Registration

Qualified students should follow these easy steps to register:

  1. Complete and submit the NSU Rising Scholars Registration Form
  2. Complete Docusign or print the registration form, sign, get a parent/guardian signature, then deliver to your high school Rising Scholars teacher/coordinator. The high school is responsible for submitting the registration form to NSU.
  3. Important - Next, set up your Northern email account at Reset Your Password to pay tuition and receive other information.

For more information or help with registration, contact Terry Piatz, Matthew Perreault, or a participating high school.

NSU Account Setup and DUO

Find NSU account setup and DUO information at Reset Your Password.

Drop/Add Dates
Rising Scholars Student Handbook
Eligibility Requirements

A Rising Scholars-eligible student must be a:

 

 High school junior eligible to enroll in a high school in South Dakota who has met one of the following requirements:

  • Earned an ACT composite score or superscore of 24 reflective of the 70th percentile; or 
  • Ranked in upper one-third of their graduating class; or 
  • Earned a cumulative high school GPA of at least 3.50 on a 4.0 scale; 

 

High school senior eligible to enroll in a high school in South Dakota who has met one of the following requirements: 

  • Earned an ACT composite score or superscore of 21 reflective of the 50th percentile; or 
  • Ranked in the upper one-half of their graduating class; or 
  • Earned a cumulative high school GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale; 

OR:


High school junior or senior eligible to enroll in a high school in South Dakota who meets all of the following undergraduate admissions requirements: 

  • ACT composite score or superscore of 18 (or 21 for USD & SDSM&T), and 
  • Successful completion of coursework requirements, and
  • Four years of English
  • Three years of advanced mathematics
  • Three years of laboratory science
  • Three years of social studies
  • One year of fine arts

OR: 


High school junior or senior eligible to enroll in a high school in South Dakota who meets the benchmark scores on one of the assessments listed below: 

  • Smarter Balance – Score level 3 or higher on the English language arts AND mathematics 11th grade assessments 
  • 10th grade ACT Aspire Summative Assessment – (score 434 or higher) 
  • ACCUPLACER Next Generation (QAS – score 255 or higher AND writing score 263 or higher)

 

Registration in English and math courses will require placement according to ACT/SAT/ACCUPLACER/Smarter Balance test scores.

Math Index and Challenge Index Score Calculator

The South Dakota Board of Regents requires that placement for math classes be based on a minimum Math Index (MI) Score. The MI is a calculation of students' ACT Math score and Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA). Below is an MI Calculator, provided as an initial “unofficial” indicator of students' placement eligibility. Enter the ACT Math score and current CGPA in the corresponding fields. Next to each math course there is a Yes/No field. A “YES” response indicates the student may be eligible for placement. The official MI calculation will be completed by NSU at registration. A Challenge Index score may be calculated by coordinators if the student does not have an ACT score.  See your school coordinator or Rising Scholar personnel for details.

MI Score Calculator

Cost and Payment

Students are responsible for paying tuition for Rising Scholar courses. Rising Scholars students pay $40 per credit hour ($120 for a 3-credit course and $160 for a 4-credit course). Tuition payments are due no later than published fall/spring census dates. All students should access their bill via their Banner account. 

How to Pay

  1. Click on “myNSU” at the top of the Northern homepage or use this direct link: myNSU and Self-Service Banner
  2. Click on “Student Information” under Self-Service Banner 
  3. Log in with your university email credentials
  4. Go to My Student Account Information and click on the link to SDepay/View Account/Pay Here underneath. There is a 2.75 percent surcharge for using credit or debit cards.

OTHER WAYS TO PAY

  • Pay by E-check (if using a routing number and account number for a checking account), or
  • Pay with cash or check at the Finance Office, Krikac 202A, 605-626-2566, or 
  • Mail checks to the Finance Office:
NSU Finance Office
1200 S Jay St
Aberdeen, SD 57401 
 

No fee is assessed. Include the student’s name, school and ID number (if you have it) with any cash or check payment.

Students/high schools are responsible for textbook and lab costs.

For more information or other questions, please contact Matthew Perreault at 605-626-7603.

Course Cancellation and Enrollment Levels

Rising Scholars classes may be cancelled prior to the individual Rising Scholars course established Census Date. More than 50 percent of the students enrolled in the high school class must be registered for college credit. Classes are subject to minimum enrollments (eight students).

Contact

For more information or help with registration, contact Terry Piatz, Matthew Perreault or Rhonda Carda.