University of South Dakota Sanford
Vermillion, South Dakota · allopathic (MD) medical school
University of South Dakota Sanford admissions statistics
- Median or average MCAT
- 508.3Average
- Median or average GPA
- 3.79Average
- Applications received
- 1,0762025-2026
- Entering class
- 712025-2026
- Applications per seat
- 15.22025-2026
- In-state share of applications
- 12%2025-2026
- In-state share of the class
- 78.9%2025-2026
Applications received for each seat in the entering class. Not an acceptance rate: neither source publishes the number of offers made.
University of South Dakota Sanford MCAT and GPA
University of South Dakota Sanford reports average MCAT of 508.3 and average undergraduate GPA of 3.79 for its entering class.
- MCAT508.3 against a median of 512 across the 152 MD programs that report it, which puts it around the 19th percentile of those programs.
- GPA3.79 against a median of 3.8 across the 155 MD programs that report it, which puts it around the 41st percentile of those programs.
- Out-of-state tuition$81,474 against a median of $69,571 across the 154 MD programs that report it, which puts it around the 94th percentile of those programs.
- Entering class size71 against a median of 139 across the 160 MD programs that report it, which puts it around the 11th percentile of those programs.
A percentile here is against the programs that report the figure, not against every medical school and not against applicants. It says where the school sits among its reporting peers and nothing else.
University of South Dakota Sanford acceptance rate
PreMD does not publish an acceptance rate for individual schools. The free national sources publish applications and matriculants, not the number of offers a school made, so an acceptance rate cannot be calculated from them without inventing the missing number.
What can be published from those figures is the ratio: University of South Dakota Sanford received 1,076 applications for 71 seats in the entering class, or about 15.2 applications per seat.
Who University of South Dakota Sanford accepts applications from
| Applicant group | Policy |
|---|---|
| Out-of-state Applicants | Need ties to state such as SD High School Grad, at least 90 credits at a SD college/university, parent living in SD, child of SSOM alumni, member of a federally recognized tribe from border state. |
| Canadian Applicants | No policy stated |
| International Applicants | No policy stated |
| DACA Status Applicants | No policy stated |
Community college coursework: Courses taken at an accredited Community College will be considered.
University of South Dakota Sanford tuition and cost
- In-state tuition and fees
- $35,344
- Out-of-state tuition and fees
- $81,474
- In-state cost of attendance
- $64,369
- Out-of-state cost of attendance
- $110,499
- In-state health insurance
- $2,182
- Out-of-state health insurance
- $2,182
- Students receiving aid
- 98%
- Average graduating debt
- $182,306
- Deposit, in state
- $100
- Deposit, out of state
- $100
A blank figure here means the school did not report it to the source PreMD tracks, never that it costs nothing. Check the school's own financial aid page before budgeting against it.
University of South Dakota Sanford application requirements
- Secondary fee
- $36
- Secondary deadline
- Due two weeks after receiving email request for secondary application.
- Latest MCAT accepted
- October 31, 2026
- Oldest MCAT accepted
- November 2023
- Committee letter
- Accepted
- Letter packets
- Accepted
- Individual letters
- Accepted
- AAMC PREview
- Exploring PREview for Future use – will not be used in this cycle’s admissions decisions
Who receives a secondary: Most SD residents and selected non-residents with strong ties to SD who have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.1 and a composite MCAT of at least 496.
Prerequisite coursework
| Subject | Required or recommended | Credits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biochemistry | Required | 3 | — |
| Biology | Required | 8 | Two semesters of General/Introductory Biology or combination with other upper level Biology courses such as Cell Biology, Molecular Biology etc. |
| Chemistry | Required | 12 | General Chemistry I and II & an Organic Chemistry course with lab. |
| Composition & Rhetoric | Recommended | Not stated | — |
| Genetics | Recommended | 3 | — |
| Microbiology | Recommended | 4 | — |
| Physics | Required | 8 | — |
| Physiology | Recommended | 3 | — |
| Psychology | Recommended | 3 | — |
| Sociology | Recommended | Not stated | — |
| Statistics | Required | 3 | — |
University of South Dakota Sanford interview
Currently, one on one virtual interviews. Please check for updates.
PreMD reads that as a one-on-one interview, held virtual, and sets up its interview practice for this school accordingly.
Mid August to early September
Interview day will be virtual and consist of various presentations in the morning followed by one- on-one interviews in the afternoon. More information will be provided following interview invitation.
- Regional interviews
- Not applicable.
- Video interview
- All interviews are virtual.
University of South Dakota Sanford waitlist
- Typical positions offered
- 35-40
Applicants on Waitlist are ranked and offered a position in order of their rank.
University of South Dakota Sanford mission
The mission of the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine is to provide the opportunity for South Dakota residents to receive a quality, broad-based medical education with an emphasis on family medicine. The curriculum is to be established to encourage graduates to serve people living in the medically underserved areas of South Dakota and is to require excellence in the basic sciences and in all clinical disciplines. The University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine is to provide to its students and to the people of South Dakota excellence in education, research and service. To these ends, the School is to provide educational pathways leading to both the Doctor of Medicine and the Doctor of Philosophy Degrees. Quality health care for the people of South Dakota is addressed by undergraduate, graduate and continuing educational programs as well as by basic and applied medical research. The Sanford School of Medicine should serve as a technical resource in the development of health care policy in the state and provide extension and research initiatives to improve the health care of the citizens of the state.
University of South Dakota Sanford rankings
PreMD does not publish a ranking of medical schools and does not republish anyone else's. Ranking tables are licensed products, and a number reproduced here without its methodology and its year is worse than no number at all.
What this page publishes instead is the comparison above: where the school's own reported figures sit among the MD programs that report the same figure, with the count of reporting programs stated so the comparison can be judged.
University of South Dakota Sanford admissions contact
Medical School AdmissionsVermillion, SD 57069 USA(605) 658-6302 · [email protected]
Where this came from
- AAMC MSAR public school report
- AAMC FACTS table A-1, 2025-2026 · 2025-2026
- calculated by PreMD from the published application and matriculant counts · 2025-2026
Figures on this page were last reviewed on 2026-08-04.
PreMD is an independent planning tool for applicants. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by University of South Dakota Sanford, and this is not the school's official website. Marks are shown for identification.