Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
South Dakota nursing prerequisites are set by each programme. Southeast Technical College's RN programme, for example, asks for Chemistry, Physiology, Microbiology, a mathematics course and a social science course, each with a C or better, with Physiology and Microbiology completed within seven years. Transfer credit must come from an accredited institution and is reviewed by the registrar.
Under the Southeast Technical College RN prerequisite form, updated October 25, 2023, students need Chemistry, Physiology, Microbiology, a mathematics course and a social science course with a C or better, with Physiology and Microbiology completed within 7 years of starting RN courses, and transfer credit only from an accredited institution, reviewed by the registrar.
The rule asks for Set by each programme; Southeast Tech: five prerequisite areas, C or better, Physiology and Microbiology within 7 years. The legal source is Southeast Technical College RN prerequisite form, updated October 25, 2023.
| Item | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Prerequisites | Mathematics, social science, Physiology (PHGY 210), Microbiology (MICR 231), Chemistry (CHEM 106) | [1] |
| Grade | C or better before any NURS course | [1] |
| Time limit | Physiology and Microbiology within seven years of starting RN courses | [1] |
| Transfer | Official sealed transcript; C or better from an accredited institution; registrar review | [1] |
| Programme format | 12-month or 18-month RN AAS; online lectures start January and August; labs and clinicals in person | [2] |
Each South Dakota nursing programme, such as Southeast Technical College; the South Dakota Board of Nursing licenses graduates decides how this rule applies to you. We read its published rule and the pages below; each was checked on 15 Nov 2026.
Each nursing programme sets its own prerequisite list, its own time limits for science courses and its own rule on which credits it takes. Read the programme's published list first and ask its admissions office in writing before you enrol in any course.
UPI Study does not yet offer Microbiology with lab, Nutrition or Lifespan Development. Our courses carry no clinical hours, and they do not clear a deficiency for a board of nursing.
Each course below is ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended for college credit. Whether it counts here is the decision of the college and of Each South Dakota nursing programme, such as Southeast Technical College; the South Dakota Board of Nursing licenses graduates.
Matches the chemistry prerequisite area; ask the programme which chemistry it wants.
Self-paced online Chemistry I course (Chemistry 111). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Many programmes ask for A&P; ask whether it can stand in for a physiology course.
Self-paced online Anatomy and Physiology I course (Biology 211). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Covers physiology content; the programme decides if it matches.
Self-paced online Anatomy and Physiology 2 course (Biology 212). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
May meet a mathematics requirement, if the programme agrees.
Self-paced online College Algebra course (Math 111). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
A common social science prerequisite.
Self-paced online Introduction to Psychology course (Psychology 110). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Another social science option.
Self-paced online Introduction to Sociology course (Sociology 110). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Thomas Edison State University (TESU), University of the People and Newlane University are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit. Each nursing programme still decides for itself, so ask it in writing.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
| Option | Price | For this rule | Price checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPI Study PRO | $99 a month, every course | $99 for each month you are subscribed; take as many courses as you finish in that time | 15 Nov 2026 |
| StraighterLine | $99 a month plus $79 per course | Three courses in 1-2 months: about $336-$435 | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Sophia Learning | $99 a month | General education only; check science options with your programme | 15 Nov 2026 |
Prices checked 15 Nov 2026. Southeast Tech also lets students take prerequisites there in the semester before the RN courses; ask it for current tuition.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
Before you enrol, email the nursing programme's admissions office or registrar and ask in writing whether it will count the named course and lab, posted via a college transcript, toward its prerequisites, and keep the reply.
South Dakota nursing programmes, at technical colleges and at public and private universities, each publish their own prerequisite list, grades and time limits. After you graduate, you take the NCLEX and apply for a licence through the South Dakota Board of Nursing. Which courses count before you start is the programme's decision.
So the first step is always the same: get the current list from the programme you want, then check each course you plan to take against it.
Southeast Technical College in Sioux Falls publishes a Registered Nurse prerequisite form, updated in October 2023. Before any NURS course, students complete Chemistry, Physiology, Microbiology, a mathematics requirement and a social sciences requirement, each with a C or better.
Physiology and Microbiology must be completed within seven years of starting the RN courses. Transfer credit needs an official, sealed transcript; only courses with a C or better from an accredited institution can transfer, and the registrar reviews all of it. Students can also take the prerequisites at Southeast Tech in the semester before the programme starts.
Many nursing programmes are cautious about online science labs and about ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit in the sciences. Some refuse them. Others review each course. Southeast Tech's form, for instance, says transfer credit must come from an accredited institution, so a recommended course would need to reach it on an accredited college's transcript, and the registrar would still decide.
General education such as mathematics, psychology, sociology and statistics is where recommended credit is most often considered, especially for RN to BSN completion. Even there, ask the programme in writing before you enrol.
Its prerequisite form lists Chemistry, Physiology, Microbiology, a mathematics requirement and a social sciences requirement, each with a C or better, completed before any NURS course. Check the current form before you plan.
At Southeast Tech, Physiology and Microbiology must be completed within seven years of starting the RN courses. Other South Dakota programmes set their own limits, so check each programme you apply to.
Each programme decides which courses and sources meet its prerequisites. The board licenses nurses after they graduate and pass the NCLEX. Ask the programme, not the board, about a specific course.
Only if your programme agrees. Southeast Tech takes transfer credit from accredited institutions after registrar review. Ask in writing about the course and the lab format before you pay for anything.
We do not offer Microbiology, a stand-alone Physiology course, Nutrition, Lifespan Psychology, Organic Chemistry or Pharmacology. Take those at a college your programme approves, and watch its time limits so the courses are still current when you start.
A C or better in every prerequisite course before you can enrol in any NURS course. Transfer courses also need a C or better to be eligible. Aim higher, since admission can be competitive.
Ask your nursing programme in writing first whether it will count the course.