R2 ResearchPublicLand-grant

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota·Public, 4-year or above·Plains·sdstate.edu
6-yr Graduation
62%
+3.5pp vs R2 Research
Total enrollment
12,056
peer median 14,734
Avg net price
$19,841
+$3.0k vs R2 Research
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AdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeCommon Data Set

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
7,287
7,287 candidates competed
Admitted
7,166
98.3% acceptance rate
Enrolled
2,441
34.1% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
62%+3.5pp vs R2 Research
4-year graduation
46%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
62%
Full-time retention
84%

Pell equity

13.4pp gap
Pell recipients
52%262 of 500
Non-Pell (all)
65%1056 of 1614
Subsidized loan, no Pell
59%344 of 580
No Federal Aid
69%712 of 1034

Non-Pell students graduate at a 13.4-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 189 Title IV programs, 46 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 143 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
189
Passing
46
24.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

189programs
  • Passing46 · 24.3%
  • No Data143 · 75.7%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
3
Safe
43
No data
143

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

46
Hospitality Administration/Management
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+13.6%
$40,969 vs $36,067
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
+17.7%
$57,278 vs $48,653
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+21.8%
$43,934 vs $36,067
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+26.0%
$45,438 vs $36,067
Human Development Family Studies and Related Services
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
+28.9%
$46,487 vs $36,067
History
Bachelor Degree · History
+28.9%
$46,502 vs $36,067
Foods Nutrition and Related Services
Master's Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
+30.1%
$57,383 vs $44,091
Parks Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+34.0%
$48,319 vs $36,067

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

38
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
96%
$54,699 debt · $57,278 earn
History
Bachelor Degree · History
58%
$27,000 debt · $46,502 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
58%
$25,500 debt · $43,934 earn
Hospitality Administration/Management
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
56%
$23,000 debt · $40,969 earn
Human Development Family Studies and Related Services
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
53%
$24,500 debt · $46,487 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
50%
$25,217 debt · $50,210 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
50%
$24,936 debt · $50,076 earn
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
48%
$26,293 debt · $54,446 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1920Next review Aug 2030
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1916

Programmatic accreditations · 11

Action history · 17

  1. Dec 2025Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  2. Jun 2025Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIETI) - Dietetic Internship
  3. Apr 2025Voluntary Withdrawal Received
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  4. Apr 2024Voluntary Withdrawal Received
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  5. Jan 2024Approved for Distance Education
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIET) - Coordinated Program in Dietetics

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$14,266
$30–48k$15,248
$48–75k$18,073
$75–110k$20,706
$110k+$21,886

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$19,841
+$3,030vs R2 Research median $16,811
Federal loans
42.6%
In-state tuition
$9,299
Out-of-state
$12,809

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 2,215 students received $12.0M in Pell grants, alongside $40.0M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
2,215
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$12.0M
$12,048,780 total
Direct Loans
$40.0M
7,276 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

2k
’20
2k
’21
2k
’22
2k
’23
2k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$11.2M
2,617 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$18.3M
4,008 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$5.6M
249 loan awards
Parent PLUS$4.7M
384 loan awards
Grad PLUS$274K
18 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 2,821 borrowers who entered repayment, 22 (0.7%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.7%
-1.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
2,821
Defaulted
22
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
4.2%
2017
3.8%
2018
2.7%
2019
0.7%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at South Dakota State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs148
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,840 total completions
01Health Professions
53829.2%
02Agriculture
35919.5%
03Engineering
1669.0%
04Education
1317.1%
05Business
1206.5%
06Psychology
1176.4%
07Biological Sciences
1166.3%
08Parks/Recreation
1015.5%
09Natural Resources
975.3%
10Liberal Arts
955.2%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
12,056
12-mo unduplicated
14,131
Undergraduate
12,489
Graduate
1,642

Gender split

Men
43%6,132
Women
57%7,999

Race / ethnicity composition

White
84.2%
Non-resident
4.2%
Hispanic
3.0%
Unknown
2.9%
Two or more
2.1%
Black
1.5%
Asian
1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
533
311 M · 222 W
Women athletes
41.7%
Athletic aid
$4.6M
Total student aid
Budget
$28.7M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$2.6M
$2.0M
Recruiting expense
$236K
$119K
Head-coach salaries
$190K
$120K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 11

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
149 M · 154 W
$1.5M
Football
114 M · —
$5.9M
Swimming and Diving (combined)
30 M · 33 W
$691K
Baseball
40 M · —
$758K
Wrestling
39 M · —
$1.1M
Equestrian
— · 34 W
$821K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.30
15 offenses · 11,498 students

3-year trend

1.222 yrs ago1.681 yr ago1.30Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
48
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
35
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
2

Criminal offenses by type

Fondling
7
Rape
4
Motor vehicle theft
3
Aggravated assault
1

By location

15total
  • On campus9
  • Non-campus6

Includes 6 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

3
Domestic violence
2
Dating violence
6
Stalking
11 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons20
Drugs213
Liquor16596

Residence-hall fires

  • Spencer Hall1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • Mathews Hall1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99

Data quality: 4 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
17.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
518

South Dakota State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions South Dakota State selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectSouth Dakota State University
62%—12,056$19,841R2 Research
University of South Dakota
60%98.8%10,619$19,858R2 Research
University of Missouri-Kansas City
54%72.2%14,732$13,310R2 Research
University of Missouri-St Louis
57%62.7%14,736$15,071R2 Research
University of Nebraska at Omaha
49%87.0%14,972$13,441R2 Research
University of North Dakota
61%76.9%15,019$18,551R2 Research
Peer group median59%76.9%14,734$16,811

Institutions like South Dakota State

Explore the federal data for institutions in South Dakota State's comparison group.

IPEDS

South Dakota State Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research and Assessment
Phone
605-688-5514
Address
1015 Campanile Ave. SAD 233, Box 2201, Brookings, SD 57007

The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment advances the university's mission by facilitating an integrated approach to institutional research, assessment, continuous improvement and data-informed decisions in support of institutional effectiveness, teaching and learning.

Visit IR office page
Team
4 members
  • Jared Clay
    Research and Data Specialist
  • Robyn Marschke
    Assistant Vice President of Institutional Research and Assessment
  • Kyle Olson
    Data Visualization Developer
  • Jennifer Vander Wal
    Director of Institutional Research

Common Data Set

South Dakota State's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Source publications

Frequently asked questions about South Dakota State University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about South Dakota State.

What is the graduation rate at South Dakota State University?

South Dakota State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 62% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend South Dakota State University?

South Dakota State University reports a total enrollment of 12,056 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at South Dakota State University?

The average net price at South Dakota State University is $19,841 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at South Dakota State University?

South Dakota State University's yield rate is 34.1%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is South Dakota State University located?

South Dakota State University is located in Brookings, South Dakota 57007-1898.

Who runs Institutional Research at South Dakota State University?

South Dakota State University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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