This page provides the latest information on University of South Dakota (USD)'s admission process, acceptance rate, and student profile. USD's acceptance rate is 98.78% for 2024-2025 admission. A total of 5,965 students applied and 5,892 were admitted to the school. Its acceptance rate is relatively high, making it somewhat easy to get into USD.
To apply to USD, the SAT and ACT score is not required, but considered for admission. In addition, english proficiency test score is also considered (required).
For the academic year 2024-25, USD's acceptance rate is 98.78% and the yield (also known as enrollment rate) is 24.07%. 2,424 men and 3,541 women applied to USD and 2,383 men and 3,509 women students were accepted.
Among them, 511 men and 907 women were enrolled in USD. You can explore the USD's admission rates and SAT score trends over the past decade, including year-by-year data and analysis, by visiting Admission Trends page.
| Total | Men | Women | Another Gender | Gender Unknown | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applicants | 5,965 | 2,424 | 3,541 | 0 | 0 |
| Admitted | 5,892 | 2,383 | 3,509 | 0 | 0 |
| Enrolled | 1,418 | 511 | 907 | 0 | 0 |
| Acceptance Rate | 98.78% | 98.31% | 99.10% | - | - |
| Yield | 24.07% | 21.44% | 25.85% | - | - |
Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)
For the academic year 2025, 60 students (4% of enrolled students) submitted SAT scores and 877 students (62% of enrolled students) submitted ACT scores as part of the admission process at USD.
The median SAT score for admitted students is 1,205, including 570 in SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and 635 in SAT Math. The 75th percentile SAT EBRW score is 620 and the 25th percentile is 530. For SAT Math, the 75th percentile score is 695 and the 25th percentile is 595.
The median ACT composite score is 22, with a 75th percentile score of 25 and a 25th percentile score of 19 at USD. The median ACT Math score is 22 and the median ACT English score is 21.
The SAT and ACT scores at University of South Dakota are similar to the average score compared to similar colleges (SAT: 1,131, ACT: 23 - public research university with high research activity).
| 25th Percentile | 50th Percentile (Median) | 75th Percentile | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Total | 1,125 | 1,205 | 1,315 |
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing | 530 | 570 | 620 |
| SAT Math | 595 | 635 | 695 |
| ACT Composite | 19 | 22 | 25 |
| ACT Math | 18 | 22 | 25 |
| ACT English | 17 | 21 | 25 |
Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)
For the academic year 2024-25, total 1,418 first-year students enrolled in USD. The proportion of full-time students is 96.69% and part-time students is 3.31%.
By gender, the proportion of men students is 36.04% and women students is 63.96%.
The following table shows the first-year students by gender and enrolled type at USD.
| Total | Men | Women | Another Gender | Gender Unknown | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 1,418 | 511 | 907 | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time | 1,371 | 493 | 878 | 0 | 0 |
| Part-time | 47 | 18 | 29 | 0 | 0 |
Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)
It requires to submit High School Record (or Transcript), Completion of College Preparatory Program, and English Proficiency Test to its applicants.
The SAT and ACT test score is not required, but considered in admission process at USD. The english proficiency test is required .
The next table summarizes the application requirements to apply University of South Dakota.
For more admission information such as minimum GPA and deadlines, see its online application page .
| High School GPA | Considered, if submitted |
|---|---|
| High School Rank | Considered, if submitted |
| High School Record (or Transcript) | Required |
| Completion of College Preparatory Program | Required |
| Recommendations | Considered, if submitted |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies | Not Considered |
| SAT / ACT | Considered, if submitted |
| English Proficiency Test | Required |
| Other Test (Wonderlic,WISC-III,etc) | Not Considered |
| Work experience | Not Considered |
| Personal statement or essay | Not Considered |
| Legacy status | Not Considered |
The following provides general admission information for applying to USD:
The institutional SAT code for USD is 6881 and 4-digit ACT code is 3929.
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