Each college and university has their own admissions criteria. Use this page as a launching pad as you explore and plan for college.

The State of South Dakota has state-funded universities and technical colleges as well as many private colleges and universities.

Admission Requirements to South Dakota Universities

Applicants must meet the general and subject matter requirements: including GPA, Class Rank, and college entrance exams (ACT/SAT).

• The state-funded regental institutes in South Dakota are as follows:

• Black Hills State University, Spearfish

• Dakota State University, Madison

• Northern State University, Aberdeen

• South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City

• South Dakota State University, Brookings

• University of South Dakota, Vermilion

Admission Requirements for South Dakota Technical Colleges

Admissions to a postsecondary technical college is based on individual program requirements. All applicants must submit a high school transcript. Students who plan to pursue technical education are advised to enroll in academically challenging subjects at the high school level, especially math, science, and computers. Technical and multi-discipline courses are strongly encouraged. Postsecondary credits may be earned at the high school level in most programs through articulated credit.

The state-funded postsecondary technical colleges in South Dakota are as follows:

• Lake Area Technical Institute, Watertown

• Mitchell Technical Institute, Mitchell

• Southeast Technical Institute, Sioux Falls

• Western Dakota Technical Institute, Rapid City

Guaranteed General Acceptance 

South Dakota offers guaranteed general acceptance to any of its six public universities or four technical institutes based on Smarter Balanced test and ACT scores. To learn more, click here.

To learn more about all of the colleges and universities in the State of South Dakota, use the following resources.

SDMyLife provides online career development tools for South Dakota students from the South Dakota Department of Education.

Select Dakota provides prospective students (recent high school graduates, transfers, or adult learners), as well as parents and counselors with information that can be used to make informed decisions about the best place to attend.

Use the following resources to complete a nation-wide college and university search.

Big Future is a College Board website dedicated to helping students explore and plan for college.

College Navigator is part of the National Center for Education Statistics that helps students explore postsecondary options.

Congratulations on being accepted to your college or university of choice! Click here to learn about your next steps.