The University of South Dakota is the best university in South Dakota. Starting from the beautiful scenery, to the national music museum, OSD is the best place to be.
Do you want to study medicine or law in South Dakota? USD is home to South Dakota’s only medical school and law school.
Asides from academics, there are uncountable extracurricular activities and athletics. No wonder Niche ranks it among the best party schools in South Dakota. Yea…students of USD love to have fun.
In fact, you can say that USD motivates the students to attend university events. The most involved students who attend university events get rewarded. This is a breath of fresh air when compared to other universities that focus on academic learning alone. Trust me, you’ll find many interesting things in USD.
Meanwhile, this article will explain all that including the University of South Dakota’s acceptance rate programs, scholarships, tuition, ranking, and lots more.
The table below will guide you.
Brief History of University of South Dakota
The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota.
USD was established in 1862. It is the oldest public university in the state of South Dakota.
The university is home to South Dakota’s only medical school and law school. It is classified among the R2 universities; doctoral schools and high research activity universities.
In addition, under approved programs by the South Dakota Board of Regents, children of USD alumni can pay in-state tuition for their undergraduate degrees regardless of where they live.
Is USD Accredited?
The University of South Dakota is accredited by the North Central Association of College and Schools in 1913.
Why Study at USD?
USD is a beautiful large university with a small college feel.
Many students have described the University of South Dakota as elegant, eye-catching, and naturally beautiful with a striking combination of old and new structures. And this actually explains the awesome features of USD.
USD has a total enrollment of 9,920 students. 7,475 of the students are undergraduates while 2,446 are graduates.
Although the school has quite a large student-base, the class sizes are small. The student to faculty ratio is 16 to 1.
USD also has strong athletic teams. 18 teams make up the NCAA Division 1 Athletic Teams.
Interestingly, USD offers numerous funding and scholarship opportunities to students. About 103 students are also awarded national scholarships.
Similarly, students can enroll at USD because of the diverse academic programs taught at the university. Undergraduate majors have 205 academic programs while the graduate programs are 78.
The university encourages its students to engage with the community through Paw Points, a system that rewards the most involved students on campus for attending university events.
Furthermore, USD encourages talents by offering talent scholarships in areas of Arts, Music, and Theater.
Lastly, USD boasts of a network of more than 70,000 alumni, with graduates who have won Nobel Prizes, established national newspapers, and held positions in network news.
What is the University of South Dakota Acceptance Rate?
The University of South Dakota acceptance rate is 86%. Some popular majors students undertake include Nursing, Health Service Preparatory Studies, and Physical Education Teaching and Coaching.
The USD graduates 59% of students admitted. This is a fair percentage as it portrays academic seriousness.
How Many Programs are Offered at South Dakota University?
At South Dakota University, there are 202 undergraduate programs and 78 graduate programs.
Basically, the programs at USD are an undergraduate, graduate school, Sanford School of Medicine, USD Knudson School of Law, and Signature programs.
The areas of study for both undergraduate and graduate programs are in the following fields:
What are the Admission Requirements at the University of South Dakota?
In this section, we will itemize the admission requirements at the University of South Dakota under undergraduate and graduate admissions.
Undergraduate Admission
Freshmen Admission
This admission is for students who have graduated or will soon graduate from high school. These students have not enrolled in another college after graduating high school or earning GED.
To qualify for freshman admission, you must meet the requirements stated below.
International Undergraduate Admission
Graduate Admission Requirements
Generally, graduate students have to pay a $35 fee and complete an online application. Submit Letters of Recommendation, official transcripts, and Statement of Purpose. These are the admission requirements.
However, students who have been previously admitted to a graduate program but have been inactive for 3 consecutive semesters can apply for readmission. But, this must meet the following criteria:
International Graduate Admission
What is the University of South Dakota’s Tuition?
The University of South Dakota’s tuition and fees are based on 30 credit hours. Students have to pay fees at the beginning of each semester.
The tuition for 2020-2024 new undergraduate and new transfer students are:
Then, for graduate students, the tuition is $391.30 for residents and $702.05 for non-residents. This tuition includes the mandatory fees per credit hour.
Sanford School of Medicine tuition listed below is payable per semester.
| Resident | $15,893.50 |
| Non-Resident | $38,086.50 |
Furthermore, the School of Law has this tuition for residents and non-residents.
| Resident | $5,810.00 |
| Non-Resident | $15,483.00 |
Lastly, international undergraduate students pay a tuition of $12,807.00 based on 30-credit hours. Graduate students in 18 credit hours programs pay a tuition of $12,636.90.
