�ձ�av��Ƶ

• College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
• College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• College of Education and Human Sciences
• College of Natural Sciences
• College of Nursing
• College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions
• Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering
• Graduate School
• Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College

A public, land-grant institution, �ձ�av��Ƶ was founded in 1881, authorized by the Dakota Territorial Legislature and is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents. The South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station at �ձ�av��Ƶ was established and linked to the university in 1887 under the federal Hatch Act to conduct research that “concerns agriculture and the home.” In 1914, �ձ�av��Ƶ Extension was added by the Smith-Lever Act to “provide information to the people of the state.” Both the Agricultural Experiment Station and �ձ�av��Ƶ Extension are administered by the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.

The �ձ�av��Ƶ Jackrabbits compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I level in all sports, including the Football Championship Subdivision. Jackrabbits teams play in The Summit League, with the exception of football, wrestling and equestrian. �ձ�av��Ƶ is a member of the National Collegiate Equestrian Association, the Missouri Valley Football Conference and the Big XII Conference as an affiliate member for wrestling.

Ranked the No. 9 best college town in the Midwest by RentCafe (2025), Brookings (pop. 25,031) is just 55 miles north of Sioux Falls on Interstate 29, 200 miles from Minneapolis and 400 miles east of Rapid City and the Black Hills. Students from communities in Nebraska, North Dakota and Iowa also find �ձ�av��Ƶ within an easy day’s drive.

Total Enrollment – 12,139

Fall 2025 enrollment showed the incoming first-time freshmen class recorded an average high school GPA of 3.57, and 39.7% of class members who submitted ACT scores have a composite score of 24 or above.

Enrollment by Area

• Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences: 1,820 (15%)
• Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences: 2,633 (22%)
• Education and Human Sciences: 1,751 (14%)
• Education and Human Sciences – Non-Degree Seeking: 1,341 (11%)
• Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering: 1,741 (14%)
• Natural Sciences: 813 (7%)
• Nursing: 1,465 (12%)
• Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions: 514 (4%)
• Graduate School: 61 (1%)
• Total: 12,139 (100%)

Notes:

Based on primary college – students with multiple majors will only be counted once in their primary college.
¹ Graduate programs have been moved to the appropriate colleges.

• Student-to-faculty ratio fall 2024: 17 to 1
• Graduate student assistants (fall 2025): 525
• Retention rate (fall 2024 full-time bachelor's cohort): 83.0%

Graduates by Degree Type

• Associates of Science: 119 (5%)
• Bachelor's degrees: 1,796 (75%)
• Master's degree: 374 (15.6%)
• Doctor of Philosophy: 44 (1.8%)
• Doctor of Pharmacy/Doctor of Nursing Practice: 63 (2.6%)
• Total: 2,296 (100%)

*Unduplicated by level. Includes summer, fall and spring graduates.

Full-time, First-year Students

• Full-time, first-year students: 2,373
• Percent receiving financial aid: 97.56%
• Average award (including loans): $11,661
• Percent receiving institutional scholarships: 91.95%
• Average scholarship award: $2,888

South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship

• New recipients (fall 2024): 427
• Total number of recipients (fall 2024): 1,286

Average Award

• Average award (graduate and undergraduate): $11,882

Undergraduate, Resident (30 credits)

• Tuition and fees: $9,554
• Room and board: $10,648

Undergraduate, Nonresident (30 credits)

• Tuition and fees: $13,166
• Room and board: $10,648

Graduate, Resident (24 credits)

• Tuition and fees: $9,644

Graduate, Nonresident (24 credits)

• Tuition and fees: $17,396

Graduate Assistant (24 credits)

• Tuition and fees: $1,244

*Aligned to U.S. Department of Education requirements

• Faculty: 579.08
• Administration: 75.07
• Professional: 711.99
• Support staff: 635.94
• Total: 2,002.08

• Professor: 134
• Associate professor: 97
• Assistant professor: 154
• Instructor: 68
• Senior lecturer/lecturer: 90
• Total: 543

*Includes professor of practice, associate and assistant professor of practice.

