Golden West Scholarships
We created the Golden West Scholarship Program because investing in today’s youth to become tomorrow’s leaders is the best investment we can make.
Our scholarships help South Dakota students pursue degrees in a variety of fields at colleges, universities, and technical schools across the country. We award $1,000 scholarships to 40-plus graduating seniors, one for each high school in our exchanges and one at-large scholarship available to home-schooled students or those who live in our service area but attend a high school not covered by the program.
Only at-large students (those attending high schools outside the Golden West service area), may submit their application directly to Golden West, other students must obtain and submit applications through their school's guidance counselor.
Please review the information below to learn more about eligibility and requirements.
Completed applications are due March 15, 2024.
Who Is Eligible?
The student's parent(s) or legal guardian(s) must reside within one of the Golden West exchanges and be a Golden West customer.
The applicant must be a high school senior.
Applicants must take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), American College Test (ACT), or Accuplacer Vocational Entrance Exam at an examination center of their choice no later than December 31 of their senior year.
The recipient of the award must begin attending a post-secondary institution and enroll in a full-time course load (according to their institution’s credit policy) in the fall semester immediately following graduation, and must register for a full-time course load in the spring.