# List of colleges and universities in South Dakota

There are twenty-two colleges and universities in the U.S. state of South Dakota that are listed under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Brookings-based South Dakota State University (SDSU) is the state's largest public university, with a spring 2012 enrollment of 12,725 students. SDSU is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents, a governing board that also controls the University of South Dakota (USD), which has the second largest enrollment. In addition, the Board controls four other public universities in the state.
USD is the oldest public university in South Dakota, as it has a founding date of 1862. Augustana University, situated in Sioux Falls, is the largest not-for-profit private university with a spring 2012 enrollment of 1,871 students in attendance. Sioux Falls Seminary, a Baptist seminary located in the city of the same name, is the state's smallest post-secondary institution, as it had a spring 2012 enrollment of 141 students. Globe University–Sioux Falls, a for-profit private university, consists of 262 students and is the state's second smallest institution.
The state's only law school, the University of South Dakota School of Law, is accredited by the American Bar Association. USD also contains the state's only medical school, the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine. The majority of South Dakota's post-secondary institutions are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Most are accredited by multiple agencies, such as the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and the National League for Nursing (NLNAC).

## Extant institutions

| Institution | Location(s) | Control | Type | Enrollment (spring 2024) | Founded | Accreditation |
| Augustana University | Sioux Falls | Private not-for-profit | Master's university | 2,086 | 1860 | HLC |
| Black Hills State University | Spearfish | Public | Master's university | 3,425 | 1883 | HLC, NASM, NCATE |
| Dakota State University | Madison | Public | Master's university | 3,241 | 1881 | HLC, CAEP, CoARC, ACPSP, CAHIIM |
| Dakota Wesleyan University | Mitchell | Private not-for-profit | Baccalaureate college | 887 | 1885 | HLC, NLNAC |
| John Witherspoon College | Rapid City | Private not-for-profit | Baccalaureate college | | 2012 | TRACS |
| Lake Area Technical Institute | Watertown | Public | Associate's college | 2,238 | 1965 | HLC, ADA, AOTA, APTA, NLNAC |
| Mitchell Technical Institute | Mitchell | Public | Associate's college | 1,203 | 1968 | HLC, JRCERT |
| Mount Marty University | Yankton | Private not-for-profit | Baccalaureate college | 1,252 | 1936 | HLC, CCNE, AANA, NLNAC |
| Northern State University | Aberdeen | Public | Baccalaureate college | 3,344 | 1901 | HLC, NASM, NCATE |
| Oglala Lakota College | Kyle | Public | Tribal college | 1,177 | 1971 | HLC |
| Sinte Gleska University | Mission | Private not-for-profit | Tribal college | 544 | 1970 | HLC |
| Sioux Falls Seminary | Sioux Falls | Private not-for-profit | Special-focus institution | | 1858 | HLC, ATSCA |
| Sisseton Wahpeton College | Agency Village | Public | Tribal college | 187 | 1979 | HLC |
| South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | Rapid City | Public | Special-focus institution | 2,492 | 1885 | HLC |
| South Dakota State University | Brookings | Public | Research university | 11,327 | 1881 | HLC, ACPE, AND, CCNE, NASM, NCATE |
| Southeast Technical College | Sioux Falls | Public | Associate's college | 2,453 | 1968 | HLC |
| University of Sioux Falls | Sioux Falls | Private not-for-profit | Baccalaureate college | 1,594 | 1883 | HLC, CCNE, NCATE |
| University of South Dakota | Vermillion | Public | Research university | 9,856 | 1862 | HLC, ABA, ADA, AOTA, APTA, APA, ASHA, LCME, NASAD, NASM, NAST, NCATE, NLNAC |
| Western Dakota Technical College | Rapid City | Public | Associate's college | 1,267 | 1968 | HLC |

## Defunct institutions

| Institution | Location(s) | Control | Founded | Closed |
| Colorado Technical University - Sioux Falls | Sioux Falls | Private for profit | 1990 | 2016 |
| Columbus College | Chamberlain Sioux Falls | Private | 1909 | 1929 |
| Freeman Junior College | Freeman | Private | 1903 | 1986 |
| Globe University–Sioux Falls | Sioux Falls | Private for-profit | 1877 | 2017 |
| Huron University | Huron | Private | 1897 | 2001 |
| Kilian Community College | Sioux Falls | Private not-for-profit | 1977 | 2016 |
| National American University–Ellsworth AFB Extension | Ellsworth Air Force Base | Private for-profit | 1941 | 2024 |
| National American University–Rapid City | Rapid City | Private for-profit | 1941 | 2024 |
| National American University–Sioux Falls | Sioux Falls | Private for-profit | 1941 | 2024 |
| Redfield College | Redfield | Private | 1885 | 1932 |
| University of South Dakota – Springfield | Springfield | Public | 1881 | 1984 |
| Wessington Springs College | Wessington Springs | Private | 1887 | 1964 |
| Yankton College | Yankton | Private | 1871 | 1984 |
| Presentation College | Aberdeen | Private not-for-profit | 1951 | 2023 |

## Key

| Abbreviation | Accrediting agency |
| AANA | American Association of Nurse Anesthetists |
| ABA | American Bar Association |
| ACICS | Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools |
| ACPE | Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education |
| ADA | American Dental Association |
| AND | Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics |
| AOTA | American Occupational Therapy Association |
| APA | American Psychological Association |
| APTA | American Physical Therapy Association |
| ASHA | American Speech–Language–Hearing Association |
| CCNE | Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education |
| JRCERT | Joint Review Committee on Education Programs in Radiologic Technology |
| LCME | Liaison Committee on Medical Education |
| NASAD | National Association of Schools of Art and Design |
| NASM | National Association of Schools of Music |
| NAST | National Association of Schools of Theatre |
| HLC | Higher Learning Commission |
| NCATE | National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education |
| NLNAC | National League for Nursing |
| TRACS | Transnational Association of Christian Colleges & Schools |