South Dakota State University: Statistics

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Position Category
#792 of 14,131 In the World
#251 of 2,597 In North America
#223 of 2,496 In the United States
#1 of 15 In South Dakota
#78 of 2,330 For Animal Science
Top50% For 124 other topics
Subject rankings

Quick Review

Acceptance rate
98%
Average SAT
1150
Average ACT
22
Aid receiving
97%
Undergraduates
10,719
Graduates
1,337
Male:Female Ratio
44:56
Control
Public
Highest Degree
Doctor's degree
Website
www.sdstate.edu

South Dakota State University Acceptance rate and admissions statistics

South Dakota State University has an acceptance rate of 98% and is among the 25% of the easiest universities to gain admission to in the United States. The university reports the admission statistics without distinguishing between local and international students.

Total Men Women
Acceptance Rate 98% 98% 99%
Applicants 7,287 3,598 3,689
Admissions 7,166 3,526 3,640
Freshmen enrolled full time 2,373 1,090 1,283
Freshmen enrolled part time 68 23 45

4,028 students enrolled in some distance education courses.

2,300 enrolled exclusively in distance education.

SAT scores

Among admitted applicants
45 or 2%
submitted SAT

25% of them
had 1060
or below

75% of them
had 1240
or below

Typical SAT scores of first-years in South Dakota State University are 1060-1240 (middle 50% range).

ACT scores

Among admitted applicants
1,828 or 75%
submitted ACT

25% of them
had 19
or below

75% of them
had 25
or below

Typical ACT scores of first-years in South Dakota State University are 19-25 (middle 50% range).

Admissions requirements

College-preparatory program Required
Secondary school GPA Required
Secondary school rank Required
Secondary school record Required
TOEFL Required
Recommendations Considered but not required
SAT/ACT Considered but not required
Formal demonstration of competencies Neither required nor recommended
Other Tests Neither required nor recommended

Enrollment demographics by race or ethnicity

White 9749 (82%)
Nonresident Alien 826 (7%)
Race or Ethnicity unknown 398 (3%)
Hispanic 358 (3%)
Two or more races 262 (2%)
Asian 158 (1%)
Black or African American 157 (1%)
American Indian or Alaska Native 38 (0.3%)
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 12 (0.1%)

Costs per year: Tuition, Housing, Fees

The final cost of attendance varies for each student based on household income, residency, program, and other factors.

Average aid awarded
$4,474
Students receiving aid
97%

Tuition and fees

UndergraduatesGraduates
Tuition in-district $7,773$8,164
Tuition in-state $7,773$8,164
Tuition out-of-state $11,283$15,697
Fee in-district $1,526$1,220
Fee in-state $1,526$1,220
Fee out-of-state $1,526$1,220

Room and board costs

Dormitory capacity 4,757
Combined charge for room and board $10,055
Room charge $5,581
Meal charge $4,474

South Dakota State University majors

South Dakota State University has granted 1,925 bachelor's degrees across 78 programs, 347 master's across 43 programs, and 119 doctorate degrees across 21 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at South Dakota State University.

