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South Dakota Colleges

Find the ideal college in South Dakota for your budget, lifestyle, and career goals! Our website helps you compare South Dakota colleges offering a variety of degree programs to choose from.

Find the Best Colleges in South Dakota

South Dakotans welcome students from all around the world with unique backgrounds, cultures, and interests. Rapid City is a popular college town with colleges like the School of Mines & Technology, which offers 16 excellent engineering and science programs. Additionally, Black Hills State University is one of the biggest public universities in the state. The campus is divided into three colleges including the College of Business, College of Education, and College of Arts & Sciences. If you’re into sports, this university has a rodeo, cross country, football, basketball, and many more teams!

In addition to offering students a well-rounded higher education experience, South Dakota is also applauded for having beautiful scenic nature. On weekends or academic breaks, students in South Dakota can experience the waterfalls of the Big Sioux River.

Summary: South Dakota Colleges and Universities

CollegeStats makes it easy to compare colleges in South Dakota by tuition, degree program types, and many other college stats. Here’s an overview to help with your search.

  • Community and technical colleges: The state has 6 community and technical colleges offering 2-year associate degrees in various fields of study.
  • Public four-year and graduate colleges: South Dakota is home to six public four-year and graduate colleges: Black Hills State University, Northern State University, Dakota State University, University of South Dakota, South Dakota State University, and South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. Students can obtain undergraduate bachelor degrees in various subjects, or advanced Master’s and PhD degrees.
  • Private four-year and graduate universities: There are a dozen private four-year and graduate universities in South Dakota offering a diverse variety of academic programs. Augustana College is the most popular private institution in South Dakota with a student body of almost 1,800 individuals paying an in-state tuition cost of approximately $28,800. It also happens to be the most expensive private institution in the state.

Take a glance at our list of top South Dakota colleges below.

Rank School Name City State Net Cost School Level Retention Rate Distance Learning
1

Augustana College

Sioux Falls

SD

N/A

4 year

80.38%

Yes

2

Avera McKennan Hospital School of Radiologic Technology

Sioux Falls

SD

N/A

2 year

N/A

No

3

Avera Sacred Heart Hospital

Yankton

SD

N/A

2 year

N/A

No

4

Black Hills Beauty College

Rapid City

SD

N/A

2 year

83.33%

No

5

Black Hills State University

Spearfish

SD

$13,029

4 year

62.79%

Yes

6

Colorado Technical University-Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls

SD

N/A

4 year

N/A

Yes

7

Dakota State University

Madison

SD

$14,166

4 year

64.86%

Yes

8

Dakota Wesleyan University

Mitchell

SD

N/A

4 year

66.47%

Yes

9

Globe University-Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls

SD

N/A

4 year

N/A

Yes

10

Headlines Academy Inc

Rapid City

SD

N/A

2 year

72.73%

No

11

Kilian Community College

Sioux Falls

SD

N/A

2 year

33.33%

Yes

12

Lake Area Technical Institute

Watertown

SD

$10,328

2 year

84.02%

Yes

13

Mitchell Technical Institute

Mitchell

SD

$9,204

2 year

77.54%

Yes

14

Mount Marty College

Yankton

SD

N/A

4 year

70.09%

Yes

15

National American University-Ellsworth AFB Extension

Ellsworth Air Force Base

SD

N/A

4 year

0%

Yes

16

National American University-Rapid City

Rapid City

SD

N/A

4 year

25%

Yes

17

National American University-Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls

SD

N/A

4 year

25%

Yes

18

Northern State University

Aberdeen

SD

$14,385

4 year

68.4%

Yes

19

Oglala Lakota College

Kyle

SD

$3,141

4 year

50%

Yes

20

Presentation College

Aberdeen

SD

N/A

4 year

52.89%

Yes

21

Sanford Medical Center

Sioux Falls

SD

N/A

2 year

N/A

No

22

Sinte Gleska University

Mission

SD

N/A

4 year

66.67%

No

23

Sioux Falls Seminary

Sioux Falls

SD

N/A

4 year

N/A

Yes

24

Sisseton Wahpeton College

Sisseton

SD

$8,504

2 year

22%

No

25

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Rapid City

SD

$17,510

4 year

76.71%

Yes

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Fun Facts about South Dakota

Here are some fun facts about South Dakota worth knowing before going to school here!

  • The famous Mashed Potato Wrestling Contest took place in Clark, SD.
  • Casinos in SD cannot hang signs that say “casino.”
  • Keystone is where the “Little House on the Prairie” author, Carrie Ingalls spent most of her adult years.
  • The tallest water tower in the state is in Bowdle.
  • The honeybee is SD’s official state insect.
  • South Dakota is home to 39 state parks and recreational areas of nature.
  • It is also known as the “Coyote State.”
  • The state’s largest university is the University of South Dakota. It enrolls an average of 11,800 students.

Excited to begin your higher education in South Dakota? Narrow the list of South Dakota colleges with our easy-to-use search tool to determine which degree program is best for your goals.