Black Hills State University
Spearfish, SD · Public · Town (distant) · BHSU
Public institution in Spearfish, SD · 1,935 undergraduates · 94% acceptance rate · $46,674 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 19%Out-of-state tuition & fees
- Top 23%Cost of attendance
- Top 24%In-state tuition & fees
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $17,001826th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $9,000485th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $12,100387th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $21,343456th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $26,0001,436th lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $46,6741,261st highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $38,9271,297th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 38.6%1,538th highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 72.2%1,128th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 94.4%1,380th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1050825th highest of 1,022 reporting
- Median ACT
- 21701st highest of 952 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 1,935955th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 17.0:11,581st smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 18.5%1,785th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 323 mi (DEN)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 35 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasEducation | bachelors | $37,088 | $40,768 |
| Special Education and TeachingEducation | bachelors | $36,745 | $41,725 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsEducation | bachelors | $36,668 | $40,768 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $36,521 | $36,914 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/TechniciansEngineering Technology | bachelors | $36,494 | — |
| Community Organization and AdvocacyPublic Administration | bachelors | $31,314 | $33,138 |
| SociologySocial Sciences | bachelors | $30,119 | $28,881 |
| Biology, GeneralBiological Sciences | bachelors | $29,685 | $25,967 |
| Psychology, GeneralPsychology | bachelors | $29,685 | $27,295 |
| Health and Physical Education/FitnessParks, Recreation & Fitness | bachelors | $29,250 | $27,669 |
| Communication and Media StudiesCommunications | bachelors | $25,194 | — |
| History | bachelors | $25,194 | $22,824 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1883source
- Athletic nickname: "Yellow Jackets"source
- Competes in NCAA Division IIsource
- School colors: Green and Goldsource
- Mascot: Sting the Yellow Jacketsource
- Motto: "Where Anything is Possible"source
- Formerly known as "Dakota Territorial Normal School" (1883–1941)source
- Formerly known as "Black Hills Teachers College" (1941–1964)source
- Formerly known as "Black Hills State College" (1964–1989)source
- Athletic conference: Rocky Mountainsource
- A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
- A Space-grant]] institutionsource
- Plays for the "Homestake Trophy" (since 1895)source
- Fight song: ""BHSU Fight Song""source
Athletics — 9 sports
NCAA Division II with football · NCAA Division II
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $1,715,340 (M $938,433 · W $776,907)
- Basketball
- Football
- Golf
- Other Sports
- Rodeo
- Soccer
- Softball
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Black Hills State University’s 1,935 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In SD
- Dakota State UniversityMadison, SD · 1,969 undergrads
- South Dakota School of Mines and TechnologyRapid City, SD · 2,042 undergrads
- Augustana UniversitySioux Falls, SD · 1,818 undergrads
- University of Sioux FallsSioux Falls, SD · 1,258 undergrads
- Northern State UniversityAberdeen, SD · 1,239 undergrads
- Oglala Lakota CollegeKyle, SD · 1,156 undergrads
Elsewhere
- Western New Mexico UniversitySilver City, NM · 1,935 undergrads
- Tiffin UniversityTiffin, OH · 1,938 undergrads
- Rhodes CollegeMemphis, TN · 1,931 undergrads
- Saint Peter's UniversityJersey City, NJ · 1,939 undergrads
- St. Francis CollegeBrooklyn, NY · 1,931 undergrads
- Gustavus Adolphus CollegeSaint Peter, MN · 1,930 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitebhsu.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 219046)
- Compare colleges in SDRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in South DakotaEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with Dakota State UniversitySide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Black Hills State University vs Dakota State UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 9 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.