During the 2014 Legislative session, the Legislature supported Governor Daugaard’s budget request to provide base funding to offer reduced tuition dual credit courses in South Dakota through the High School Dual Credit Program (HSDC). Students have the opportunity to enroll in coursework at the rate of $48.33 per credit hour (or 1/3 of the total cost per credit hour) that meets the System General Education requirements at all six Regental institutions. These courses are offered face-to-face at the on-campus locations, via distance, as well as at the three University Center locations. Starting with the Fall 2014 semester, current high school juniors and seniors enrolled at public, private and tribal high schools whose schools have signed an MOU with South Dakota Department of Education (DOE), or home school students whose parents sign an MOU, are eligible to enroll. More information from DOE regarding the Dual Credit program can be found on SDMyLife.
Juniors and Seniors may have the opportunity to participate in dual credit courses through De Smet High School. Dual credit courses will be offered in partnership with South Dakota Board of Regents affiliated higher education institutions only (e.g. SDSU, USD, LATI). Students and their families will be responsible for any costs associated with college credit earned through these courses. Grades earned in dual credit courses will be transcripted and weighted the same as courses that are taken at De Smet High School. One (1) full credit will be awarded for each 3-credit dual credit course successfully completed. One-half (½) credit will be awarded for each 1-credit course successfully completed.
Successful dual credit course completion may also be used in place of certain State of South Dakota Graduation requirements. Students may use dual credit courses to replace no more than one (1) credit of coursework in any discipline (e.g. ELA, Math, CTE, Science) needed to meet the State of South Dakota graduation requirements. For a list of courses that fall into this category, please consult the school counselor.
Students who obtain a passing grade will be reimbursed for the cost of textbooks used for the course. Students are responsible for obtaining a transcript or grade report from the college and submitting it to the business office in order to receive reimbursement.
Students must satisfy the following requirements in order to participate in dual credit courses through De Smet High School.
High school juniors must satisfy two of the following criteria:
● Earn an ACT composite score of 24 reflective of the 70th percentile;
● Rank in the upper one-third (⅓) of their graduating class;
● Earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.50 on a 4.0 scale;
● High school juniors not meeting the above requirements may qualify pending approval by the administration.
High school seniors must satisfy any two of the following criteria:
● Earn an ACT composite score of 21 reflective of the 50th percentile;
● Rank in the upper one-half (½) of their graduating class;
● Earn a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.25 on a 4.0 scale
High school seniors may also qualify if they:
● Earn an ACT composite score of at minimum 18;
● Earn a level 3 or higher in both Math and ELA on the State Accountability tests
● High school seniors not meeting the above requirements may qualify pending approval by the administration
Also for students to be eligible for dual credit courses, they must not have earned a grade lower than a C- during either of the two semesters prior to enrolling in a dual credit course. The student must also have no more than ten (10) non-exempt absences in a single class during the one semester prior to enrolling in the dual credit course.
*NEW* Continuing Enrollment Requirements As of Fall 2020
During the 2020 Legislative Session, changes were made to SDCL § 13-28-37.1 with regard to continuing eligibility in the High School Dual Credit program. Starting with grades earned during the Fall 2020 Semester, any student who fails or withdraws from a HSDC course will no longer be eligible for the program in future semesters, absent a showing of good cause. Students who earn a F or W grade and who wish to continue in the program must meet one of the three options below:
Show good cause by having a BOR GPA of 2.5 or higher, showing a prior record of success in the HSDC program (for BOR institutions only).
Show good cause by documenting extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the student which contributed to the F or W grade(s). Good cause may include, but is not limited to: illness, injury, an illness or death in the family, or unusual academic circumstances.
Regain eligibility in the program by 1.) successfully repeating the course(s) in which the F or W grade(s) were earned, and 2.) paying the full HSDC tuition rate of $145 for the repeated course(s). This includes the portion of tuition typically paid by the state.
Students showing good cause through GPA will be automatically granted an exemption to continue in the program moving forward. Students who experienced extenuating circumstances, or who wish to repeat the course(s) in which the F or W grade was earned at the full HSDC tuition rate to regain program eligibility must fill out an Eligibility Exemption form and submit it to the campus indicated on the form for the student's circumstances. A list of campus contacts for BOR institutions can be found here, & BOTE institution contacts are available on SDMyLife.
https://www.sdstate.edu/continuing-distance-education/dual-credit-scholarship-opportunities
https://www.usd.edu/admissions/dual-credit/south-dakota-dual-credit-scholarship
https://www.northern.edu/academics/dualcredit#hsdcscholarship