Office of the Secretary

Robert C. Byrd Scholarship Program

Application Deadline: Deadline has passed!

The Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program is a federally-supported program that recognizes exceptionally able high school seniors who show promise of continued excellence in postsecondary education.

Eligibility

An applicant must be a South Dakota resident and a senior at an accredited public or private secondary school, must be qualified to graduate or receive a GED certificate, and must have applied or been accepted for enrollment as a full-time student at an eligible in-state or out-of-state institution of higher education.

Applicants must meet the following requirements: 

1. Have a grade point average of at least 3.5 on an unweighted 4.0 scale, or the equivalent on a weighted scale, through the end of the term most recently completed; and
2. Have an ACT score of 30 or above.

Scholarships are awarded to approximately 15 eligible applicants with the highest ACT score and grade point average.  Scholars will be selected from the four divisions of the South Dakota federal district court: western, northern, central and southern.  Scholars must attend an eligible institution of higher education on a full-time basis in the academic year following high school graduation, or they may postpone their education up to one year if approved by the South Dakota Department of Education.

Size of Awards

Scholarships of $1,500, or a prorated amount thereof depending on funds available, shall be awarded.  If funds are available, scholarships are renewable for the first four years of study at any institution eligible to participate in this program if the recipient continues to meet the eligibility criteria and maintains satisfactory progress, as determined by the institution of higher education.

Payment of Awards

Payment of the award shall be made to each scholar during the academic year in which he or she graduates from secondary school.  Payment will be made by a warrant, payable to the scholar and the institution the scholar plans to attend.  The warrant must be signed by the scholar and an official at the institution. 

If the scholar's eligible insti­tution of higher education changes before enrollment, the scholar must return the warrant to the South Dakota Department of Education with verification of admittance from the eligible institution of higher education the scholar now plans to attend.  The warrant shall be reissued and sent to the eligible insti­tution.

Within 30 days after the beginning of each semester or quarter, the scholar's financial aid officer must verify that the scholar is enrolled on a full-time basis at the institution. 

Scholarship Repayment

Scholars who do not pursue a course of study at an eligible institution of higher education in the two years following graduation must repay the scholarship to the South Dakota Department of Education by October 1 of that academic year.

For More Information

Visit the US Department of Education, Institutional Development and Undergraduate Programs website at
www.ed.gov/programs/iduesbyrd/index.html