Private nonprofit · University

University of Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls, South Dakota · Midsize city

#2 graduation rate in South Dakota#4 for grad earnings in South Dakota#5 most selective in South Dakota
82.9%
Admit rate
$21,383
Avg net price
63%
Graduation rate
$54,521
Median earnings

University of Sioux Falls is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (midsize city setting), enrolling 1,218 undergraduates. It has a American Baptist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,218 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 83% admitNCAA Division II with football · Northern Sun Intercollegiate ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

About Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Sioux Falls is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Sioux Falls's history revolves around the cascades of the Big Sioux River. The falls were created about 14,000 years ago during the last ice age. The lure of the falls has been a powerful influence. Downtown Sioux Falls hosts a SculptureWalk every summer and "First Fridays" on the first Friday of each summer month. The annual Downtown Riverfest embraces the beauty of the Big Sioux with live music, art, and kids' activities. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
317 miles
Nearest airport
4 miles to Sioux Falls (FSD)

How University of Sioux Falls compares

Selectivity82.9%

More selective than 39% · #5 most selective of 11 in South Dakota

Graduation rate63%

Higher than 65% · #2 of 11 in South Dakota

First-year retention75%

Higher than 44%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$54,521

Higher than 52% · #4 of 11 in South Dakota

Average net price$21,383

Cheaper than 44% · #8 cheapest of 11 in South Dakota

Median debt at graduation$23,249

Lower than 51%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 18%

Undergraduate enrollment1,218

Larger than 43%

Percentiles compare University of Sioux Falls with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in South Dakota.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,427students
  • Undergraduate1,21885%
  • Graduate20915%

Undergraduates by gender

1,218undergrads
  • Women78164%
  • Men43736%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White76%
  • Black4.7%
  • Hispanic6.9%
  • Asian1.8%
  • Other or multiracial11%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,218
Graduate enrollment
209
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
29%
First-generation students
25%
Students over 25
9%
Median family income
$62,319
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$63,504
Endowment
$37,845,414

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
82.9%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$21,750
Room & board
$9,270
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$34,274
Average net price
$21,383

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
63%
Graduated on time (4 years)
49%
First-year retention
75%
Transferred to another college
37%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$46,712
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$54,521
Median debt at graduation
$23,249
Students with federal loans
67%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
69%

About 14% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
49%
Low-income (Pell)
57%
First-generation
56%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
766
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
63%
Housing charge (year)
$4,250
Meal plan (year)
$4,280
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
Varsity athletes
616 (333 men · 283 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (11)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)219
Football118
Wrestling59
Baseball47
Basketball36
Soccer30
Softball26
Golf24
Swimming22
Tennis18
Volleyball17

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
3

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,450 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

1.7reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
1.0
Fondling
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$18,145
$30–48k
$17,804
$48–75k
$17,992
$75–110k
$21,375
$110k+
$24,038

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$77,871

$17,992/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$9,709
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 100% — get grant money from University of Sioux Falls itself, averaging $9,709, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 302 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$54,521
Typical debt at graduation
$23,249
Debt vs. one year's pay
43%
Out-earn a HS grad
70%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$48,728
Men
$61,850

Men out-earn women by $13,122 (27%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
85°F
Winter low
7°F
Annual rain
28.3″
Annual snow
45.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Sioux Falls Wfo AP, SD US station (3.9 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to University of Sioux Falls

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of Sioux Falls side by side →

Colleges near University of Sioux Falls

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.