Best Christian Colleges in South Dakota 2025
For prospective college students looking for schools that align with their Christian faith and demonstrate academic excellence, here are the best Christian colleges and universities in South Dakota.
Key Takeaways
- The best Christian colleges in South Dakota offer a supportive, faith-centered environment that integrates Christian values into academics, fostering a sense of purpose and moral grounding in students’ educational journeys.
- With smaller campuses and a focus on community, the best Christian colleges in South Dakota offer numerous service projects, mission trips, and campus ministry programs, creating a vibrant environment.
- The colleges in our ranking emphasize degrees in ministry, social work, education, and counseling, providing students with practical skills and faith-based perspectives to serve others and make a positive impact in their communities.
Best Christian Colleges in South Dakota in 2025
2025 Ranking Update
Our Influence Ranking Engine™ leverages machine learning to track the real-world influence of colleges and universities over time. Below you’ll see which schools gained or lost ground for the 2025 school year.
In 2025, the top schools in our ranking of the best Christian colleges in South Dakota remained fairly stable. Dakota Wesleyan University moved up a ranking position as the university has welcomed new coaching staff for the 2024-2025 season, including Coach Williamson as the head coach of the Dakota Wesleyan Tigers, bringing fresh leadership and expertise to the athletics department.
Additionally, the McGovern Center has scheduled “Courageous Conversations” events, fostering open dialogues on pertinent topics and promoting a culture of engagement and critical thinking among students. These initiatives reflect Dakota Wesleyan’s commitment to providing a dynamic and supportive environment for its students.
The following list of the best Christian schools consists entirely of colleges and universities that offer four-year undergraduate degrees. We’ve identified 4 Christian colleges in South Dakota. In order to be included in this ranking list of best Christian colleges and universities, a school must self-identify as Christian, be fully accredited, and offer a broad range of bachelor degree programs.
Best Christian Colleges in South Dakota
- #1 Best Small Colleges in South Dakota 2024 #1 Best Private Colleges in South Dakota 2024 #3 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in South Dakota 2025 #4 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024
Tuition + fees
$37K
Acceptance
66%
Graduation
76%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1217/24
Career Outlook for degree at Augustana University
Cost of Degree: $39,190Expenses: $16,950Starting Salary: $49,500Cost Recoup Time: 17 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Augustana University known for?
Augustana University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Sociology
- Biology
- Nursing
- Literature
- Physics
- History
- Education
- Psychology
- Political Science
- Religious Studies
Most Influential Alumni
- #4 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in South Dakota 2025 #4 Best Private Colleges in South Dakota 2024 #6 Best Colleges in South Dakota 2025 #7 Best Small Colleges in South Dakota 2024
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
53%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1185/21
Career Outlook for degree at Dakota Wesleyan University
Cost of Degree: $32,890Expenses: $10,950Starting Salary: $40,900Cost Recoup Time: 17 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Dakota Wesleyan University known for?
Dakota Wesleyan University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
- #3 Best Private Colleges in South Dakota 2024 #5 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in South Dakota 2025 #6 Best Small Colleges in South Dakota 2024 #7 Best Colleges in South Dakota 2025
Tuition + fees
$20K
Acceptance
76%
Graduation
59%
Student body
2K
Career Outlook for degree at University of Sioux Falls
Cost of Degree: $20,740Expenses: $14,305Starting Salary: $44,800Cost Recoup Time: 14 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of Sioux Falls known for?
University of Sioux Falls’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- #5 Best Private Colleges in South Dakota 2024 #8 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in South Dakota 2025 #8 Best Small Colleges in South Dakota 2024 #10 Best Colleges in South Dakota 2025
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
68%
Graduation
57%
Student body
2K
Career Outlook for degree at Mount Marty University
Cost of Degree: $33,100Expenses: $15,562Starting Salary: $39,400Cost Recoup Time: 18 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Mount Marty University known for?
Mount Marty University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
South Dakota’s Best Christian Colleges in Your Area of Interest
2021 Ranking Archive
Many of our 2024 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2023. That’s because we took a fundamentally different approach. For 2024 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.
