South Dakota State University
Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing · Brookings, SD · school's own site (opens the school's website in a new tab)
ActiveIn personlast verified Oct 2026
Prerequisites
The courses South Dakota State says you need before you start, as published on its own pages. Credits, labs, and minimum grades are shown where the school states them.
- 01Anatomy (standalone)Human Anatomy and Lab · BIOL 221/221L
source · sdstate.edu
“BIOL 221/221L Anatomy and Lab, four credits”
credits4labrequiredmin gradeC - 02Physiology (standalone)Physiology and Lab · BIOL 325/325L
source · sdstate.edu
“BIOL 325/325L Physiology and Lab, four credits”
credits4labrequiredmin gradeC - 03MicrobiologyGeneral Microbiology and Lab · MICR 231/231L
source · sdstate.edu
“MICR 231/231L Microbiology and Lab, four credits”
credits4labrequiredmin gradeC - 04General ChemistryChemistry with Lab (Chemistry Survey, Organic and Biochemistry, General Chemistry I or II) · CHEM 106/106L, 108/108L, 112/112L or 114/114LAny one of the four options.
source · sdstate.edu
“CHEM 106/106L Chemistry Survey and Lab or CHEM 108/108L Organic and Biochemistry and Lab or CHEM 112/112L General Chemistry I and Lab or CHEM 114/114L General Chemistry II and Lab, four credits”
credits4labrequiredmin gradeC - 05NutritionHuman Nutrition · NUTR 315
source · sdstate.edu
“NUTR 315 Human Nutrition, three credits”
credits3labnomin gradeC - 06General PsychologyGeneral Psychology · PSYC 101
source · sdstate.edu
“PSYC 101 General Psychology, three credits”
credits3labnomin gradeC - 07SociologyIntroduction to Sociology, Social Problems, Sociology of Rural America, or Cultural Anthropology · SOC 100, 150, 240 or ANTH 210Cultural Anthropology accepted as alternative.
source · sdstate.edu
“SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology or 150 Social Problems or 240 Sociology of Rural America or ANTH 210 Cultural Anthropology, three credits”
credits3labnomin gradeC - 08Lifespan / Human Growth & DevelopmentLifespan Development · HDFS 210
source · sdstate.edu
“HDFS 210 Lifespan Development, three credits”
credits3labnomin gradeC - 09English CompositionWritten Communication (two courses) · SGR 1Satisfied by a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution.
source · sdstate.edu
“*SGR 1: Written Communication: any two eligible courses”
labnomin gradeC - 10Communication / Public SpeakingOral Communication · SGR 2Satisfied by a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution.
source · sdstate.edu
“*SGR 2: Oral Communication: any eligible course”
labnomin gradeC - 11Social Science (elective)Social Sciences · SGR 3College of Nursing requires an additional specific course for SGR 3 (not named). Satisfied by a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution.
source · sdstate.edu
“**SGR 3: Social Sciences: any eligible course”
labnomin gradeC - 12Humanities / Fine Arts / LiteratureArts and Humanities (two courses) · SGR 4Satisfied by a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution.
source · sdstate.edu
“*SGR 4: Arts and Humanities: any two eligible courses”
labnomin gradeC - 13College AlgebraMathematics (MATH 103 or higher) · MATH 103Satisfied by a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution.
source · sdstate.edu
“*SGR 5: Mathematics: MATH 103 or higher course”
labnomin gradeC
Minimum course grade
C or higher in all completed courses required for graduation
source · sdstate.edu
“A grade of C or higher in all completed courses required for graduation.”
Prerequisites in progress
Allowed; must be completed before the first nursing semester
Elective credits must also be completed before starting.
source · sdstate.edu
“Students may apply while prerequisite courses are in progress as long as courses are completed before starting the first semester of the nursing program (in August in Sioux Falls or January in Rapid City), if selected for admission.”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Do prerequisites expire?
Course age limit Not published. Confirm with the school.
Attempt limits Not published. Confirm with the school.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
GPA and grades
Minimum cumulative GPA for admission
2.7
Applies to students under the 2025-26 catalog and later.
source · sdstate.edu
“To be considered for admission to the accelerated BSN program, students must have: A cumulative GPA of 2.7 or higher.”
Science GPA Not published. Confirm with the school.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Is there an entrance exam?
Entrance exam Not published. Confirm with the school.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Where can courses be taken?
Online lab policy Not published. Confirm with the school.
Pass/fail policy Not published. Confirm with the school.
Credit by exam Not published. Confirm with the school.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Application deadlines and start dates
Upcoming cycles South Dakota State publishes. A date without a year on the school's page is noted rather than guessed.
Fall entry (August start) · Sioux FallsDue May 15 each yearnext May 15, 2027No years printed. Application opens the first week in August (prior year); priority review date Feb. 15; after that, applications are considered on a space-available basis until May 15. Program starts in August. Same table appears on the degree details page.
source · sdstate.edu
“Fall Entry | Sioux Falls | First week in August | Feb. 15 | On a space-available basis until May 15 | August |”
Spring entry (January start) · Rapid CityDue October 15 each yearnext Oct 15, 2027No years printed. Application opens the first week in February; priority review date Sept. 15; space-available basis until Oct. 15. Program starts in January.
source · sdstate.edu
“Spring Entry | Rapid City | First week in February | Sept. 15 | On a space-available basis until Oct. 15 | January |”
Application route Not published. Confirm with the school. Our two readings of the page disagreed (“Two steps: SDSU university application first, then NursingCAS” vs “Yes; apply to SDSU first, then complete NursingCAS”), so we are not publishing a value yet.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Cost
Tuition and fees as the school publishes them. Living costs vary; the source link has the full table.
