Students
Who's on campus
A medium campus of 9,198 undergrads, where 17% receive Pell Grants, a low share compared to other colleges.
Race & ethnicity
Diversity index0.29
Economic access
Campus size
18% of undergraduates take every course online, and another 36% take some
Where first-years come from
2,441 first-time students
44% came from other states and 5.5% from abroad; 51% are from South Dakota. More from other states than at 74% of colleges.
- In-state (South Dakota)51%
- Other states44%
- Abroad5.5%
Top home states
- South Dakota(home state)51% 1,234
- Minnesota22% 546
- Iowa9.5% 231
- Nebraska4.7% 114
- Wisconsin1.7% 42
From 35 states (counting DC).
Students starting college for the first time, by where they lived when admitted. Colleges report it every other fall.
Transfers in and out
Transferring in, fall 2024
438
new transfer students, 15% of new undergraduates. A larger transfer share than at 27% of colleges.
323 full-time, 115 part-time.
Going on to another college
26%
of students who entered in fall 2016 had left without a degree and were enrolled at another college 8 years later (about 833 students).
Federal data doesn't count students leaving in a given year; this follows one entering class.
Who they are
12% of undergrads study part-time.
54% women
Another gender: Not collected by this college.
Degree-seeking undergraduates. Men and women add up to 100% because federal data has colleges count each student of another or unknown gender as a man or a woman.
Campus life
Housing, sports, faith, Greek life, and LGBTQ+ life
Housing for 4,499 students.
Housing
Beds
4,499
About 49 for every 100 undergrads (median college: 59). Can include graduate housing.
First-years
Not required to live on campus
Many colleges still expect it, with exceptions such as for local students.
Meal plans
Offered
Athletics & programs
Athletics
NCAA Division I FCS · The Summit League
Football in the Missouri Valley Conference. Of the four sports the federal survey asks about, it plays football, basketball, baseball, cross country/track.
How the Summit League comparesROTC
Army, Air Force
Study abroad
Offered
Undergraduate research
A formal program
Calendar
Semesters
Student services
- Academic and career counseling
- Help finding a job while enrolled
- Job placement after graduating
- 5% of undergrads registered with disability services· Disability services office
Religious life
Faith communities · 3
- Catholic 1
- Christian 1
- Nonreligious and secular 1
Christian
Nonreligious and secular
Secular Student Alliance at South Dakota State University
Greek life
Councils and chapters
2listedInterfraternity (NIC and IFC)Show chaptersHide
From each organization's own chapter list.
Lambda-Theta (South Dakota State)
LGBTQ+ life
Policies
- Nondiscrimination policy covers gender identity or expression
Listed by Trans Policy Clearinghouse, read October 2026; not confirmed by the college.
Undergraduates of another gender, fall 2024
Not collected by this college.
Gender unknown: fewer than 10
Colleges record gender so differently that these counts can't be compared between colleges.
Sources:College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;College Scorecard, Fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part C, residence of first-time students), Fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part A, enrollment by level), Fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (distance education), Fall 2024;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26;IPEDS directory (Institutional Characteristics: HD), 2025–26;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)