Chemistry I
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 →South DakotaNursing
Which South Dakota nursing programmes take online A&P labs? How to ask before you enrol
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
Whether online science labs count for South Dakota nursing is each programme's call. Southeast Tech's RN form, for example, takes transfer credit only from an accredited institution, with a C or better, after registrar review. Email the programme with the course name, the lab format and how the credit will reach it, and wait for a written answer before paying.
Why there is no single answer
Each South Dakota nursing programme sets its own prerequisites and decides which courses and sources it will count. That is why two programmes can answer the same question about an online lab in different ways.
Many nursing programmes are cautious about online science labs. Some refuse them. Some refuse ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit in the sciences. Others review each course. You only find out by asking.
What Southeast Tech's form says
Southeast Technical College's RN prerequisite form asks for Chemistry, Physiology and Microbiology among its prerequisites. Physiology and Microbiology must be within seven years of starting RN courses. Only credits with a C or better from an accredited institution can transfer, and all transfer credit is reviewed by the registrar.
Note that the form names Physiology, not Anatomy and Physiology. If you plan to use an A&P course, ask whether it meets the physiology requirement before you enrol.
- Ask whether an online or at-home lab is acceptable.
- Ask whether A&P can meet a physiology requirement.
- Ask whether credit must come from an accredited college transcript.
- Ask how long registrar review takes before your start date.
A sample email
Keep it short, name the course and attach the syllabus. You might write: I plan to apply to your RN programme. I am considering Chemistry with an online lab, which carries a credit recommendation and would reach you on a transcript from an accredited college. Would you count it toward your chemistry prerequisite? The syllabus and lab description are attached.
Send one question per science course and lab, and keep every reply. A yes for the lecture is not a yes for the lab.
If the answer is no
A no on the sciences still leaves options. Take the science at a college the programme approves; Southeast Tech, for example, lets students take prerequisites there in the semester before RN courses. Use online options for general-education courses the programme confirms, such as mathematics or a social science, and later for RN to BSN completion.
Mind the time limit too. At Southeast Tech, Physiology and Microbiology older than seven years at the start of RN courses do not count.
Keep a record of every answer
Admissions staff change, and prerequisite forms are updated. Save each email reply as a PDF with the date, the name of the office and the course it covers. If the programme later asks why you took a course, you can show its own written answer.
Check the form again before you apply. Southeast Tech's form was updated in October 2023; a newer version may change a course number, a grade or a time limit. If it does, ask whether your earlier written answer still stands.
- Save the reply, the date and the office name.
- Keep the syllabus you sent with it.
- Re-check the programme's form before you apply.
Where UPI Study fits
UPI Study offers Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology I and II with labs, College Algebra and Introduction to Psychology on PRO at $99 a month. They are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended. We are not a college and not accredited, so the credit reaches a nursing programme only via a college transcript, and only counts if the programme agrees. Partner colleges such as Thomas Edison State University, University of the People and Newlane University consider such credit; the nursing programme still decides. We do not offer Microbiology.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
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.
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.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Questions people ask
Is an at-home lab kit the same as an online lab?
Programmes may treat them differently. Describe the lab format exactly in your email, including any kit or virtual simulation, so the reviewer can answer for that specific course and you have it in writing.
What if my chemistry course is old?
Southeast Tech's seven-year limit names Physiology and Microbiology. Ask whether any limit applies to Chemistry at your programme, and send the old transcript so the registrar can review it and tell you in writing.
Does Southeast Tech take transfer credit at all?
Yes. Its form says students can transfer some or all prerequisite credits with an official sealed transcript, a C or better and an accredited institution, all subject to review by the registrar before the programme starts.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
Anatomy and Physiology I
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 →
Anatomy and Physiology I Lab
Self-paced online Anatomy and Physiology I Lab course (Biology 211L). NCCRS recommends 2 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
Ask your nursing programme in writing first whether it will count the course.
Sources
- Southeast Technical College: Registered Nurse prerequisite form (updated 25 Oct 2023) (official)Prerequisites: mathematics requirement, social sciences requirement, Physiology (PHGY 210), Microbiology (MICR 231), Chemistry (CHEM 106); C or better before any NURS course; Physiology and Microbiology within seven years of starting RN courses; official sealed transcripts; only C or better credit from an accredited institution can transfer; all transfer credit reviewed by the Registrar. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Southeast Technical College: Registered Nurse program requirements (official)RN AAS in 12-month and 18-month formats with fall, spring and summer starts; online lectures start in January and August; labs and clinicals face to face; background check required. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.