Quad
U. South Dakota
North Dakota State

Key differences on Getting in

  1. 1

    North Dakota State's yield is 13 pts higher than U. South Dakota's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    North Dakota State admits 95% vs. 99% at U. South Dakota

    Acceptance rate

Admissions

Getting in, fall 2024

Acceptance and yield, test score ranges, test policy, and what each college weighs.

The funnel

Acceptance rate
U. South Dakota99%
North Dakota State95%
Applicants
U. South Dakota6.4K
North Dakota State7.2K
Admitted
U. South Dakota6.3K
North Dakota State6.9K
Yield rate
U. South Dakota19%
North Dakota State32%

Quad's selectivity

  • U. South DakotaOpen
  • North Dakota StateOpen

Men and women

Acceptance rate for men and women who applied, where a college reports admissions by sex.

Women admitted
U. South Dakota99%
North Dakota State95%
Men admitted
U. South Dakota98%
North Dakota State95%

Test scores

SAT total,

U. South Dakota
1125–1315
North Dakota StateNot reported–

Axis runs 1000–1600. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

ACT composite,

U. South Dakota
19–25
North Dakota State
19–25

Axis runs 15–36. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

Submitted SAT
U. South Dakota4%
North Dakota State0%
Submitted ACT
U. South Dakota58%
North Dakota State2%

Test policy

  • U. South DakotaTest-blind
  • North Dakota StateTest-optional

How they read a record

  • U. South Dakota

    The high school record and a college-prep program are required; GPA and class rank are considered. 38% of first-years had a 3.75 or higher.

  • North Dakota State

    GPA is very important; tests are considered.

What they look at

FactorU. South DakotaNorth Dakota State
High school GPA ConsideredVery important
High school record RequiredRequired
Class rank ConsideredNot considered
College-prep program RequiredRequired
Recommendations ConsideredNot considered
Essay Not consideredNot considered
Legacy status Not consideredNot considered
Work experience Not consideredNot considered
Demonstration of competencies Not consideredNot considered
English proficiency test RequiredNot considered
Other tests Not consideredNot considered
All admissions numbers in the table

Sources:University of South Dakota (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;University of South Dakota Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;University of South Dakota Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;North Dakota State University-Main Campus Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2026 applicants;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why