South Dakota: school, college and career rules
South Dakota requires 22 units of credit (including a half unit of personal finance or economics) documented in a personal learning plan, tests with the SD ELA and math assessments and the SD-ACT for every grade 11 student, gives in-state tuition after 12 months' residence, and funds the merit-based South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship (up to $7,500).
Linked from the State Population Totals 2020-2025 page (census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-state-total.html); population and rank copied from the POPESTIMATE2025 and NRANK_POPEST2025 columns.Census
High school diploma
ARSD 24:43:11:01 and 24:43:11:02: students must earn at least 22 units of credit in grades 9 to 12, and every student in grades 9 to 12 must have a personal learning plan documenting them. The units must include: Read through the rule API (sdlegislature.gov/api/Rules/Rule/24:43:11:02.html); last amended 45 SDR 35, effective September 19, 2018.ARSD
| Subject | State minimum |
|---|---|
| Language arts | 4 units: 1 writing, ½ speech or debate, 1 literature (including ½ American literature) |
| Social studies | 3 units, including 1 U.S. history and ½ U.S. government |
| Mathematics | 3 units, including 1 Algebra I |
| Science | 3 units, including 1 biology (a state-approved advanced computer science course may replace one non-biology unit) |
| CTE, capstone or world languages | 1 unit in any combination |
| Personal finance or economics | ½ unit |
| Fine arts | 1 unit (up to 1 credit may come from extracurricular activities) |
| Physical education | ½ unit |
| Health or health integration | ½ unit |
| Electives | 5½ units |
22 units of credit.
State tests for the diploma
The rules set credit requirements only; local school boards may require more. Students may also earn the advanced, advanced career and advanced honors endorsements, which are listed on the transcript. Read through the rule API (sdlegislature.gov/api/Rules/Rule/24:43:11:02.html); last amended 45 SDR 35, effective September 19, 2018.ARSD
Also good to know
- Transfer students who cannot meet a local board's extra requirements because of time and scheduling (not course failure) may graduate by meeting the state minimum, and the department must review the required credits after 1 January 2026.
ARSD
ARSD 24:43:11:01, Number of required credits for graduation from high school -- Personal learning plan requiredSouth Dakota Legislature, Administrative Rules of South Dakota (Board of Education Standards)- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
State test: SD ELA and Math Assessments and the SD-ACT
South Dakota ELA and Math Assessments, SD Science Assessment and the SD-ACT. South Dakota public school students take annual summative tests in English language arts and math (grades 3 to 8), the SD Science Assessment (grades 5 and 8), and the SD-ACT in grade 11 (English, reading, math, science and writing); results feed the state accountability system. SD DOE
View source
| Test | Subjects | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| SD ELA and Math Assessments | English language arts and mathematics | Grades 3–8 |
| SD Science Assessment | Science | Grades 5 and 8 |
| SD-ACT | English, reading, math, science and writing | Grade 11 (2026-27 windows in March and April 2027) |
| Alternate assessments | ELA, math and science | Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities (grades 3–8 and 11; science 5, 8, 11) |
Source: SD DOE
View source
What the scores are used for
- ACT scores matter for state aid: the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship is earned with an ACT score (with or without a GPA and curriculum route), and super scores must be ACT-reported.
SDBOR
What is the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship?South Dakota Board of Regents- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
National tests (SAT, ACT, AP, NAEP) are on the Exams hub.
Public colleges and universities
The state's public university system(s) and community colleges, from their own pages.
- South Dakota Board of Regents (state universities)University system · The public university system: six public universities plus two special schools serving deaf and visually impaired K-12 students, governed by nine regents under the South Dakota Constitution.
- South Dakota technical colleges (Board of Technical Education)Community colleges · Four technical colleges under the Board of Technical Education (created in 2017, SDCL 13-39A): Lake Area Technical College in Watertown, Mitchell Technical College, Southeast Technical College in Sioux Falls and Western Dakota Technical College in Rapid City, each with a local governing board.
Sources: SDBOR
View sourceSD BOTE
View source
Every school in South Dakota, public and private, with cost and completion: 24 colleges, community colleges and trade schools, with 2 city pages.
In-state tuition: the residency rule
Public colleges charge less to state residents. Who counts as a resident is set by state law or the college system, not by where you went to school alone.
- SDCL 13-53-24 and 13-53-26: a person coming from another state or country becomes a resident for tuition purposes only after continuously residing in South Dakota for at least 12 consecutive months immediately before the first scheduled day of classes.
SDCL
SDCL 13-53-24, 13-53-26, 13-53-29 and 13-53-29.1 (resident student for tuition purposes)South Dakota Legislature, South Dakota Codified Laws- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
- SDCL 13-53-29: an unemancipated student may be a resident without the 12 months if the parents moved their residence to South Dakota, and the move was predominantly for reasons other than getting resident tuition.
SDCL
SDCL 13-53-24, 13-53-26, 13-53-29 and 13-53-29.1 (resident student for tuition purposes)South Dakota Legislature, South Dakota Codified Laws- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
- SDCL 13-53-29.1: veterans, active-duty members of the armed forces, and the spouses and children of either are resident students without the 12-month wait.
SDCL
SDCL 13-53-24, 13-53-26, 13-53-29 and 13-53-29.1 (resident student for tuition purposes)South Dakota Legislature, South Dakota Codified Laws- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
The college's residency office makes the final decision. More on costs: What college costs.
