University of South Dakota

“R2 public flagship in Vermillion, home to South Dakota's only medical and law schools.”

The University of South Dakota (USD) is the state's oldest university and flagship public research institution, founded in 1862 — nearly three decades before South Dakota achieved statehood. Located in the small college town of Vermillion along the Missouri River in southeastern South Dakota, USD enrolls approximately 10,000 students across seven schools and colleges and is home to the state's only medical school (the Sanford School of Medicine) and only law school (the Knudson School of Law), giving it a distinctive professional-school identity unusual for a university of its size. USD offers more than 200 undergraduate majors, minors, and programs plus 80+ graduate degrees across the College of Arts & Sciences, the Beacom School of Business, the School of Education, the College of Fine Arts, the School of Health Sciences, the School of Law, and the Sanford School of Medicine. Popular majors include Nursing, Business, Kinesiology, Psychology, Biology, Education, and Criminal Justice. The Beacom School of Business is AACSB-accredited, and the School of Health Sciences runs well-respected programs in nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and medical laboratory science. Through the South Dakota Advantage, USD offers in-state tuition rates to residents of several neighboring states, keeping costs remarkably low even for out-of-state students. For international students, USD is one of the most affordable public research options in the United States — international undergraduate tuition runs around $13,000/year, well below the national average. The Gallagher International Center houses international admissions and student services, and USD's acceptance rate is highly accessible at approximately 98%. The campus is walkable, with a tight-knit Coyote community anchored by signature traditions like Dakota Days (D-Days) Homecoming (dating to 1914), NCAA Division I athletics in the Summit League and Missouri Valley Football Conference, and required first- and second-year on-campus housing that builds a residential campus culture. STEM OPT extension is available for 17+ designated majors, giving STEM graduates up to 36 months of post-graduation U.S. work authorization.