If you plan to attend Western Dakota Technical College (WDTC), there is FREE money available to help you pay for your education. Current and incoming students can now apply for Summer and Fall Semester scholarships through March 31.
Scholarships include full-ride Build Dakota Scholarships for 21 eligible programs with more than 70 scholarships available for awarding. There is over $875,000 to award for the 2023-2024 award cohort. In addition, the Western Dakota Tech (WDT) Foundation has more than 30 other scholarships, totaling about $225,000, available for application.
“Future and current students should take advantage of the opportunity to apply for the great scholarships we offer,” said Andrew Kapelewski, WDTC Assistant Director of Scholarships. “WDTC prepares students for ‘Hot Careers’ – high-demand, great paying positions. I encourage students to apply so they can possibly receive the education they need for these careers at lowest possible cost with scholarships.”
The WDT Foundation makes applying for scholarships easy. There are only two scholarship applications – 1) for Build Dakota Scholarships (wdt.edu/BuildDakota) and, 2) a universal application that applies each student to the other WDT Foundation Scholarships (wdt.edu/Scholarships) they are eligible for during the application term. This means students might qualify for and be awarded more than one scholarship.
Scholarship information and application links are available at wdt.edu/scholarships and wdt.edu/BuildDakota.
An opportunity to find out more about the scholarships available at WDTC, and receive application assistance, will take place in the college's Event Center, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 7. Financial Aid information will also be available with WDTC representatives available to help attendees complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Registration is not necessary. For more information about this event, go to https://tinyurl.com/wcpdywau.
For more information, and/or assistance applying for scholarships, call WDTC Scholarship Outreach Specialist Chutima Supboon at (605) 718-3061 or email WDTScholarship@wdt.edu.
About Build Dakota Scholarships
Build Dakota was created as a workforce initiative to fill high-need career positions in South Dakota in late 2014. It began with a $25 million donation from T. Denny Sanford and a $25 million match from the state of South Dakota.
Build Dakota Scholarships will be awarded to students entering high-need workforce programs at South Dakota’s technical colleges to fill the state’s technical careers with skilled professionals. The scholarship program will grow South Dakota’s own and recruit new South Dakotans. Recipients of the full-ride scholarships will commit to living and working in the state, in their field of study, for three years following graduation. The full-ride scholarships will support tuition, fees, books and other required program expenses in the eligible technical college programs. (Note: Allied Health is not an eligible program.)
The build Dakota scholarship fund provides full-ride scholarships to students attending Lake Area Technical College, Mitchell Technical College, Southeast Technical College, or Western Dakota Technical College.--------------------------------------------------------------------------
About Western Dakota Technical College
Western Dakota Technical College (WDTC) was established in 1968 and is the only technical college serving the western South Dakota region.
WDTC offers more than 40 programs in a variety of fields, including Business and Computers, Construction and Manufacturing, Energy and Environmental Technologies, Health Sciences, Legal and Public Services, and Transportation Technologies.
Ninety-nine percent of Western Dakota Tech's most recent graduates are working, continuing their education, or are enlisted in the military, per the WDTC 2021 Placement Report. There were 326 respondents out of 380 graduates surveyed. [*Placement information is derived from graduate surveys, faculty-collected data, placement surveys started six months after graduation, and the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation. Overall placement rate is figured by: (responding graduates employed, continuing education, or in military service)/(responding graduates who are seeking employment). The number of program graduates are unduplicated by CIP code.]
Western Dakota Technical College faculty, staff, and administration focus their efforts on helping students gain the skills and experiences they need to succeed. Through hands-on learning, internships, and industry partnerships, Western Dakota Tech students graduate ready to make a real and immediate contribution to their employers and to their communities.
For information about WDTC, call (800) 544-8765 or (605) 718-2565 or send an email to Admissions@wdt.edu. Visit us on the web at wdt.edu.
