University of South Dakota: Statistics

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#1040 of 14,131 In the World
#302 of 2,597 In North America
#271 of 2,496 In the United States
#2 of 15 In South Dakota
#221 of 1,114 For Military science
Top50% For 106 other topics
Subject rankings

Quick Review

Acceptance rate
99%
Average SAT
1220
Average ACT
22
Aid receiving
95%
Undergraduates
7,619
Graduates
3,000
Male:Female Ratio
36:64
Control
Public
Highest Degree
Doctor's degree
Website
www.usd.edu

University of South Dakota Acceptance rate and admissions statistics

University of South Dakota has an acceptance rate of 99% and is among the 24% 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 99% 98% 99%
Applicants 5,965 2,424 3,541
Admissions 5,892 2,383 3,509
Freshmen enrolled full time 1,371 493 878
Freshmen enrolled part time 47 18 29

3,110 students enrolled in some distance education courses.

3,777 enrolled exclusively in distance education.

SAT scores

Among admitted applicants
60 or 4%
submitted SAT

25% of them
had 1125
or below

75% of them
had 1315
or below

Typical SAT scores of first-years in the University of South Dakota are 1125-1315 (middle 50% range).

ACT scores

Among admitted applicants
877 or 62%
submitted ACT

25% of them
had 19
or below

75% of them
had 25
or below

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

Admissions requirements

College-preparatory program Required
Secondary school record Required
TOEFL Required
Recommendations Considered but not required
SAT/ACT Considered but not required
Secondary school GPA Considered but not required
Secondary school rank 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 8118 (77%)
Nonresident Alien 820 (8%)
Hispanic 505 (5%)
Black or African American 315 (3%)
Two or more races 274 (3%)
Race or Ethnicity unknown 221 (2%)
Asian 167 (2%)
American Indian or Alaska Native 53 (0.5%)
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 5 (0%)

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
$5,623
Students receiving aid
95%

Tuition and fees

UndergraduatesGraduates
Tuition in-district $7,773$6,123
Tuition in-state $7,773$6,123
Tuition out-of-state $11,283$11,773
Fee in-district $1,659$995
Fee in-state $1,659$995
Fee out-of-state $1,659$995

Room and board costs

Dormitory capacity 2,128
Combined charge for room and board $9,508
Room charge $4,890
Meal charge $4,618

University of South Dakota majors

University of South Dakota has granted 1,084 bachelor's degrees across 51 programs, 633 master's across 36 programs, and 261 doctorate degrees across 19 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at University of South Dakota.

Major Associate Bachelor Master Doctoral
Business Administration and Management, General 80 104
Computer and Information Sciences, General 9 128
Registered Nursing & Registered Nurse 126
Clinical & Medical Social Work 31 64
Exercise Science and Kinesiology 59 29
Accounting 56 27
Psychology, General 71 6 3
Health Services & Allied Health & Health Sciences, General 73 1 2
Law 75
Biomedical Sciences, General 53 10 4
General Studies 22 38
Medicine 60
Elementary Education and Teaching 41 9
Communication Sciences and Disorders, General 22 27
Educational Leadership and Administration, General 39 10
Mass Communication & Media Studies 46
Criminal Justice & Safety Studies 42
Finance, General 40
Political Science and Government, General 26 1 6
Physical Therapy & Therapist 32
Dental Hygiene & Hygienist 31
Occupational Therapy & Therapist 31
Biology & Biological Sciences, General 2 13 6 5
Substance Abuse & Addiction Counseling 10 15
Counseling Psychology 21 3
Marketing & Marketing Management, General 24
Physician Assistant 24
Secondary Education and Teaching 15 7
English Language and Literature, General 8 9 3
Art & Art Studies, General 16 2
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 10 4 1
Chemistry, General 7 7
Community Health and Preventive Medicine 13
History, General 10 3
Public Administration 13
Business Analytics 11
Hospital and Health Care Facilities Administration & Management 11
Human Services, General 11
Music, General 11
Speech Communication and Rhetoric 8 3
Sustainability Studies 8 3
Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General 8 2
Mathematics, General 8 2
Music Teacher Education 10
Physics, General 4 2 3
Special Education and Teaching, General 9
Materials Chemistry 8
Sociology, General 8
Audiology & Audiologist 7
Economics, General 7
Nursing Practice 4 3
Organizational Leadership 7
Art Teacher Education 6
Entrepreneurship & Entrepreneurial Studies 6
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other 6
Multi- & Interdisciplinary Studies, General 5
Neuroscience 5
Spanish Language and Literature 5
Anthropology, General 4
Clinical Laboratory Science & Medical Technology & Technologist 3
Curriculum and Instruction 3
Legal Studies 3
German Language and Literature 2
Graphic Design 2
Medical Science & Scientist 2
Music Performance, General 2
Philosophy 2
American Indian & Native American Studies 1
Biochemistry 1
Educational & Instructional Technology 1
International & Globalization Studies 1
Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management 1
Grand Total 26 1,084 633 261

University of South Dakota has a graduation rate of 60%, which is among the 40% highest for universities in the US.

