Initial Eligibility Requirements
The South Dakota Legislature established five requirements that all South Dakota
high school graduates must meet in order to establish their initial eligibility
in the Opportunity Scholarship program.
These requirements specify that a recipient must:
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Be a resident of South Dakota at time of high school graduation.
-
Have an ACT composite score of 24 or higher before beginning postsecondary
education. If using a SAT score, the sum of the verbal and mathematics
scores on the SAT must be at least 1090.
-
Complete high school course requirements
with no final grade below a C (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) and a cumulative high
school GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (grade of B) prior to graduation (Note: One
unit of high school credit equals 1 year of instruction).
-
Attend a university, college, or technical school accredited by the
Higher Learning Commission
of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and that provides
instruction from a campus located in South Dakota.
-
Enter into program within 5 years of high school graduation, or within 1
year of the student's release from active duty military service (if that
release is within 5 years of the date of the
student's high school graduation).
Students seeking to transfer from a regionally accredited university,
college, or technical school located outside of South Dakota may do so
within two years following high school graduation and be eligible to receive
a partial award.
For more information, contact:
Dr. Paul D. Turman
South Dakota Board of Regents
306 E. Capitol Ave., Suite 200
Pierre, SD 57501-2545
(605) 773-3455
pault@sdbor.edu