Test policy · 50 states · South Dakota

Do South Dakota's public universities require the SAT or ACT in 2026?

As of October 2026: No. All 6 South Dakota public universities we checked are test-optional: a score is considered if sent, but not required (University of South Dakota, Black Hills State University, Dakota State University and 3 more).

The South Dakota Board of Regents sets a general admissions framework but leaves the specific index to each of its six public universities; in practice all six (USD, SDSU, SDSMT, NSU, DSU, BHSU) are test-optional, letting applicants qualify by GPA, class rank, or Smarter Balanced scores instead of an ACT/SAT score.

Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com), October 2026. Figures and the table may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.

The statewide rule

Varies by campus. Set by South Dakota Board of Regents, covering current (source policy document is undated by entering term; last revised per its own source line).

“Each university may adopt specific admission guidelines, consistent with law and the requirements set by the Board of Regents” — public.powerdms.com

BOR Policy 2.2.1.1 'System General Admissions' (source line: 'BOR October 2024; BOR December 2025') defines ACT and SAT only as exams 'that may be used for undergraduate admission and merit scholarships' and sets no system-wide numeric test requirement; it delegates the actual admission index (GPA/rank/test/Smarter Balanced thresholds) to each of the six institutions. All six institutions' own pages, checked individually below, currently treat ACT/SAT submission as optional alongside GPA, class-rank, or Smarter Balanced alternatives.

University by university

The flagship and the state's largest public universities. Each label comes from the university's own admissions page, quoted; "applies to" is the entering term the page names. 0 required · 6 test-optional · 0 test-blind.

University	SAT / ACT	Applies to	CLT	Source
University of South Dakota Flagship Vermillion Page states applicants can be admitted via GPA (2.6+) or class rank (top 50%) without submitting ACT/SAT; test scores are considered if submitted.	Test-optional	current (source page does not specify entering term)	—	“a test score is not required for your application to be reviewed for admission” usd.edu
Black Hills State University Spearfish Page confirms an applicant can qualify via GPA (2.6+) or top-60% class rank alone; submitted scores may still be used for scholarships or course placement.	Test-optional	current (source page does not specify entering term)	—	“BHSU is a wholly TEST OPTIONAL university. Standardized test scores are not required for admission” bhsu.edu
Dakota State University Madison Page lists this as one of three alternative paths (test score OR 2.6 GPA OR top-60% class rank) to satisfy the admission requirement, and separately lists ACT/SAT scores as an optional application material.	Test-optional	current (source page does not specify entering term)	—	“An ACT composite score of 18 or above or a Total score on the SAT (Math and Evidence-Based Reading) of 950 or above” dsu.edu
Northern State University Aberdeen Page states multiple admission criteria exist (GPA 2.6+, top-60% class rank, or Smarter Balanced) so an ACT/SAT score is not required; some scholarships do require a score.	Test-optional	current (source page does not specify entering term)	—	“No, you may be admitted without an ACT or SAT score.” northern.edu
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology Rapid City Page requires a 2.75 GPA (or GED) plus demonstrated college-algebra readiness, which can be shown via an ACT/SAT math subscore OR completed coursework OR an Accuplacer score -- no ACT/SAT submission is strictly mandatory. Could not fetch an explicit single-sentence 'test optional' statement from this page (JS-rendered catalog version at ecatalog.sdsmt.edu would not return text to WebFetch); multiple independent secondary sources (PrepScholar, CollegeSimply) describe SDSMT as not requiring test-score submission for admission, consistent with this structural reading.	Test-optional	current (source page does not specify entering term)	—	“a high school GPA of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale” sdsmt.edu
South Dakota State University Brookings Page frames admission as meeting ONE of four pathways: a test score threshold, Level 3+ on Smarter Balanced, a 2.6 GPA, or top-60% class rank -- so a test score is not required if GPA or rank qualifies.	Test-optional	current (source page does not specify entering term)	—	“ACT composite score or ACT superscore of 18 or SAT Math and Reading/Writing subscore total of 970” sdstate.edu

What this means for your family

Optional describes the checkbox, not the outcome. At test-optional colleges that publish both numbers, students who sent a score were admitted at a higher rate than students who did not, and 115 colleges nationally still require one. Take a free mock SAT and a free mock ACT, prepare for the whole test over 6 to 12 weeks, and decide college by college whether to send the score.

How much a score moves with preparation, by starting score: Test Prep Gurus results. The submit-or-withhold arithmetic: Do test scores still matter?

At a glance

JSON (all states) · For AI agents

As of October 2026: No. All 6 South Dakota public universities we checked are test-optional: a score is considered if sent, but not required (University of South Dakota, Black Hills State University, Dakota State University and 3 more).

Statewide rule: South Dakota Board of Regents — varies by campus, current (source policy document is undated by entering term; last revised per its own source line).

University of South Dakota, the flagship, is test-optional for current (source page does not specify entering term).

Checked against each university's own admissions page, October 2026. Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach).

Questions families ask

Is South Dakota test-optional for its public universities in 2026? No. All 6 South Dakota public universities we checked are test-optional: a score is considered if sent, but not required (University of South Dakota, Black Hills State University, Dakota State University and 3 more).

Does University of South Dakota require the SAT or ACT in 2026? Test-optional for current (source page does not specify entering term). Page states applicants can be admitted via GPA (2.6+) or class rank (top 50%) without submitting ACT/SAT; test scores are considered if submitted. Source: usd.edu.

Should my child take the SAT or ACT if South Dakota's public universities do not require it? Yes. Most families apply to colleges in more than one state, 115 four-year colleges nationally require a score, and at test-optional colleges students who submit a score are admitted at higher rates than students who do not. A strong score also opens merit scholarships. Start with a free mock SAT and a free mock ACT, prepare for the whole test over 6 to 12 weeks, and decide college by college whether to send it.

Method: for each state, the flagship and the public universities with roughly 8,000 or more undergraduates. Each policy label was read from the university's own first-year admissions page (or the state or system regulation), quoted verbatim, and re-checked by a second pass, October 2026. "Required" means a score is required of most first-year applicants (exemptions in the notes); "test-optional" means a score is considered if sent; "test-blind" means a score is not considered even if sent. Community colleges and private colleges are not covered. Policies change: the page carries the term each page named, and the report is refreshed each October.

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