• Total graduates (through September 2025): 104,711
• Alumni living in South Dakota: 44,847
• Alumni living in U.S. but not South Dakota: 46,353
• Alumni living out of U.S.: 912

• Central campus location (maintained): 400.69 acres
• Additional acres, including six research farms: 10,521.81 acres
• Buildings: 163
• Building space maintained: 4,257,026 square feet
• Replacement value of buildings: $1,424,930,981
• Residence hall capacity (fall 2025): 4,737 students

�ձ�av��Ƶ Foundation expenditures:

• Expenditures to support university programs: $48,143,888
• Expenditures per student FTE – fall 2024: $5,019.32

Operating Budget

• University proper: $386,981,960 (77.4%)
• Agriculture Experiment Station: $63,949,395 (16.5%)
• �ձ�av��Ƶ Extension: $23,524,934 (6.1%)
• Total: $386,981,960 (100%)

• �ձ�av��Ƶ is aspiring to become an R1 university by 2031 to bolster the South Dakota economy for generations to come. R1 classification requires two distinct benchmarks: annual research expenditures of at least $50 million and 70 research-intensive doctorates granted annually, calculated using a three-year running average.
• In 2025, 280 doctoral-level students are conducting original research in one of the university’s 17 degree programs.
• The university has identified three areas of strategic research — bioprocessing, rural health and well-being, and precision agriculture technology — where its strengths and expertise as a research university can drive meaningful impact in South Dakota and beyond.
• �ձ�av��Ƶ researchers are moving scientific discoveries into tangible products for the public good. Over the last five years, 77 invention disclosures have been filed.
• Faculty provide scientific leadership in three state research centers: the Haarberg Center for Drug, Disease and Delivery Research; the Center for Biologics Research and Commercialization; and Biosystems Networks and Transformative Research (BioSNTR). In addition, �ձ�av��Ƶ researchers play a key role in the South Dakota Biofilm Science and Engineering Center, the South Dakota Center for Electrochemical Energy Storage and the South Dakota Center for Understanding and Disrupting the Illicit Economy.
• �ձ�av��Ƶ is also home to the North Central Regional Sun Grant Center, the Geospatial Sciences Center of Excellence and the Ethel Austin Martin Program in Human Nutrition.
• Undergraduate students are encouraged to get involved in research through the Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Day, the South Dakota Legislative Poster Session and through the Journal of Undergraduate Research. Students in the Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College conduct original research as a part of their graduation requirements.
• Total Research Expenditures — FY2025 — $94,255,780 (15% increase from FY24)

As the outreach arm of �ձ�av��Ƶ, �ձ�av��Ƶ Extension provides people across the state with research-based information that enriches their lives. �ձ�av��Ƶ Extension also meets the changing needs of South Dakotans with outreach services, engaging the community through one-on-one interactions, forums, workshops and 24/7 online access. Its core services and focus areas include agriculture, family wellness, community development and 4-H youth.

Faculty are located on the �ձ�av��Ƶ campus or at the West River Research and Extension facility in Rapid City. Field specialists offer statewide programming from eight regional centers located across South Dakota. At the community level, 4-H youth educators and family and community health educators work from county or tribal �ձ�av��Ƶ Extension offices.

�ձ�av��Ƶ Extension relies on technology to offer educational programs to citizens. Combined with traditional face-to-face methods of learning, citizens can access its online learning portal at .

Operation Budget �ձ�av��Ƶ Extension:

• State funds: $11,032,235 (47%)
• Federal funds: $9,454,078 (40%)
• Other/local funds: $3,038,621 (13%)
• Total: $23,524,934 (100%)

�ձ�av��Ƶ Extension Stats:

• Number of regional Extension centers: 8
• Number of field specialists: 50.95 FTE/61 positions

The South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station at �ձ�av��Ƶ, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, conducts both applied and discovery research to improve the lives and well-being of farmers, landowners, community members, natural resource management specialists and livestock producers across the state and worldwide. �ձ�av��Ƶ scientists conduct research at nine campus-based units and seven strategically located research stations across the state, addressing the critical needs of the agricultural community. The South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station focuses on practical solutions that directly benefit those in the field while also contributing to innovations in agricultural sciences.

• Regenerative livestock systems (28%)
• Regenerative agronomic systems (33%)
• Natural resources and environmental systems (18%)
• Food systems, nutrition, health and well-being (14%)
• Family, youth and communities (7%)

Operating Budget of Agricultural Experiment Station:

• State funds: $16,297,987 (28%)
• Federal funds: $27,506,154 (39%)
• Other / local funds: $20,145,254 (32%)
• Total: $63,949,395 (100%)

• Nathan D. Lukkes, Executive Director and CEO
• Tim Rave, President
• Jeff Partridge, Vice President
• Randy Frederick, Secretary
• Miles Beacom
• Judy Dittman
• James Lochner
• Griffin Petersen
• Randy Rasmussen
• Pam Roberts

• Barry H. Dunn, Ph.D., President
• Dennis Hedge, Pharm.D., Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
• Michaela Willis, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
• Tracy Greene, J.D., Vice President and General Counsel, Vice President, Human Resources
• Mike Holbeck, Ph.D., Vice President for Finance and Budget
• David Overby, Vice President for Technology and Security
• Daniel Scholl, D.V.M., Ph.D., Vice President for Research and Economic Development
• Karyn Weber, Chief of Staff