Dakota State University
Madison, SD · Public
Navora's full analysis of Dakota State University — where an applicant's profile stands against the published cohort, requirements tracking, essays and deadlines — is free with an account.
See the full analysis — freeAdmission rate
Dakota State University admitted 92.4% of applicants university-wide (1,863 of 2,016).
| Cohort | Admit rate | Admitted | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|
| University-wide | 92.4% | 1,863 | 2,016 |
| Men | 92.1% | 1,319 | 1,432 |
| Women | 93.2% | 544 | 584 |
Of 1,863 admitted students, 379 enrolled (20.3% yield).
Dakota State University Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C1–C2 · 2024 — Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.
Test scores and GPA of admitted students
- SAT (mid-50%)
- 880–940
- ACT (mid-50%)
- 20–26
- GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
- 3.00–3.99
Testing policy: Test-optional (considered if submitted)
Dakota State University Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C9–C12 · 2024 — Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.
Cost and financial aid
Published cost of attendance: $28,168/yr.
| Out-of-state tuition | $11,028 |
| Fees, housing, food, books & other | $17,140 |
| Sticker cost of attendance | $28,168/yr |
Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)
| Under $30k | $17,317 |
| $30k–48k | $18,792 |
| $48k–75k | $19,165 |
| $75k–110k | $22,601 |
| Over $110k | $23,269 |
US applicants
Need- and merit-based aid available.
- Champion Scholarship — Varies (Merit)
- DSU Rising Scholarship — Varies (Merit)
International applicants
No need-based aid reported for internationals.
- Champion Scholarship — Varies (Merit)
- DSU Rising Scholarship — Varies (Merit)
Dakota State University Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections G–H · 2024
Application requirements
US applicants
- Online Application
- High School Transcript (official or unofficial)
- ACT or SAT Scores (or meet GPA/rank alternative)
- Application fee
International applicants
- Online Application
- High School Transcript (official or unofficial)
- ACT or SAT Scores (or meet GPA/rank alternative)
- Application fee
- English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
- GPA credential conversion
- Predicted Class XII marksheet
- Financial documentation (I-20)
Dakota State University · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025
Essay prompts
Dakota State University requires no supplemental essays.
Prompts from the Own portal member feed · verified Jul 4, 2026
Graduate outcomes
- Median earnings
- $50,970
- Median earnings · 10 years after entry
- Graduation rate
- 51.3%
- Within 150% of normal time
- First-year retention
- 68%
- Return for year two · CDS Section B
- Median debt
- $23,500
- At graduation
Dakota State University · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023 — Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.
Published rankings
- WSJ: #579
- Niche: #755
Academics and campus
Largest degree fields: Computer & information sciences (58%), Business & marketing (9%), Biological & life sciences (3%).
Student–faculty ratio: 18:1 · 54% of class sections have under 20 students.
Dakota State University Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024 — Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.