Ranking of USD
According to Niche.com, here are some of the rankings of USD
On Forbes list of America’s Best Employers By State 2020, University of South Dakota ranks as:
USD Online School
USD online prides to offer affordable and flexible undergraduate and graduate programs.
The tuition is the same whether you’re out-of-state, in-state student or take classes Online or Off-campus.
Undergraduate students pay $351.25 per credit hour while Graduate students pay $465.80 per credit hour.
The application process is similar to regular undergraduate and graduate students.
Lastly, make a pick from over 50 online programs. These online programs are offered under the following schools:
Does the University of South Dakota Offer Scholarships?
Numerous scholarships are obtainable for both graduate and undergraduate students.
The University of South Dakota and the USD Foundation annually award more than $6 million in scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students. Based on your grades, standardized test scores, or your interest in pursuing a major in a particular field, you may be eligible for a Coyote Commitment Scholarship or some of the other scholarships and awards listed below:
Undergraduate Scholarships
In this section, we will list some of the undergraduate scholarships at USD. A few of them include:
- Coyote Commitment Scholarship Program
All first-time freshmen students who apply for fall admission to USD are automatically considered for up to $3,500 per year. Coyote Commitment scholarship is available to full-time students for up to four years.
Recipients are considered for this University of South Dakota’s scholarship based on GPA, standardized test scores, and committee review.
Although there is no deadline or separate application for this award, students should apply to South Dakota before April 1 for full consideration.
- USD Valedictorian Scholarship
This University of South Dakota’s scholarship is valued at up to $500 (up to $250 per semester for the first two semesters). This USD Valedictorian Scholarship is awarded to high school seniors who rank at the top of their graduating classes during the awarding period. The recipients must be full-time students at the Vermillion campus.
Other scholarships at USD include:
Details about these scholarships can be found here.
Graduate Scholarships
- Research and Creative Scholarship Grants
This grant is for graduate students. It assists in funding research or creative projects. This grant is awarded to students who have scaled the Graduate Council selection process.
- Graduate Assistantship
The University of South Dakota offers qualified post-baccalaureate students financial assistance in exchange for their teaching, research, and service efforts to the university. Teaching and research assistantships are awarded by individual departments. Further inquiries should be directed to the graduate chair of the department.
Students interested in graduate assistantships should apply through the Graduate School using the application here. Students who qualify for the graduate assistantship are full-time graduate students who are enrolled in a program with nine graduate credit hours.
- Graduate Excellence in Teaching Award
The Graduate Excellence in Teaching Award encourages the contribution of graduate students who help the teaching mission of the University of South Dakota (USD).
This award is administered by the Graduate School to graduate students who have demonstrated excellence in teaching undergraduate or graduate students at USD.
Two awards are given to graduate students based on the highest ranking. The first ranked student will receive a $600 honorarium and the second-ranked student will receive a $400 honorarium that will be presented at the President’s Celebration of University Leadership, which will take place on April 25, 2024.
Additional financial aids at UDS can also be seen here.
USD Athletics
The University of South Dakota’s athletics team is called the Coyotes (pronounced Ki Yoat) and nicknamed the “Yotes” (Yoats).
The school colours are red and white.
USD sponsors six sports for men (football, basketball, swimming & diving, cross country, track & field, and golf) and nine sports for women (basketball, swimming & diving, cross country, track & field, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball).
USD competes at the NCAA Division I level and is a member of The Summit League for all sports except football.
Some of the Athletic facilities include the DakotaDome for football and indoor track, the Sanford Coyote Sports Center for volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball, First Bank & Trust Soccer Complex, and Lillibridge Track Complex.
University of South Dakota Website
You can visit the University of South Dakota’s official website for more information about the school, its admission, programs, tuition, and others. Click on the link below:
Conclusion
The University of South Dakota is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota.
It has an acceptance rate of 86%. This shows that the majority of the applicants are admitted into USD.
The tuition is also affordable.
Conclusively, this article has explained all relevant information as regards the University of South Dakota’s admission, programs, scholarships, acceptance rates, and lots more.
We can confidently say that attending USD is a worthwhile investment.
References
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