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South Dakota Colleges by the Numbers
10 four-year South Dakota colleges — click any for its profile: acceptance rates, SAT ranges, tuition for all 10, with South Dakota medians up top.
Published in-state tuition runs from $8,764 at the cheapest campus to $40,160 at the most expensive — a $31,396 spread inside South Dakota alone. South Dakota's ten-year earnings benchmark of $51,926 sits 3% below the national median for college-goers. Not one of South Dakota's listed schools still requires test scores; 2 — Dakota Wesleyan University among them — don't consider scores at all.
South Dakota has 10 four-year colleges with full admissions profiles here — from South Dakota State University at 9,198 undergraduates down to campuses a fraction of that size. The most selective door in the state is Mount Marty University at 42.6% admitted; the most open is University of South Dakota at 98.8%.
Each South Dakota school links to its profile — admissions, cost, earnings. To see where you stand in South Dakota, bring your saved calculator numbers.
South Dakota medians
| Acceptance rate | Tuition (in-state) | Median earnings (10 yr) | 6-yr graduation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 84.6% | $10,077 | $51,926 | 52.4% |
Medians across 12 active bachelor's-degree institutions in South Dakota; the table below lists the 10 with complete admissions records.
All South Dakota colleges in our data
| College | City | Acceptance | SAT middle 50% | Tuition (in) | Undergrads | Median earnings (10 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augustana University | Sioux Falls | 67.8% | 1075–1290 | $40,160 | 1,965 | $59,217 |
| Black Hills State University | Spearfish | 96.3% | ACT 18–23 | $8,764 | 1,928 | $46,674 |
| Dakota State University | Madison | 88% | 1020–1340 | $9,654 | 2,071 | $50,970 |
| Dakota Wesleyan University | Mitchell | 73.4% | not considered | $33,790 | 670 | $53,728 |
| Mount Marty University | Yankton | 42.6% | ACT 19–24 | $34,600 | 697 | $48,179 |
| Northern State University | Aberdeen | 93% | ACT 18–24 | $8,845 | 1,273 | $47,618 |
| South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | Rapid City | 79.9% | 1130–1320 | $10,500 | 2,071 | $72,257 |
| South Dakota State University | Brookings | 98.3% | 1040–1300 | $9,299 | 9,198 | $55,070 |
| University of Sioux Falls | Sioux Falls | 82.9% | not considered | $21,750 | 1,218 | $54,521 |
| University of South Dakota | Vermillion | 98.8% | 1110–1330 | $9,432 | 5,439 | $51,926 |
Scores shown are among students who submitted them; "not considered" schools ignore tests entirely. Wondering where your own numbers fit? TheGPA calculator andSAT score calculator give you the other half of this table.
Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Jun 2026), IPEDS ADM2023/HD2024. Retrieved 2026-09-01.