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F A S T   F A C T S
Location | Brookings
Population | 24,509
Enrollment | 11,505
Language | English
Calendar | Semester
Canada | N/A

Term Dates
Fall | 08/26-12/13
Spring | 01/13-05/03

South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD

   
SDSU is the state’s largest, most comprehensive higher education institution.
SDSU offers research opportunities to students at all undergraduate levels.
SDSU competes at the NCAA Division I level & provides free admission to students

About This Campus

South Dakota State University is the state’s largest, most comprehensive higher- education institution. As South Dakota’s Morrill Act land-grant university, SDSU had a fall 2023 enrollment of 11,505, with students coming from 48 states and 74 countries. Students can choose from 88 majors, 38 specializations, 104 minors, 39 master’s degree programs, 16 Ph.D. programs and two professional doctorates. The university also offers courses at various off-campus sites as well as undergraduate and graduate programs online through the Office of Continuing and Distance Education. Maximize your Jackrabbit experience during your time at South Dakota State University. Expand your views on the world by meeting fellow students from all walks of life. Succeed on and beyond campus through our many student success programs. Feel safe in knowing our campus and surrounding community have been voted among the top safest places to live, learn and work. Make this campus, your campus.

Location Information

Named the 33rd safest college town by SafeWise (2022), Brookings (pop. 23,938) is 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 Nebraska, North Dakota and Iowa also find SDSU within an easy day’s drive. Brookings is in the farmland of eastern South Dakota. Brookings provides its residents with many outdoor activities including hunting, camping, fishing, and cross-country skiing.
2025-2026 Chance of Placement
Host Payment |Open
Home Payment |Open
Understand Chances of Placement

Academics

Registration
  • Campus Catalog
  • When will I register? According to class standing
  • Syllabus Request for Course Pre-Approval: Contact Host Coordinator for assistance
Closed Programs
Nursing Pharmacy

Notable Academic Programs

  • Computer Science - Graduates of the program work in many different areas such as; application programmer, network designer, database administrator, information technologist, game development, and many others. Computer Science related jobs are among the ten fastest growing careers that show a lot of promise and opportunity for growth. Majors complete a core of basic computer science courses that includes the study of programming and algorithms, data structures, database concepts, computer architecture and organization, programming languages, compilers, operating systems, and software engineering. Important courses in closely related fields, e.g., discrete mathematics, digital logic design, scientific computation, and probability and statistics are also taken. Computer Science students are required to study all aspects of computing, including hardware, software, and theory.
  • Precision Agriculture - The Precision Agriculture major prepares students for careers that bridge the gaps between agronomy, agriculture machinery management, and data sciences caused by the rapid evolution of high-speed sensor technology. SDSU is currently the only institution to offer this undergraduate major in the US.
  • Architecture - All functions of DoArch are housed in a single location, the Chicoine Architecture, Mathematics and Engineering Hall, with administrative and faculty offices; light filled design studios and pin-up spaces; and a 13,000 square foot workshop outfitted with state of the art manual and CNC fabrication, construction and manufacturing tools. DoArch has a unique mandate to remain a small program of no more than 220 students, making it one of the smallest architecture programs in the USA working among practices of no more than ten architects working out of a fine fabric of small agrarian and mining cities. For us, as E.F. Schumacher quipped, "Small is Beautiful."
  • Veterinary Medicine - The South Dakota State University Professional (DVM) Program in Veterinary Medicine is designed to prepare future veterinarians to serve in critical roles across the spectrum of animal health, environmental health, and public health. The new program is made possible through a formal cooperative agreement, in which SDSU students admitted into the professional program complete the first two years of their veterinary medical education at South Dakota State University and then transfer to the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine (UMN CVM) for the final two years of study. The collaborative program will meet all accreditation requirements of the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education for the UMN CVM accredited program. Once students complete the required pre-veterinary curriculum, they can apply to the Professional Program.
  • Natural Resource Law Enforcement - The Natural Resource Law Enforcement Program was developed in coordination with state and federal agencies and is only 1 of 5 similar programs in the U.S. The curriculum builds a strong integrated academic foundation in natural resource management, conservation biology, environmental policy, and criminal justice. Experiential learning will prepare students for the daily duties of the career and connect students with prospective future employers. Skills in communication, conflict resolution, teamwork, leadership, ethics, laws and human dimensions, statistics, technology, global competence, critical thinking, and problem solving will be developed during pursuit of this degree. Students enrolled in the Natural Resource Law Enforcement degree have the option to double major in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences.

