How to apply

Complete Application

Unless you are applying to a specialty program all graduate applications are submitted through the GradCAS centralized application service. Applicants need to submit all required application materials and pay the $35 application fee. The application fee cannot be waived or deferred and is non-refundable. 

Please Note: Once submitted, the Graduate Application and all supplemental application materials become the property of the University of South Dakota's Graduate School and cannot be returned or forwarded to other institutions.

Letters of Recommendation

Some programs require letters of recommendation. Please see specific graduate program requirements for details. The letters of recommendation are requested in CAS and should be submitted by the reference through the CAS Evaluator Portal.

Official Transcripts

Official transcript(s) verifying receipt of an undergraduate degree and previous graduate credit (in English or with translation) from an institution with institutional accreditation must accompany an application. Additional transcripts may be required for some programs.

For transcripts to be considered official, they must be sent directly to the University of South Dakota from the issuing institution or their third party transcript service (i.e. Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, etc.). A transcript delivered by the student or issued to the student is not official.

If your institution sends official encrypted transcripts, they should be sent directly to grad.docs@usd.edu. If your institution mails official transcripts, they should be mailed to:

University of South Dakota 
Graduate Admissions
414 East Clark Street
Vermillion, SD 57069

For applicants who have received their baccalaureate or graduate degree from USD or from any of the South Dakota Regental institutions, transcripts are available to USD and are not required to be requested by the student.

Official Test Scores

If test scores are required by a department or degree program, standardized test scores should be sent directly to grad.docs@usd.edu or Graduate Admissions, University of South Dakota, from the test publisher's authorized representative.

Statement of Purpose

Some programs require applicants to submit a statement of purpose or a general goal statement outlining why the applicant wants to attend graduate school. The completed statement of purpose should be uploaded in the documents section in GradCAS. Please see specific program requirements for details.

The University of South Dakota is a diverse campus with nearly 2,000 graduate students from 46 states and 29 countries. USD's commitment to inclusive excellence creates a welcoming community that prepares all students for living and working in a diverse society.

You will study with internationally renowned faculty in programs recognized worldwide for excellence and value. At USD, you will live and learn in a safe and secure environment in one the nations' best small college towns.

International Admissions Requirements

If you have questions about the International Student Graduate Application process, please contact International Admissions at isrt@usd.edu.

The University of South Dakota Graduate School allows students to apply for express readmission only if they meet all of the following requirements:

• Good standing within a program of study
• Minimum graduate GPA of 3.0
• Within three years of credit-bearing course at the University of South Dakota
• Completed a minimum of 12 graduate-level credit hours within a degree-seeking program or have completed at least 1/3 of the total credit hours within a certificate program

If readmitted through this express readmission process, the student will be readmitted to the original catalog year. The readmission process does not guarantee admission and, if all criteria are not met, the student must reapply through the standard process.

*Express readmission is only for students who have been accepted to a graduate program at USD previously and have been inactivated for more than three consecutive semesters and therefore need to apply and be accepted again in order to continue with their studies. The express readmission process is only used if the student is applying to the program they were previously accepted.

If you satisfy the conditions for express readmission, indicated above, please contact gradadmissions@usd.edu.

Since public-university nonresident tuition rates are typically much higher than resident rates – sometimes by 300 percent or more–WRGP increases affordable higher education options for students, and minimizes student loan debt.

The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) is an agreement among WICHE 16 member states and territories, through which participating Western public universities allow WICHE-region students to attend select out-of-state graduate master’s, doctoral and certificate programs – and pay up to 150 percent of in-state tuition. The WRGP tuition rate only applies to on-campus courses. 

All participants must apply by the last day to add/drop courses in the semester in which they wish to begin participation. 

South Dakota residents need not apply, as they already qualify for the in-state tuition rate.

Learn more about WICHE

If you are a prospective student with a disability and need assistance or accommodations during the admission/application process, please contact the Director of Disability Services.

Director of Disability Services
119B Service Center North, USD
Vermillion, SD  57069
Phone: 605-658-3745
Fax: 605-677-3172
E-Mail: disabilityservices@usd.edu

The University of South Dakota Graduate School allows students who are not admitted to a graduate program to take graduate courses. Anyone holding an undergraduate institutionally accredited baccalaureate or professional degree may register for individual courses at the graduate level without applying or being admitted to a degree program.

To experience the University of South Dakota as a non-degree pursuant student, the university offers students the option of learning under a non-degree seeking student classification. Non-degree pursuant students are not eligible for federal financial aid.

Up to 12 graduate credit hours earned as a non-degree seeking student may be applied to a graduate degree from USD at the discretion of the academic department. Enrollment in a course does not guarantee acceptance into the program.

Enrolling as a non-degree seeking student is easy. Simply complete the Online Registration Form.

If you are a graduate student and have questions about non-degree seeking student status, please call 605-658-6140 or email gradadmissions@usd.edu.