How to get your RN license in South Dakota

South Dakota licenses registered nurses through the South Dakota Board of Nursing. Everything below comes from the board's new LPN/RN license application page and its rules in ARSD Article 20:48 (licensure by examination, renewal, reentry and fees), checked October 18, 2026. Fees change, so confirm in the Nurse Portal before you pay.

Study aid, not legal advice. Your state board of nursing has the final word on your license, and its rules and fees change. Built by an RN. Headed In LLC is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), Pearson VUE or any board of nursing; their names appear here only to point you to the real thing. NCLEX and NCLEX-RN are registered trademarks of NCSBN.

South Dakota at a glance

BoardSouth Dakota Board of Nursing
ExamNCLEX-RN, registered with Pearson VUE: $200 to Pearson VUE ($350 for registrations completed on or after February 1, 2027)
Board fee$100 plus the national exam fee (ARSD 20:48:06:01); non-refundable
Background checkFingerprint card for a state and federal check through the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, sent with the application
Nurse Licensure CompactCompact state: multistate license if you live here
RenewalFirst license expires on your birthday in the second calendar year after issue, then every two years on your birthday; $95 plus $20 in program fees
Continuing educationNo CE hours (the CE chapter is repealed); active status needs 140 hours of nursing work in any 12 months over the past 6 years
Authorization to TestTest within 90 days after the board makes you eligible
Practice for the NCLEX freeThe NCLEX shut-off simulator: real practice questions under the exam's published stopping rules, 85 to 150 questions. No sign-up.

South Dakota, step by step

South Dakota Board of Nursing

  1. Eligibility: only graduates of a nursing program approved by a state board of nursing can be licensed or made eligible for the NCLEX.
  2. Application: create a Nurse Portal account and apply for licensure by NCLEX examination. The fee is $100 plus the national exam fee, and fees are non-refundable. An application is void one year after the board receives it.
  3. Background check: send a set of fingerprints on the board's standard card, a signed authorization and release, and the background check fee, for a state and federal check through the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (ARSD 20:48:03:01).
  4. NCLEX-RN: schedule and take the exam within 90 days after the board says you are eligible. Board staff do not give results by phone or email; after the board gets your official pass, your license is usually issued by 5 p.m. the next business day. If you fail, a letter with retake instructions arrives in 5 to 7 business days.
  5. Renewal: your first license expires on your birthday in the second calendar year after issue, then every two years on your birthday (ARSD 20:48:03:10). The fee is $95, plus $10 for the nursing scholarship program and $10 for the nursing workforce center.
  6. Active status: South Dakota has no CE hour rule (its CE chapter is repealed), but to stay active you must have worked in nursing at least 140 hours in any 12-month period over the past 6 years, or meet reentry standards such as 480 hours or an approved refresher course.

Sources: South Dakota Board of Nursing new LPN/RN license application, and ARSD 20:48:03:01 (licensure by examination), 20:48:03:10 (renewal), 20:48:03:16 (active status) and 20:48:06:01 (RN fees). Checked October 18, 2026.

The compact: multistate or single-state?

South Dakota is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. If South Dakota is your primary state of residence and you meet the compact's uniform licensure requirements (they include a fingerprint-based state and federal background check), the board issues a multistate license that also lets you practice in every other compact state. If you live in another state, or do not meet those requirements, you get a single-state license good in South Dakota only. Move your primary residence to another compact state and you must apply there for a new multistate license within 60 days.

Compact status from NCSBN, nursecompact.com, checked October 18, 2026.

The national steps, briefly

  1. An approved RN program

    An associate degree, bachelor's degree, diploma or entry-level master's program approved by a board of nursing, with an NCLEX program code. Your school confirms you graduated.

  2. Apply to the board

    The license comes from the state board, not the exam. Apply, pay the board fee and do the background check the board asks for.

  3. Register with Pearson VUE

    The NCLEX-RN registration fee is $200 to Pearson VUE ($350 for registrations completed on or after February 1, 2027), non-refundable. Your registration stays open 365 days while the board decides your eligibility.

  4. Get your Authorization to Test and sit the exam

    When the board makes you eligible, Pearson emails your Authorization to Test (ATT). Test within its dates: they cannot be extended. The NCLEX-RN runs 85 to 150 questions in up to five hours, and it stops when the computer is 95% sure you are above or below the passing standard.

The full national walk-through and every state: How to get your RN license. NCLEX facts from NCSBN, NCLEX fees and registration.

Practice for the NCLEX freeThe NCLEX shut-off simulator: real practice questions under the exam's published stopping rules, 85 to 150 questions. No sign-up.

Official pages