
Apply to Graduate School
The South Dakota State University Graduate School offers post-baccalaureate programs that are full of proud university tradition, exciting research possibilities and plenty of options to meet your interests. Start your journey with us today!
- Fall Semester - April 15
- Spring Semester - October 15
Applications submitted after the above deadlines are not guaranteed formal review by the respective department and may not be issued an admission decision.
Some departments have earlier deadlines and/or only admit for certain terms! Please check with your specific department of interest before applying.
Please use the 'General Graduate Application' links below unless you are applying for a graduate program housed in the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering. Those students must apply using the appropriate EngineeringCAS link.
Applicants applying to an engineering graduate program in the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering, MUST complete the EngineeringCAS application.
Admission Requirements
Please be aware that some programs have additional requirements or higher minimum requirements, consult the graduate catalog for program specific requirements. The Graduate School requires:
- A minimum GPA of 3.0 to receive unconditional acceptance.
- An official bachelor's degree transcript or evaluation - If you are completing your bachelor's degree at the time of application, you may submit an incomplete transcript. If you are accepted, a complete transcript or transcript evaluation with completed degree will be required by the end of your first semester of coursework.
Application Status
- For the General Graduate Application, log into the Self Service Center.
- College of Engineering applicants should log back into EngineeringCAS.
- Application Submitted - Your application and any supporting documents you uploaded have been received.
- Application Incomplete - You have not submitted all the required documents. Documents that have not been received are indicated on the status update page. If you have questions about required documents, please refer to our the admission requirements for further information.
- Under Review - Your application has been processed by the Graduate School and sent to the department for review. The time frame for this step varies according to each department's review process. Please allow for a minimum of 3-4 weeks. This is the final status you will see; when a decision is made you will receive an e-mail notification.
During peak application times we receive many applications each day, each of which is reviewed by a staff member in our office. Please allow several days after your submission for your status to be updated.

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