Unique Academic Programs

  • Horticulture - The Horticulture major is designed to prepare students for careers in nursery production, local food production, landscape, tree management, garden center operation, greenhouse production, or for entry into research and graduate study in horticultural science. Greenhouse facilities and extensive field plots in woody and herbaceous ornamentals, fruit, and vegetables provide students with the opportunity to experience all aspects of plant production and management. SDSU also boasts a Seed Testing Laboratory where they are teaching, training, and research. For well over 50 years, we have hired students as part-time analysts and taught them to test seeds properly. The training and experience these students gain is unsurpassed, and we routinely carry anywhere from 10 to 20 student-employees during the fall and spring semesters. Over the years we have hired and trained well over 800 student seed analysts, and many of them have gone on to become seed analysts or to work in the seed trade.
  • American Indian Studies - The American Indian and Indigenous Studies program provides students with opportunities to engage with American Indian communities within domestic contexts. The American Indian and Indigenous Studies program is committed to broadening the knowledge of students interested in the histories, languages, cultures, arts and contemporary situations of American Indian nations and people. The program emphasizes the historical and contemporary significance of American Indian experiences. Graduates can seek advanced degrees in professional and graduate schools or careers in tribal, state or federal government levels, non-profit organizations, or community development. The major offers flexibility and can easily be added to another major.
  • Entrepreneurship - The major in Entrepreneurial Studies is designed to enhance entrepreneurial talent by providing students with the knowledge, skills and experiences to think entrepreneurially and create value in our society. Curricular and extracurricular opportunities in the program will train students to cultivate a mindset for thinking creatively and develop the ability to be innovative. The curriculum emphasizes: Entrepreneurship, Business Management and Interdisciplinary electives. This curriculum model will allow students to gain fundamental knowledge, skills and experience to think entrepreneurially and be leaders by adopting an innovative and creative thought process. Students may be interested in starting a new business or growing an existing business, working independently as a creative artist or inventor, consulting or management of an organization, development, sales or marketing of new products.
  • Geographic Information Sciences - Study human-environment interactions and learn geospatial technologies like cartography, remote sensing and computational analysis. The major allows students to gain hands-on experience with computerized Geographic Information System (GIS) that integrate hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. GIS allows researchers to work with data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts. Graduates of this program are prepared to apply their geographic knowledge and technical skills to address problems related to global climate change, regional planning and development, natural resources and much more.
  • Aviation Studies - The South Dakota State University Aviation Program is four year program that produces quality graduates who are well prepared for careers in the aviation industry. The Aviation Program offers students high quality aviation training at competitive rates. Students in the program graduate with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aviation and may choose between two specializations as they work to further hone their educational experience, Aviation Education or Aviation Maintenance Management.

Options
Honors Access: Yes

Undergraduate Majors Open to NSE Students

Advertising, Agricultural Biology, Agricultural Business... ++ show all

Conditions

GPA and Other Academic Requirements Exchange Preferences
  • Full-year exchange Accepted
  • Single term exchange Accepted
Summer Exchange
  • Not available
International Students (Visa Students)
  • Will not accept
Canadian Students - learn more
  • Will NOT accept

Tuition / Finances

Figures per Semester are current as of 06/21/24

Finances Tuition and Fees Per Semester - Host Payment Students
  • Pay resident-rate tuition to your host campus. No tuition/fees are paid to your home campus
  • Estimated cost: $4650.
  • Figures are based on full-time enrollment.
Tuition and Fees - Home Payment Students
  • Pay regular tuition to your home campus. No tuition/fees are paid to your host campus.
Maximum Credit Hours Per Semester
  • Host Payment: 19 ($310 per additional hour)
  • Home Payment: 19 ($310 per additional hour)

Financial Aid for NSE Students
Regardless of Payment Plan, financial aid is awarded by and disbursed from your home campus.

Miscellaneous Fees - Per Semester

Purpose Amount Period Plan Status
Admission Fee $20.00 Year Host & Home Mandatory
Housing Deposit $75.00 Year Host & Home Mandatory
Activity Fee $50.85 Credit Hour Host Mandatory
Parking Fee $165 Year Host & Home Optional
Course Fees / MaterialsVariesSemesterHost & HomeMandatory

Important Notes: Some majors require additional discipline fees. More information can be found on the Tuition & Fees By Major page on the SDSU website. Parking fee listed is for on-campus students.

Room / Meals

Figures are current as of 06/21/24

On-Campus Housing Per Semester Off-Campus Housing Notes About Housing
Off-Campus Housing: https://offcampushousing.sdstate.edu/registration Average Off-Campus Rent: - Studio Apartment: $750 - 1 Bedroom Apartment: $800 - 2 Bedroom Apartment: $970 - 3 Bedroom Apartment: $1,210

Meal Plans

Notes About Meal Plans
100 Block Plan: 100 meal swipes at Larson Commons as well as $865.00 in flex to be spent at any dining location on campus. Available to all students. For only $1,745. 50 Block Plan: 50 meal swipes at Larson Commons as well as $1,114.00 in flex to be spent at any dining location on campus. Available to all students. For only $1,745. Other Plans available on dinning website: https://sdstatedining.sodexomyway.com/my-meal-plan/

Health

Figures per Semester are current as of 06/21/24

Important Notes about Health Insurance
SDSU does not offer a student health insurance policy

Requirements

All data in this document is the responsibility of the campus and has been provided by the campus NSE coordinator.
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