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USD can be considered a fairly easy school to get into because it accepts an overwhelming majority of applicants. In fact, College Scorecard lists the school's acceptance rate at 91%. The biggest roadblock to many students' college goals is often the high cost of tuition. USD makes the process easier for applicants by including various financial resources, such as upfront tuition costs, a net cost calculator, and a cost comparison worksheet.

A school's accreditation status is the best way to determine its legitimacy. Accreditation is the process of evaluating a school's program offerings alongside its faculty and overall mission as an institution. This is done through a third-party organization that grades a school according to federal education standards. The University of South Dakota is accredited by the , an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. OnlineU only represents accredited schools on its site.

USD is home to the only law and medical schools in South Dakota and the only public liberal arts college in the state. This makes it stand out as a highly recognized institution in the region. The Sanford School of Medicine specializes in family and rural medicine, while the Knudson School of Law provides flexible learning paths that can be tailored to a student's specific career goals. While online students are unable to attend these schools remotely, they can still earn remote degrees in  and a wide range of fields in .

The highest earning degrees at USD are in the nursing field.  data shows that graduates can expect to earn around $61,000 three years after graduation. The following degrees are available online:, , and . 

Not far behind are degrees in health and medical administration, where graduates earn approximately $59,200, and dental support and allied professions, which has an expected salary of about $53,200. While online students cannot access dental degrees, USD offers an online .

OnlineU's Salary Score — which compares alumni salaries from different schools using the same degrees on a scale of 1-100 — for USD is 43 for bachelor's graduates and 58 for master's graduates.

Even the most popular online schools offer in-person learning alongside their remote degrees. USD offers online degrees as well as traditional, in-person programs. Eight schools on campus — including the School of Health Sciences and College of Fine Arts — feature more than 200 programs. Online students have access to 50 degree programs, and 30-40% of USD students take classes exclusively online, according to the National Center for Education Statistics ().

The admission process for USD differs slightly depending on the type of students applying to college and whether they're military, transfer, first-year, or international students. Regardless of status, students must meet USD's general requirements, which include a high school GPA of 2.6 and a C grade average or better in English, math, social sciences, fine art, and laboratory science. 

If the above requirements are met, students can apply by following these steps:

• Fill out an online application. This can be completed through the Common App or on the . 
• Submit a nonrefundable $20 application fee.
• Students who fill out the application through the USD website must send their high school transcripts to admissions.docs@usd.edu, while the Common App allows students to upload their transcripts directly. 
• Send SAT or ACT exam scores directly to USD from the testing agency. 

Students can expect to hear back from the school in less than two weeks.