Tuition (SD residents and SD Advantage states) Not published. Confirm with the school. Our two readings of the page disagreed (“$462 per credit; estimated curriculum cost $28,644” vs “$462/credit (about $28,644) for South Dakota residents and South Dakota Advantage states; $586/credit (about $36,332) for nonresidents”), so we are not publishing a value yet.
Application fee Not published. Confirm with the school.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Other requirements
What the school asks for beyond courses and scores.
Prior bachelor's degree
Not required
Applicants without a degree must complete all system general education requirements and enough electives to total 120 credits at program completion.
source · sdstate.edu
“Have a nonnursing bachelor's degree — but it's not required”
Healthcare experience
Not required
source · sdstate.edu
“Have healthcare experience — but it's not required”
English proficiency (ESL applicants)
TOEFL iBT 79 (speaking 26), IELTS 6.5 (6.0 each module), or Duolingo 110
Required for anyone instructed primarily in a language other than English in K-12, regardless of residency.
source · sdstate.edu
“The minimum Test of English as a Foreign Language score required for admission to the professional program is 79 (iBT), with a minimum speaking score of 26.”
Background check
Required, but admission is not contingent on a clean result
Clinical placement and licensure may be affected.
source · sdstate.edu
“Admission to the College of Nursing is not contingent on a clean background check.”
- Meet College of Nursing technical standards.
source · sdstate.edu
“Those seeking admission must meet the College of Nursing technical standards .”
- Post-admission: drug screen, background check, health insurance, immunizations, BLS CPR, approved laptop.
source · sdstate.edu
“Acceptance is conditional on meeting additional requirements including drug screening, background check, evidence of health insurance, current immunization status, CPR certification and purchase of an approved computer.”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Good to know
What the school says about the program that is not a requirement: how it selects, how many it admits, what to expect.
Format
In person
source · sdstate.edu
“Format In person Students can opt to take their nursing classes in Rapid City or Sioux Falls.”
Start terms and cohort size
August (Sioux Falls, 48 students); January (Rapid City, 72 students)
source · sdstate.edu
“We admit 48 students each August for the Sioux Falls accelerated program; we admit 72 students each January for the Rapid City accelerated program.”
If not admitted to preferred site
May be offered another location, standard BSN, or waiting list
source · sdstate.edu
“Qualified applicants are strongly encouraged to accept placement at one of our other College of Nursing locations, if offered, or consider the BSN standard program option at one of our College of Nursing locations if space is available.”
Elective credits
Enough electives to total 120 credits, completed before the program starts
source · sdstate.edu
“Students must have enough elective courses to equal 120 credits upon completion of the program. Elective credits must be completed before the student starts in the accelerated nursing program.”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Sources
Every page we read for South Dakota State, with when we last checked it. Tier 1 is the program's own pages; tier 2 the nursing school's general pages; tier 3 university-wide pages.
- Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree Details | South Dakota State Universitytier 1 · program page · checked Oct 15, 2026
- Accelerated BSN Admission Requirements and Application Process | South Dakota State Universitytier 1 · program page · checked Oct 15, 2026
- Apply Now | South Dakota State Universitytier 1 · how to apply · checked Oct 15, 2026
- Plan Your Visit | South Dakota State Universitytier 1 · how to apply · checked Oct 15, 2026
- Nursing Student Resources | South Dakota State Universitytier 1 · tuition · checked Oct 15, 2026
- University Policies and Procedures | South Dakota State Universitytier 3 · policy · checked Oct 15, 2026
- https://catalog.sdstate.edu/mime/media/view/57/12743/2025-2026+Undergraduate+Catalog.pdftier 1 · pdf · checked Oct 15, 2026PDF text truncated (445 pages)
Open questions we're still checking
- Which specific additional course does the College of Nursing require for SGR 3?
- Application years are not printed; the priority (Feb. 15 / Sept. 15) and final (May 15 / Oct. 15) dates are recurring.
- Application fee, entrance exam, course age limits and repeat policies are not published.
- The pages do not name the additional specific course required for SGR 3.
- No application fee, entrance exam, course age limit or repeat policy is published.
- Two readings of the page disagreed on tuition: $462 per credit; estimated curriculum cost $28,644 | $462/credit (about $28,644) for South Dakota residents and South Dakota Advantage states; $586/credit (about $36,332) for nonresidents.
- Two readings of the page disagreed on uses_nursingcas: Two steps: SDSU university application first, then NursingCAS | Yes; apply to SDSU first, then complete NursingCAS.
Something wrong here? Report an error
ABSNcheck summarizes requirements that schools publish on their own websites, with a link to each source and the date we last verified it. Schools change requirements, sometimes contradict themselves, and make individual decisions. Results show whether you meet published minimums; they are not an admission decision or a guarantee, and are not official advice from any school. Always confirm requirements with each program before you apply or enroll in a course.
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