Universities in South Dakota
South Dakota has 24 degree-granting 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: Doctoral, High Research | Public | 9,198 |
| 2 | University of South DakotaVermillion · R2: Doctoral, High Research | Public | 5,439 |
| 3 | Southeast Technical CollegeSioux Falls · Associate's: High Career-Technical-High Traditional | Public | 2,310 |
| 4 | Dakota State UniversityMadison · Master's, Medium Programs | Public | 2,071 |
| 5 | South Dakota School of Mines and TechnologyRapid City · Master's, Medium Programs | Public | 2,071 |
| 6 | Augustana UniversitySioux Falls · Master's, Medium Programs | Private | 1,965 |
| 7 | Black Hills State UniversitySpearfish · Master's, Small Programs | Public | 1,928 |
| 8 | Lake Area Technical CollegeWatertown · Associate's: High Career-Technical-High Traditional | Public | 1,812 |
| 9 | Northern State UniversityAberdeen · Master's, Small Programs | Public | 1,273 |
| 10 | University of Sioux FallsSioux Falls · Master's, Medium Programs | Private | 1,218 |
| 11 | Oglala Lakota CollegeKyle · Tribal College | Public | 1,097 |
| 12 | Mitchell Technical CollegeMitchell · Associate's: High Career-Technical-High Traditional | Public | 990 |
| 13 | National American University-Rapid CityRapid City · Doctoral/Professional University | Private for-profit | 764 |
| 14 | Western Dakota Technical CollegeRapid City · Associate's: High Career-Technical-Mixed | Public | 753 |
| 15 | Mount Marty UniversityYankton · Master's, Small Programs | Private | 697 |
| 16 | Dakota Wesleyan UniversityMitchell · Baccalaureate: Diverse Fields | Private | 670 |
| 17 | Sinte Gleska UniversityMission · Tribal College | Public | 487 |
| 18 | Sisseton Wahpeton CollegeSisseton · Tribal College | Public | 194 |
| 19 | California Intercontinental UniversitySioux Falls · Doctoral/Professional University | 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: Faith-Related | 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 |
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 degree-granting 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.