State financial aid
Run by the South Dakota Board of Regents (scholarship portal). Federal aid (Pell Grants, loans) starts with the FAFSA: FAFSA, grants and loans.
South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship (SDOS)
Merit scholarship created in 2003 (renamed 2004) for South Dakota's most academically accomplished high school graduates: up to $7,500 over four years at an accredited South Dakota university, college or technical school. Students qualify with ACT, GPA and curriculum requirements, or with ACT alone, and apply on the Board of Regents scholarship portal (by 1 September for fall entry). SDBOR
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Licensing boards
Lawyers, doctors, CPAs and nurses need a South Dakota license from a state board, even after passing a national exam. These are the boards that grant it.
| License | South Dakota board | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyer How bar admission works | South Dakota Board of Bar Examiners | South Dakota's own bar exam with the MBE, MEE and MPT. MPRE required (passing score 85). NextGen UBE from July 2027. NCBESouth Dakota: bar admission informationNational Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE)
Bar admission agency, the NCBE exams the jurisdiction requires, MPRE passing score and NextGen UBE plans. NCBE advises checking the agency itself for the latest rules. View source |
| Physician How a medical license works | South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners | USMLE (M.D.) or COMLEX-USA (D.O.) FSMBContact a State Medical BoardFederation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)
Directory of every state's medical (and separate osteopathic) board. fsmb.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 14 Sep 2026; each board link was then opened on 22 Oct 2026, through the board's site or, where it blocks reads from India, its latest archive capture. View source |
| CPA How the CPA license works | South Dakota Board of Accountancy | Uniform CPA Examination NASBAState Boards of AccountancyNational Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)
Directory of the 55 boards of accountancy. nasba.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 15 Oct 2026; board links that had moved were replaced with the board's current page, opened on 22 Oct 2026. View source |
| Registered nurse How the RN license works | South Dakota Board of Nursing | NCLEX-RN · Nurse Licensure Compact member since Jan. 19, 2018 NCSBNContact South Dakota Board of NursingNational Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
NCSBN / NLCNLC states and implementation dates (NLC map, PDF)National Council of State Boards of Nursing (Nurse Licensure Compact)
|
Engineering, teaching, real estate, cosmetology and the trades have their own boards: all professional licenses · trades and apprenticeships.
State and city government jobs
Federal jobs are on USAJOBS; state and city governments hire through their own systems.
State of South Dakota careers
South Dakota Bureau of Human Resources and Administration
- Open Career Opportunities from the Bureau of Human Resources and Administration page; new state jobs are posted every day.
- Create a profile and answer the job-relevant questions in the online application; applicants who need an accommodation can call 605.773.3148 or email careers@state.sd.us.
Source: SD BHRA
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Police, fire and other public-safety routes: Public Service & Safety hub.
Registered apprenticeship
South Dakota has no State Apprenticeship Agency: the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship registers programs here. California is listed under both OA and SAA.Apprenticeship.gov
- South Dakota Apprenticeship Office (U.S. Department of Labor)South Dakota has no recognized State Apprenticeship Agency: the U.S. Department of Labor's South Dakota Apprenticeship Office registers and oversees programs.
- Trades and apprenticeshipsElectrician, plumber, HVAC and other trade routes on this site
Source: Apprenticeship.gov
View source
Where these facts come from
Official and primary sources only, each checked on the date shown. Rules on testing, aid, licensing and immigration change, so confirm a detail with its source before you rely on it.
- Annual Estimates of Resident Population Change for the United States, States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and State Rankings: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025 (NST-EST2025-POPCHG2020-2025, CSV) · U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025) checked 2026-10-21
- South Dakota: bar admission information · National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) checked 2026-10-22
- Contact a State Medical Board · Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) checked 2026-10-22
- State Boards of Accountancy · National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) checked 2026-10-22
- Contact South Dakota Board of Nursing · National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) checked 2026-10-22
- NLC states and implementation dates (NLC map, PDF) · National Council of State Boards of Nursing (Nurse Licensure Compact) checked 2026-10-07
- ARSD 24:43:11:02, General requirements for high school graduation · South Dakota Legislature, Administrative Rules of South Dakota (Board of Education Standards) checked 2026-10-22
- ARSD 24:43:11:01, Number of required credits for graduation from high school -- Personal learning plan required · South Dakota Legislature, Administrative Rules of South Dakota (Board of Education Standards) checked 2026-10-22
- Assessment (required assessments and 2026-27 test windows) · South Dakota Department of Education checked 2026-10-22
- What is the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship? · South Dakota Board of Regents checked 2026-10-22
- South Dakota Board of Regents (home page) · South Dakota Board of Regents checked 2026-10-22
- Introduction to South Dakota Technical College System (FY26 Fall Enrollment Report) · South Dakota Board of Technical Education checked 2026-10-22
- SDCL 13-53-24, 13-53-26, 13-53-29 and 13-53-29.1 (resident student for tuition purposes) · South Dakota Legislature, South Dakota Codified Laws checked 2026-10-22
- Job Seekers · South Dakota Bureau of Human Resources and Administration checked 2026-10-22
- State Offices: Office of Apprenticeship and State Apprenticeship Agency contacts by state · U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship checked 2026-10-21
- The Apprenticeship System: Office of Apprenticeship (OA) and recognized State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) states · U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship checked 2026-10-21