Major Associate Bachelor Master Doctoral
Registered Nursing & Registered Nurse 315 24 15
Business & Managerial Economics 153
General Studies 55 42
Animal Sciences, General 76 11 5
Mechanical Engineering 71 10
Biomedical Sciences, General 76 4
Psychology, General 76
Agriculture, General 34 41
Civil Engineering, General 52 13 2
Human Development and Family Studies, General 5 59
Early Childhood Education and Teaching 58
Pharmacy 58
Exercise Science and Kinesiology 55
Counseling Psychology 50
Biology & Biological Sciences, General 25 19 1
Agricultural Teacher Education 36 7
Data Science, General 22 20
Pharmaceutics and Drug Design 39 2 1
Agronomy and Crop Science 17 16 6
Mathematics, General 27 7
Construction Management, General 32
Engineering & Industrial Management 17 15
Aeronautics & Aviation & Aerospace Science and Technology, General 30
Architectural and Building Sciences & Technology 15 15
Agribusiness & Agricultural Business Operations 28
Electrical and Electronics Engineering 18 6 4
Agricultural Mechanization, General 27
Clinical Laboratory Science & Medical Technology & Technologist 27
History, General 26
Multi- & Interdisciplinary Studies, General 24 2
Agricultural Engineering 15 2 5
Political Science and Government, General 20
Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management 16 3 1
Chemistry, General 3 10 6
Community Health and Preventive Medicine 19
Environmental & Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services 19
Graphic Design 19
Criminology 18
Dairy Science 10 7 1
Geography and Environmental Studies 8 10
Interior Design 18
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management, General 15 3
Consumer Economics 17
Economics, General 8 9
Human Nutrition 14 2
English Language and Literature, General 12 3
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching 15
Sociology, General 13 1 1
Advertising 14
Environmental Studies 14
Speech Communication and Rhetoric 14
Computer and Information Sciences, General 11 1
Spanish Language and Literature 12
Natural Resources & Conservation, General 4 5 2
Dietetics & Dietitian 8 2
Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology & Technician 10
Microbiology, General 7 2 1
Curriculum and Instruction 9
Respiratory Care Therapy & Therapist 7 2
Athletic Training & Trainer 8
Communication and Media Studies, Other 8
Entrepreneurship & Entrepreneurial Studies 8
Family and Consumer Sciences & Home Economics Teacher Education 5 3
Public Relations & Image Management 8
Engineering, General 7
Music Teacher Education 7
Biochemistry 3 3
Biotechnology 6
Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General 6
Food Science 3 1 2
Landscape Architecture 6
Agricultural Production Operations, General 5
Applied Horticulture & Horticulture Operations, General 5
Geographic Information Science and Cartography 5
International & Globalization Studies 5
Journalism 5
Non-Profit & Public & Organizational Management 5
Public Health, General 5
Construction Engineering Technology & Technician 4
Music, General 4
Statistics, General 4
Educational Leadership and Administration, General 3
Fine & Studio Arts, General 3
Hospitality Administration & Management, General 3
Mass Communication & Media Studies 3
Apparel and Textile Marketing Management 2
French Language and Literature 2
Physics, General 2
American Indian & Native American Studies 1
Chemistry Teacher Education 1
Computational Mathematics 1
Consumer Services and Advocacy 1
Environmental Science 1
Family and Community Services 1
Molecular Biology 1
Science Technologies & Technicians, General 1
Grand Total 105 1,925 347 119

South Dakota State University has a graduation rate of 62%, which is among the 36% highest for universities in the US.

Total Men Women
Graduation rate 62% 58% 67%
  • Full-time retention rate - 84%
  • Part-time retention rate - 60%

Publications & Citations

South Dakota State University has published 17,346 scientific papers with 455,376 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Biology, Environmental Science, Chemistry, Engineering, Medicine, Ecology, Physics, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Biochemistry, and Genetics.

Publications
17,346
Citations
455,376

Publication / Citation count by topic

Biology
12,825 / 369,551
Environmental Science
10,568 / 312,565
Chemistry
9,551 / 265,087
Engineering
7,985 / 229,327
Medicine
7,688 / 200,660
Ecology
6,777 / 222,141
Physics
6,524 / 191,904
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
6,430 / 156,148
Biochemistry
5,800 / 174,989
Genetics
5,564 / 158,960
Geology
5,421 / 200,279
Geography and Cartography
5,354 / 177,207
Organic Chemistry
4,902 / 136,403
Computer Science
4,410 / 106,712
Agricultural Science
4,111 / 110,673
Botany
4,011 / 128,217
Materials Science
3,644 / 94,769
Quantum and Particle physics
3,545 / 103,656
Pathology
3,085 / 95,589
Paleontology
2,890 / 89,539
Sociology
2,711 / 56,710
Mathematics
2,654 / 63,057
History
2,543 / 78,778
Psychology
2,510 / 49,143
Political Science
2,463 / 44,227
Animal Science
2,415 / 42,743
Nutrition and Food Science
2,363 / 58,281
Law
2,333 / 42,024
Archaeology
2,309 / 73,680
Statistics
2,151 / 54,735
Business
1,951 / 39,887
Philosophy
1,942 / 37,182
Horticulture
1,828 / 43,304
Metallurgical Engineering
1,745 / 49,420
Economics
1,727 / 32,939
Forestry
1,713 / 54,295
Public Health
1,570 / 39,422
Optical Engineering
1,525 / 52,160
Oceanography
1,505 / 85,248
Immunology
1,453 / 47,828

