Key differences on Getting in

1
U. South Dakota's SAT midpoint is 65 points higher than U. Wyoming's
SAT midpoint
2
U. Wyoming's yield is 5 pts higher than U. South Dakota's
Yield rate
3
U. Wyoming admits 97% 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%

U. Wyoming97%Most selective

Applicants

U. South Dakota6.4KMost

U. Wyoming6.2K

Admitted

U. South Dakota6.3KMost

U. Wyoming6K

Yield rate

U. South Dakota19%

U. Wyoming24%Highest

Quad's selectivity

U. South DakotaOpen
U. WyomingOpen

Men and women

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

Women admitted

U. South Dakota99%

U. Wyoming97%

Men admitted

U. South Dakota98%

U. Wyoming97%

Test scores

SAT total,

U. South Dakota

1125–1315

U. Wyoming

1040–1280

Axis runs 900–1600. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

ACT composite,

U. South Dakota

19–25

U. Wyoming

20–27

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

Submitted SAT

U. South Dakota4%

U. Wyoming15%

Submitted ACT

U. South Dakota58%

U. Wyoming67%

Test policy

U. South DakotaTest-blind
U. WyomingTest-blind

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.
U. Wyoming
and GPA are both very important. 43% of first-years who sent test scores had a 3.75 or higher.

What they look at

Factor	U. South Dakota	U. Wyoming
High school GPA	Considered	Very important
High school record	Required	Required
Class rank	Considered	Not considered
College-prep program	Required	Required
Recommendations	Considered	Not considered
Essay	Not considered	Important
Legacy status	Not considered	Not considered
Work experience	Not considered	Not considered
Demonstration of competencies	Not considered	Not considered
English proficiency test	Required	Required
Other tests	Not considered	Not 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;University of Wyoming (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;University of Wyoming Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About 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