/sd-scholarships/

• SD Scholarship Bulletin Board - https://ourdakotadreams.com/paying-for-college/sd-scholarships/statewide-scholarship-bulletin-board/ 

• Baltic Scholarships - click here for a list of local Baltic scholarships. 

• Garry Family Scholarship - $1000 scholarship for 4 incoming freshmen at USD. Fill out the Academic Scholarship Application on the USD website and winners will be selected from there. Click here: https://www.usd.edu/Admissions-and-Aid/Financial-Aid/Types-of-Aid/Scholarships

• Day County Coyote Hunt $2000 scholarship - for an immediate family of a member of the Armed Forces. Day County Coyote Scholarship 

• Sioux Empire Home Builders Association - $2000 scholarships for students who will attend a SD Technical College and major in a home-building industry field.  https://www.hbasiouxempire.com/foundation/scholarships/

• Alliance Communication Scholarship - $1000 scholarships for area students who qualify - Due Feb 27, 2026. Fill out the form here: https://www.alliancecom.net/about-us/scholarship-application/ 

• South Dakota JCI Scholarships - $1000 - $2000 scholarships for students who will attend an accredited college or trade school program. Must be postmarked by January 12, 2026. See here for details and application: https://usjcisenate.org/index.php/scholarship-program 

• Sioux Valley Energy Scholarships - For qualifying seniors attending a technical or 4-year college. Must be a child or dependent of a Sioux Valley Energy Member. Due January 16, 2026. Forms and more information here: https://www.siouxvalleyenergy.com/youth-scholarship-programs 

• SD Weedfighters scholarship - Minimum award of $1000 - Must be a post - secondary student with an agriculture production, precision farming, agronomy, entomology, or Natural Resources as fields of study in a South Dakota College, University or Technical School or any bordering state. Due Feb 28, 2026. https://sdassociationofweedandpest.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/SD-Weedfighters-Scholarship-2026.pdf

Community Foundation Scholarships: 

• South Dakota Community Foundation - free scholarship matching tool. Learn more and create an account: https://www.sdcommunityfoundation.org/scholarships

• Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation - Applications for the 2026-2027 are open Dec 15, 2025 - March 15, 2026. Learn more and create an account: https://www.sfacf.org/grants-scholarships/scholarships

National Honor Society members - apply for the NHS scholarship here! NHS Scholarship page *Due November 24, 2025*

National Scholarship search sites. There are many national search engines out there - here are a few to get you started. Create an account for free and get matched scholarships you can apply for without having to do all the searching yourself. 

• Bold.org 

• Fastweb.com 

Scholarship tips for success: 

• Mapping Your Future - 10 Scholarship Tips 

• 10 Most Common Essay Topics