Annual publication & citation counts

Year Publications Citations
1993 138 882
1994 143 909
1995 136 975
1996 149 1148
1997 148 1302
1998 145 1345
1999 165 1613
2000 197 2173
2001 149 2095
2002 213 2751
2003 217 3082
2004 242 3535
2005 257 4192
2006 283 4778
2007 333 5589
2008 393 6141
2009 442 7222
2010 473 8898
2011 569 10571
2012 601 12624
2013 683 14584
2014 647 15979
2015 660 17895
2016 825 19260
2017 823 20885
2018 784 23922
2019 860 28356
2020 798 33943
2021 769 38630
2022 744 38727
2023 717 39236
2024 752 38761
2025 622 35749
Academic rankings

South Dakota State University alumni

  1. Kristi Noem

    Kristi Noem
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1971-.. (age 55)
    Enrolled in South Dakota State University
    In 2011 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
    Occupations
    husbandry workerbeauty pageant contestantwritercivil servantpolitician
    Biography

    Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem is an American politician who is the 8th United States secretary of homeland security. A member of the Republican Party, she served as the 33rd governor of South Dakota from 2019 to 2025 and represented South Dakota's at-large congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019.

  2. Adam Vinatieri

    Adam Vinatieri
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1972-.. (age 54)
    Occupations
    American football player
    Biography

    Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American former professional football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 24 seasons with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Vinatieri attended South Dakota State University (SDSU) from 1991 to 1994. Vinatieri is the NFL's all-time leading scorer at 2,673 points, in addition to holding the NFL records for field goals made (599), postseason points (238), and overtime field goals made (12). He is considered one of the greatest placekickers of all time.

  3. Dale Moss

    Dale Moss
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1988-.. (age 38)
    Occupations
    basketball playerAmerican football player
    Biography

    Dale Moss is an American former football wide receiver and reality television personality. He played college football for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. While not an NFL star, Moss was a member of the offseason and practice squad rosters for the National Football League (NFL)'s Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears, and Carolina Panthers, he played professionally for the Los Angeles Kiss of the Arena Football League (AFL) in 2014. Moss is better known for seeking stardom through appearances on reality television. He became engaged to Clare Crawley during the 16th season of ABC's The Bachelorette where they left the show early as a couple and ultimately broke up shortly thereafter.

  4. Tom Daschle

    Tom Daschle
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1947-.. (age 79)
    Enrolled in South Dakota State University
    In 1969 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
    Occupations
    politicianmilitary officer
    Biography

    Thomas Andrew Daschle is an American politician and lobbyist who represented South Dakota in the United States Senate from 1987 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he led the Senate Democratic Caucus during the final ten years of his tenure, during which time he served as Senate Majority Leader and Minority Leader.

All 48 notable alumni

General info

Alternative names SDSU
Founded 1881
Motto You can go anywhere from here
Colors yellow, blue
Academic calendar September to May (September - December; January-May). Also Summer Session (May-August)
Total FTE staff 1,822
Carnegie classification Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity

Location and contacts

Address 1004 Campanile Ave
Brookings, South Dakota, 57007-1898
United States
City population 23,000
Phone 8009523541

South Dakota State University in social media