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Vermillion, SD · Public · 5,439 undergraduates · town

University of South Dakota

Less selective

USD combines liberal and professional undergraduate study with South Dakota's medical school and broad health-sciences infrastructure.

Campus image / Publicly hosted campus image

Institutional profile

Regionally focused Strongest in affordability and academic standing.
Academic Steady Affordability Steady Career Emerging Mobility Emerging Experience Emerging
Academic standing Steady
Affordability Steady
Career outcomes Emerging
Mobility Emerging
Student experience Emerging
Admission
99% admitted

5,349 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Resident and nonresident prices differ

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
54.6%

$51,926 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets University of South Dakota apart

Academic design

Health sciences, business, arts and sciences, education, and pre-professional pathways benefit from university-wide medical resources.

Campus pattern

Vermillion is a small college town near the Missouri River corridor.

Career & value signal

Health students can connect with clinical and professional programs extending into Sioux Falls.

Can I get in?

99% admitted

Start with the academic record, then make the intended direction and school-specific fit concrete.

Recent applicant pool

5,349

About 99 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 99%
Entering class

Academic range

SAT middle 50%1110–1330
9601480
ACT middle 50%19–25
1529

Of admitted students, 2% submitted an SAT, and 73% submitted an ACT. Because SAT scores came from few admitted students, the range describes that self-selected group rather than the full class.

Entered with a 4.0 GPA11%

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for University of South Dakota, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What University of South Dakota weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

Health sciences, business, arts and sciences, education, and pre-professional pathways benefit from university-wide medical resources.

02

Make institutional fit specific

USD combines liberal and professional undergraduate study with South Dakota's medical school and broad health-sciences infrastructure.

03

Use the application route carefully

Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and assemble each required item once.

Regular Decisionrolling
Fee and waiver$25 application fee

Fee waiver: accepted

Major and program admission

Some fields have their own entry path.

The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.

NursingAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$26,920
Average annual cost after aid, in-state$20,000
Affordability profileSteady

College funding

Scholarships and financial aid

Review available aid, application requirements, and renewal terms.

University of South Dakota publishes three merit awards, the largest reaching full tuition or more. two require a separate scholarship application. All of them renew past the first year.

Reviewed with admission An award under $5,000 a year

Open across the university · Merit · Competitive · Renews each year

Separate scholarship application Merit scholarship

Open across the university · Merit · Competitive · Renews

Separate scholarship application An award reaching full tuition or more

Open across the university · Merit · Competitive · Renews

In the season card

These three awards, by name

What each one is called, what it pays, the grades and scores it asks for, and what to send.

  • The name of each award 
  • What it pays 
  • The grades and scores it asks for 
  • How to be considered 
  • What to send, and where 
See the full read
Open financial aid plan

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at University of South Dakota

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. One university-wide earnings figure does not describe every student path.

Complete within 8 years54.6%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one79.7%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$51,926

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

Psychology, General

Recent graduates82
Median earnings$50,993

Business Administration, Management and Operations

Recent graduates80
Median earnings$64,890

Admits separately

Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General

Recent graduates77
Median earnings$61,518

Admits separately

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods

Recent graduates75
Median earnings$46,034

What is campus life like?

University of South Dakota beyond the classroom

Vermillion is a small college town near the Missouri River corridor.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Health sciences, business, arts and sciences, education, and pre-professional pathways benefit from university-wide medical resources.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

Vermillion is a small college town near the Missouri River corridor.

Career & value

Where the degree can lead

Health students can connect with clinical and professional programs extending into Sioux Falls.

5,439 undergraduatesMidwesttown setting83.1% of first-year students live on campus