Private nonprofit · University
University of Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls, South Dakota · Midsize city
- 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.
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
- Nearest big city
- 1 mile to Sioux Falls, SD
- To Great Lakes shore
- 317 miles
- Nearest airport
- 4 miles to Sioux Falls (FSD)
How University of Sioux Falls compares
More selective than 39% · #5 most selective of 11 in South Dakota
Higher than 65% · #2 of 11 in South Dakota
Higher than 44%
Higher than 52% · #4 of 11 in South Dakota
Cheaper than 44% · #8 cheapest of 11 in South Dakota
Lower than 51%
Lower than 18%
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
- Undergraduate1,21885%
- Graduate20915%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Sioux Falls Wfo AP, SD US station (3.9 mi from campus).
What University of Sioux Falls graduates study — and earn
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 →
Hanover College
Hanover, Indiana · Distant town · 36 mi to Louisville
- Students
- 1,031
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1201
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $54k
Centenary University
Hackettstown, New Jersey · Large suburb · 38 mi to Allentown
- Students
- 910
- Admission
- 83%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $54k
Transylvania University
Lexington, Kentucky · Large city · 1 mi to Lexington
- Students
- 1,005
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1287
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $55k
Central College
Pella, Iowa · Distant town · 39 mi to Des Moines
- Students
- 1,070
- Admission
- 86%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1147
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $54k
Cornell College
Mount Vernon, Iowa · Fringe town · 13 mi to Cedar Rapids
- Students
- 1,086
- Admission
- 80%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1234
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $53k
Concordia University-Nebraska
Seward, Nebraska · Distant town · 21 mi to Lincoln
- Students
- 1,283
- Admission
- 86%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $52k
Colleges near University of Sioux Falls
Sanford Medical Center
Sioux Falls, SD · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 28 students
Kairos University
Sioux Falls, SD · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 82 students
Augustana University
Sioux Falls, SD · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,965 students
Stewart School
Sioux Falls, SD · Private for-profit · Certificate · 133 students
Southeast Technical College
Sioux Falls, SD · Public · Associate · 2,310 students
Dakota State University
Madison, SD · Public · Bachelor's · 2,071 students
Dordt University
Sioux Center, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,597 students
Northwest Iowa Community College
Sheldon, IA · Public · Associate · 864 students
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.













