Scholarship

WDT Foundation Scholarships

The Western Dakota Tech Foundation offers over 30 individual scholarships! Some are one award, but some are multiple awards, up to 70. See details here. The WDT Foundation Scholarships application opens twice a year.

Summer/Fall: January 1 - March 31.

Spring: August 1 - October 31.

The Spring 2026 WDT Foundation Scholarship Application is open and accessible here:

WDT Foundation Scholarship Application | Scholarship | MyWDT

Application Deadline: October 31, 2025

Please carefully read the first page of the scholarship application before starting the application.

The Foundation Scholarship application is a universal application that automatically applies each student to every WDT Foundation Scholarship they are eligible for during the application term. It means that students may be awarded for more than one scholarship. The WDT Foundation awards over $500,000 annually in scholarships.

*Build Dakota Scholarship requires a separate application*

What are the eligibility requirements of WDT Foundation Scholarships?

WDT Foundation Scholarship Eligibility Requirements

Thank You Letter - Foundation Scholarships

Thank You Template for Students (Word document)

Each WDT Foundation Scholarship requires a thank you letter within two weeks of receiving an award notification email.
- A thank you letter must be received before the scholarship fund can be applied to your student account. Send it to Foundation@wdt.edu. Don't let "not writing a thank you letter" be a reason your foundation scholarship(s) is revoked and re-awarded to the next person!

Build Dakota Scholarship

The 2026-2027 Build Dakota Scholarship Application will be available on 01/01/2026.

More information, please visit WDTC Build Dakota Scholarship FAQs.

*Apply during this application cycle if you plan to attend WDTC in August 2026 or January 2027.

What does Build Dakota cover?

A full-ride scholarship* covers:

Tuition & fees
Textbooks
Tools/equipment
Laptop
Uniforms/scrubs
Other required expenses to complete the program

*It does not cover living expenses.

Build Dakota Graduates

What happens now that you have graduated?

Visit https://www.builddakotascholarships.com/resources/frequently-asked-questions/ (After Graduation Tab) or contact the Build Dakota Scholarship Specialist at 605-224-1025 ext. 113 or brandy@builddakotascholarships.com.

Resources and Dates

Important Dates

---Spring 2026 WDT Foundation (WDTF) Scholarship Opportunity---

August 1, 2025

The Spring 2026 WDTF Scholarship Application opens.

October 31, 2025

Last Day to apply for the Spring 2026 WDTF Scholarships.

December 1, 2025

The Spring 2026 WDTF Scholarship Award Notification Email will be sent to all applicants.

December 15, 2025

Last day to submit a WDTF Scholarship thank-you letter.

---2026-2027 Scholarship Opportunities---

January 1, 2026

The Summer/Fall 2026 WDTF Scholarship's and the 2026-2027 Build Dakota Scholarship's Applications open.

March 31, 2026

Last Day to apply for the Summer/Fall 2026 WDTF Scholarships and the 2026-2027 Build Dakota Scholarships.

May 1, 2026

The Summer/Fall 2026 WDTF Scholarship Award Notification Email will be sent to all applicants.

May 1 - June 2, 2026

The 2025-2026 Build Dakota Scholarship Award Notification Email will be sent to all applicants.

May 15, 2026

Last day to submit WDTF Scholarship thank-you letter(s).

Application Resources

Scholarship Application and Essay Tips (PowerPoint)

Scholarship Essay Tips (pdf)

Resources and Tools from the WDTC Library

Learning Express Library - resources to help prepare you for placement exams and create cover letters and resumes.

Other Resources and Tools

Grammarly - help proofreading your documents. The free version works great!
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) - resources for resume design and general writing and formatting assistance.

3rd Party Scholarships

Western Dakota Tech Foundation maintains a listing of scholarship opportunities that are available from outside agencies and organizations. Before you begin your scholarship search, we recommend you review information about How to Avoid Scholarship and Financial Aid Scams | Consumer Advice (ftc.gov). We encourage you to review the list to see more scholarships that may be available to you.

Third-Party Scholarships Listing* (Click the highlighted to download Excel document)

*Western Dakota Tech Foundation does not determine the 3rd party scholarship terms, conditions, and recipients. For more information and how to apply for each scholarship, follow their URL. Please carefully read the eligibility, terms, and conditions of each scholarship. Some third-party scholarships have their scholarship application as a PDF file in the listing. You may need to download the listing (Excel document) to view those applications.