University of South Dakota
University of South Dakota at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
University of South Dakota Featured Rankings
- #1 South Dakota's Best Online Master's Degrees
- #1 South Dakota's Best Online Colleges 2026
- #1 Best Online Associate Degree Programs in South Dakota
- #1 Best Grad Schools in South Dakota 2026
- #1 Best Online MBAs South Dakota
- #1 Best Research Universities in South Dakota 2026
- #1 Best Colleges in South Dakota
- #1 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #1 Most Affordable Colleges in South Dakota 2026
- #1 Best Public Colleges in South Dakota 2026
- #2 Wyoming's Best Online Master's Degrees
- #3 Fastest Online Bachelor's in Counseling
- #3 Best Online MBAs Wyoming
- #5 Best Online MBAs Montana
- #6 Most Affordable Online Nursing Bachelors
- #10 Most Affordable No GRE Online PhD Degree Programs
- #13 Most Affordable Online Computer Science PhD Programs
- #34 Non-GMAT Online MBAs
About University of South Dakota
According to Wikipedia, The University of South Dakota is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is the flagship university for the state of South Dakota and the state's oldest public university. It occupies a campus located in southeastern South Dakota, approximately southwest of Sioux Falls, northwest of Sioux City, Iowa, and north of the Missouri River.
University of South Dakota Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,349 | 99% | 79% | 60% | 1220 | 22 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does University of South Dakota Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $9,687 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $16,823 |
| 30K - 48K | $15,550 |
| 48K - 75K | $17,356 |
| 75K - 110K | $20,898 |
| 110K+ | $23,148 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do University of South Dakota Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former University of South Dakota students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $58,316 a year, and 95% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
University of South Dakota's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 12,921 | 9,110 | 3,811 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is University of South Dakota?
University of South Dakota is located at 414 E Clark St, Vermillion, SD 57069-2390.
How Safe is University of South Dakota?
Relative to its enrollment, University of South Dakota has a violent crime rate of 0.06% and a property crime rate of 0.02%. Vermillion has a violent crime rate of 0.18% and a property crime rate of 1.16%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is University of South Dakota Known For?
University of South Dakota is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Psychology
- Chemistry
- Communications
- Physics
- Political Science
- Law
- Medical
- Mathematics
- Anthropology
- Economics
- Biology
- Criminal Justice
- History
- Education
- Business
- Computer Science
- Social Work
- Nursing
- Philosophy
- Literature
- Sociology
- Engineering
University of South Dakota's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much University of South Dakota's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
University of South Dakota ranks #158 in the U.S. and #375 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesUniversity of South Dakota ranks #162 in the U.S. and #731 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesUniversity of South Dakota ranks #166 in the U.S. and #577 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesUniversity of South Dakota ranks #246 in the U.S. and #1079 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesUniversity of South Dakota ranks #251 in the U.S. and #1009 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesUniversity of South Dakota ranks #259 in the U.S. and #850 worldwide for influence in Law.
University of South Dakota ranks #281 in the U.S. and #1017 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesUniversity of South Dakota ranks #311 in the U.S. and #1223 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesUniversity of South Dakota ranks #325 in the U.S. and #986 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesUniversity of South Dakota ranks #340 in the U.S. and #1980 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesUniversity of South Dakota ranks #394 in the U.S. and #1638 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesUniversity of South Dakota ranks #431 in the U.S. and #806 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
criminal-justice DegreesUniversity of South Dakota ranks #447 in the U.S. and #1277 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesUniversity of South Dakota ranks #463 in the U.S. and #2042 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesUniversity of South Dakota ranks #476 in the U.S. and #1704 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesUniversity of South Dakota ranks #564 in the U.S. and #2565 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesUniversity of South Dakota ranks #672 in the U.S. and #1620 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
social-work DegreesUniversity of South Dakota ranks #706 in the U.S. and #1850 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing DegreesUniversity of South Dakota ranks #728 in the U.S. and #2434 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesUniversity of South Dakota ranks #789 in the U.S. and #2370 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesUniversity of South Dakota ranks #839 in the U.S. and #2817 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesUniversity of South Dakota ranks #896 in the U.S. and #4881 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesWho Are University of South Dakota's Most Influential Alumni?
University of South Dakota's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Psychology, Communications, and Physics. Here are some of University of South Dakota's most famous alumni:
- Tom Brokaw
- An American broadcast journalist.
- Ernest Lawrence
- An American nuclear physicist .
- David Rumelhart
- An American psychologist .
- Herbert J. Davenport
- An American economist.
- Anna Johnson Pell Wheeler
- An American mathematician.
- Pat O'Brien
- An American author and radio host.
- Robert Legvold
- An American political scientist.
- John H. Lawrence
- An American physicist .
- Earl Rose
- A , Dallas County, Texas medical examiner.
- Elizabeth Cook-Lynn
- An American editor, essayist, poet, novelist, academic.
- Gary Olson
- An American political scientist.
- Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart
- A Hunkpapa and Oglala Lakota social worker.
