Dual Credit

What is Dual Credit? 

• High School Dual Credit (HSDC) courses give high school students who meet admissions standards the opportunity to enroll in public technical colleges and universities in South Dakota while still in high school. Students taking HSDC courses simultaneously earn credits for both their high school diploma and college degree or certificate. 

• High school juniors and seniors in South Dakota receive a special discount for dual credit courses; paying only one-half of the cost on an already reduced credit hour rate thanks to a program approved by the South Dakota Legislature. That’s a deal compared to the typical cost of about $200 per credit at the state’s four technical colleges and $300 per credit at the state’s public universities. 

Benefits of Dual Credit:

• Save time by earning college credit in high school that you can apply towards a college certificate or degree.

• Save money during your junior and senior year in high school with a majorly discounted tuition rate.

• Gain experience, confidence, and motivation for college early on.

• Get access to free college resources such as the library, email, and tutoring services. (Access to wellness centers, sporting events, and other student activities vary amongst institutions.)

Dual Credit Things To Know:

• High school students are also college students when they take dual credit and are held to the same expectations and standards as other college students.

• Students taking dual credit courses are admitted, billed, and graded through the colleges’ policies and procedures.

• Students are responsible to pay $78.48 per credit hour, which is one-half of the reduced rate of the course as established by the Board of Regents in its Tuition and Fee Schedule, plus any required textbooks and materials.

• Dual credit course grades become part of the students’ permanent high school and college records. 

Resources: 

• Our Dakota Dreams  

• SD Board of Regents 

Not sure what dual credit to take? Here are some advising guides to help!

Eligibility Requirements

In order to participate, students must be a qualifying junior or senior eligible to enroll at a high school in South Dakota. To qualify, students must meet one of the requirements listed under either Sections 1 (for juniors) & 2 (for seniors), OR all of the requirements under Section 3. Students not meeting the requirements in Sections 1-3 may take and meet the required scores for an exam listed under Section 4 to qualify for the program.

1. High school junior eligible to enroll in a high school in South Dakota who meets one of the following requirements:

a. earn an ACT composite score of 24 reflective of the 70% percentile; or

b. rank in upper one-third of their graduating class; or

c. earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.50 on a 4.0 scale;

2. High school senior eligible to enroll in a high school in South Dakota who meets one of the following requirements:

a. earn an ACT composite score of 21 reflective of the 50% percentile; or

b. rank in the upper one-half of their graduating class; or

c. earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale;

3. High School junior or senior eligible to enroll in a high school in South Dakota who meets all of the following Undergraduate admissions requirements:

a. ACT score of 18 (or 21 for USD & SDSM&T); and

b. Successful completion of coursework Requirements

                   • Four Years of English

                   • Three years of advanced mathematics

                   • Three years of laboratory science

                   • Three years of social studies

                   • One year of fine arts

4. Take one of the assessments below and meet the required score(s):

a. 10th Grade ACT Aspire Summative Assessment – (Score 434 or higher)

          Students may contact their high school for more information on the ACT Aspire Assessment.

b. ACCUPLACER Classic (Sentence Skills – Score 86 or higher AND Elementary Algebra – Score 76 or higher)

          Students may contact a Dual Credit Campus Contact for more information on the ACCUPLACER Exam.

c. ACCUPLACER Next Generation (QAS (Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra & Statistics) - Score 255 or higher AND Writing - Score 263 or higher)