Universities in South Dakota
South Dakota has 24 postsecondary institutions reporting to the U.S. Department of Education: 13 public, 6 private nonprofit, 5 for-profit, together enrolling about 35,477 undergraduates (2024-25 data). Each links to a full financial-health and student-outcomes profile.
| # | Institution | Sector | Undergrads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota State UniversityBrookings · R2: High Research Spending and Doctorate Production | Public | 9,198 |
| 2 | University of South DakotaVermillion · R2: High Research Spending and Doctorate Production | Public | 5,439 |
| 3 | Southeast Technical CollegeSioux Falls · Special Focus: Applied and Career Studies | Public | 2,310 |
| 4 | Dakota State UniversityMadison · Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Master's Large/Medium | Public | 2,071 |
| 5 | South Dakota School of Mines and TechnologyRapid City · Special Focus: Technology, Engineering, and Sciences | Public | 2,071 |
| 6 | Augustana UniversitySioux Falls · Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Master's Small | Private | 1,965 |
| 7 | Black Hills State UniversitySpearfish · Professions-focused Baccalaureate Medium | Public | 1,928 |
| 8 | Lake Area Technical CollegeWatertown · Special Focus: Applied and Career Studies | Public | 1,812 |
| 9 | Northern State UniversityAberdeen · Professions-focused Baccalaureate Medium | Public | 1,273 |
| 10 | University of Sioux FallsSioux Falls · Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Master's Small | Private | 1,218 |
| 11 | Oglala Lakota CollegeKyle · Professions-focused Associate/Baccalaureate | Public | 1,097 |
| 12 | Mitchell Technical CollegeMitchell · Special Focus: Applied and Career Studies | Public | 990 |
| 13 | National American University-Rapid CityRapid City · Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Master's Small | Private for-profit | 764 |
| 14 | Western Dakota Technical CollegeRapid City · Special Focus: Applied and Career Studies | Public | 753 |
| 15 | Mount Marty UniversityYankton · Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate Small | Private | 697 |
| 16 | Dakota Wesleyan UniversityMitchell · Professions-focused Baccalaureate Small | Private | 670 |
| 17 | Sinte Gleska UniversityMission · Professions-focused Associate/Baccalaureate | Public | 487 |
| 18 | Sisseton Wahpeton CollegeSisseton · Mixed Associate Small | Public | 194 |
| 19 | California Intercontinental UniversitySioux Falls · Special Focus: Business | Private for-profit | 151 |
| 20 | Stewart SchoolSioux Falls · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 133 |
| 21 | Kairos UniversitySioux Falls · Special Focus: Theological Studies | Private | 82 |
| 22 | The Salon Professional AcademyRapid City · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 80 |
| 23 | Paul Mitchell the School-Rapid CityRapid City · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 66 |
| 24 | Sanford Medical CenterSioux Falls · Two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private | 28 |
This is a directory, not a ranking, listed by undergraduate enrollment. Counts and figures come from the most recent College Scorecard & IPEDS release (2024-25), which lags the current academic year by 2–3 years. Open each institution’s profile for financial health, outcomes and peer benchmarks.
Filter South Dakota schools by sector, size & type
Open the dashboard to narrow by Carnegie class, size, HBCU status, or compare schools head-to-head.
Frequently asked
How many colleges and universities are in South Dakota?
24 postsecondary institutions in South Dakota report to the U.S. Department of Education: 13 public, 6 private nonprofit, 5 for-profit. Together they enroll about 35,477 undergraduates (2024-25 data).
Which South Dakota college enrolls the most undergraduates?
South Dakota State University in Brookings, with about 9,198 undergraduates (2024-25 data). It is the largest of the 24 institutions listed on this page by undergraduate enrollment.
Where does this South Dakota college data come from?
The U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS collections, most recent release (2024-25). Every figure is federal, published and free to check. Nothing on this page is estimated or AI-generated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard & IPEDS (most recent release, 2024-25). Compiled by Ibex Insights. See the methodology.