Total Men Women
Graduation rate 60% 56% 62%
  • Full-time retention rate - 79%
  • Part-time retention rate - 46%

Publications & Citations

University of South Dakota has published 13,858 scientific papers with 311,941 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Medicine, Biology, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Chemistry, Psychology, Computer Science, Genetics, Biochemistry, Environmental Science, and Engineering.

Publications
13,858
Citations
311,941

Publication / Citation count by topic

Medicine
8,659 / 205,281
Biology
8,595 / 234,176
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
6,065 / 113,718
Chemistry
5,882 / 185,010
Psychology
5,126 / 120,096
Computer Science
5,089 / 127,102
Genetics
4,691 / 140,030
Biochemistry
4,657 / 154,975
Environmental Science
4,025 / 102,748
Engineering
4,016 / 97,733
Physics
3,649 / 92,202
Pathology
3,401 / 77,621
Political Science
3,219 / 50,619
Law
3,046 / 49,087
Psychiatry
2,968 / 78,253
Sociology
2,938 / 59,299
Organic Chemistry
2,650 / 96,058
Philosophy
2,492 / 47,607
Surgery
2,299 / 39,045
Mathematics
2,196 / 47,514
Quantum and Particle physics
2,091 / 61,390
Neuroscience
1,982 / 56,768
Geology
1,978 / 51,795
Geography and Cartography
1,889 / 34,823
Ecology
1,682 / 48,429
Statistics
1,652 / 41,573
Materials Science
1,622 / 44,871
Paleontology
1,604 / 44,350
History
1,573 / 23,465
Business
1,567 / 31,484
Economics
1,549 / 23,596
Radiology and Nuclear medicine
1,417 / 25,861
Immunology
1,338 / 29,955
Public Health
1,306 / 35,317
Linguistics
1,297 / 27,716
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
1,218 / 22,554
Social Psychology
1,205 / 32,825
Archaeology
1,198 / 20,430
Anatomy and Physiology
1,153 / 28,931
Demography
1,067 / 26,730

Annual publication & citation counts

Year Publications Citations
1993 100 844
1994 106 896
1995 80 921
1996 129 1089
1997 127 1078
1998 115 1241
1999 124 1537
2000 124 1683
2001 112 2070
2002 117 2329
2003 180 2406
2004 152 2729
2005 180 3054
2006 250 3753
2007 306 4236
2008 306 4840
2009 292 5631
2010 350 6488
2011 422 7752
2012 393 8942
2013 463 10463
2014 442 12038
2015 470 13051
2016 486 13129
2017 595 14206
2018 650 15195
2019 690 17735
2020 757 21203
2021 708 23801
2022 697 23906
2023 860 24986
2024 747 25228
2025 541 22159
Academic rankings

University of South Dakota alumni

  1. Tom Brokaw

    Tom Brokaw
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1940-.. (age 86)
    Occupations
    news presenterwritertelevision journalistopinion journalistprogram host
    Biography

    Thomas John Brokaw is an American author and retired network television journalist. He first served as the co-anchor of The Today Show from 1976 to 1981 with Jane Pauley, then as the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News for 22 years (1982–2004). In the previous decade he served as a weekend anchor for the program from 1973 to 1976. He is the only person to have hosted all three major NBC News programs: The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, and, briefly, Meet the Press. He formerly held a special correspondent post for NBC News.

  2. John Thune

    John Thune
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1961-.. (age 65)
    Enrolled in the University of South Dakota
    In 1984 graduated with Master of Business Administration
    Occupations
    railway executivebusinesspersonpolitician
    Biography

    John Randolph Thune is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Dakota, a seat he has held since 2005. From 1997 to 2003, he was the U.S. representative for South Dakota's at-large congressional district. A Republican, Thune has been the Senate majority leader and Senate Republican leader since January 2025.

  3. Ernest Lawrence

    Ernest Lawrence
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1901-1958 (aged 57)
    Occupations
    university teachernuclear physicistphysicist
    Biography

    Ernest Orlando Lawrence was an American accelerator physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1939 for his invention of the cyclotron. He is known for his work on uranium-isotope separation for the Manhattan Project, as well as for founding the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

  4. Tom Laughlin

    Tom Laughlin
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1931-2013 (aged 82)
    Occupations
    television actorfilm directoractorwriterfilm producer
    Biography

    Thomas Robert Laughlin Jr. was an American actor, filmmaker, educator, activist, and perennial candidate. He was best known as the star and director of the Billy Jack tetralogy of action drama films, produced between 1969 and 1977. His unique promotion of the 1974's The Trial of Billy Jack (TV trailers during national news and an "opening day" nationwide release) was a major influence on the way films are marketed.

All 89 notable alumni

General info

Alternative names USD
Founded 1862
Motto Veritas
Truth
Colors red, white
Academic calendar Semesters
Total FTE staff 1,414
Carnegie classification Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity

Location and contacts

Address 414 E Clark St
Vermillion, South Dakota, 57069-2390
United States
City population 12,000
Phone 6056586200

University of South Dakota in social media