If a firefighter or certified law enforcement officer or an emergency medical technician dies as a direct result of injuries received in performance of official duties, the survivor, upon being duly accepted for enrollment into any state-supported institution of higher education or state-supported technical or vocational school, shall be allowed to obtain a bachelor's degree or vocational degree for so long as the survivor is eligible, free of any tuition. However, the bachelor's degree or vocational degree shall be earned within a thirty-six month or eight-semester period or its equivalent.
SDCL 13-55-22