University of
South Dakota
Public Research University in Vermillion, SD. Six-year graduation rate 60%. Median 10-year earnings $51,926.
Ten years after entry, the median University of South Dakota student earns $51,926 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. 60% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $23,592, neither a bargain nor a burden.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
Admission is not the constraint here: 99% of applicants are accepted. The applicant pool runs to 5,965, typical for a school of this reach. 24% of those admitted enroll, which is unremarkable in either direction. 4% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score. The bands below describe the middle half of that group, not of the class.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 530–620 | 60 (4%) |
| SAT Math | 595–695 | |
| ACT Composite | 19–25 | 877 (62%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at University of South Dakota →Academics
Six-year completion sits at 60%, meaning about two in five students who enroll leave without finishing. First-year retention is 79% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. 25% transfer out. IPEDS does not follow them, so whether they finished elsewhere is not recorded either way. Retention drops to 46% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 5,239 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $19,133 annually once grants are applied. The gap between the $0–30k and $110k+ bands is narrow ($14,921 versus $22,193), meaning aid is not strongly need-weighted. Grant aid reaches 74% of students at an average of $6,733. Most students borrow — 55% take federal loans to cover the gap.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 1,333 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $14,921 |
| $30–48k | $15,942 |
| $48–75k | $18,540 |
| $75–110k | $21,202 |
| $110k+ | $22,193 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 2,863 of these 5,239 students, totalling $17,608,442 — an average of $6,150 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Clay County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)