University of Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls, SD · Private · Midsize city · USF
Private institution in Sioux Falls, SD · 1,258 undergraduates · 82% acceptance rate · $54,521 median earnings 10 years after entry.
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
- $20,8741,156th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $20,7401,139th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $20,740897th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $32,7281,026th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $23,2491,031st lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $54,521816th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $46,712748th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 60.5%756th highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 75.2%956th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 82.1%970th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- —
- Median ACT
- —
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 1,2581,224th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 17.0:11,581st smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 29.0%1,255th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 198 mi (MSP)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- Free
- Personal essay
- Optional / not required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 39 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $58,731 | $58,173 |
| Human Resources Management and ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $45,852 | $44,021 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $42,309 | $36,221 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $41,565 | $47,513 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsEducation | bachelors | $36,041 | $37,208 |
| Communication and Media StudiesCommunications | bachelors | $32,569 | — |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsHomeland Security & Law Enforcement | bachelors | $31,423 | — |
| Social WorkPublic Administration | bachelors | $31,423 | — |
| Psychology, GeneralPsychology | bachelors | $30,554 | $21,964 |
| Health and Physical Education/FitnessParks, Recreation & Fitness | bachelors | $23,693 | $31,670 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | — | — |
| Applied MathematicsMathematics & Statistics | bachelors | — | — |
Campus facts
- Religious affiliation: American Baptistsource
- Founded in 1883source
- Athletic nickname: "Cougars"source
- Competes in National Association of Intercollegiate Athleticssource
- School colors: #4C3391 and #FFFFFFsource
- Motto: "Culture for Service"source
- Formerly known as "Dakota Collegiate Institute" (1883–1885)source
- Formerly known as "Sioux Falls University" (1885–1931)source
- Formerly known as "Sioux Falls College" (1931–1995)source
- Athletic conference: NSICsource
- Plays for the "Key to the City{{Cite web |last=Remien |first=Bert |title=Fun Facts About Sioux Falls' Key to the City Matchup Saturday |url=https://espnsiouxfalls.com/fun-facts-about-sioux-falls-key-to-the-city-matchup-saturday/ |access-date=November 23, 2022 |website=ESPN Sioux Falls|date=September 28, 2022 }}" (since 1916)source
Athletics — 11 sports
NCAA Division II with football · NCAA Division II
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $3,579,783 (M $1,735,639 · W $1,844,144)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Football
- Golf
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to University of Sioux Falls’s 1,258 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In SD
- Northern State UniversityAberdeen, SD · 1,239 undergrads
- Oglala Lakota CollegeKyle, SD · 1,156 undergrads
- National American University-Rapid CityRapid City, SD · 832 undergrads
- Mount Marty UniversityYankton, SD · 702 undergrads
- Augustana UniversitySioux Falls, SD · 1,818 undergrads
- Dakota Wesleyan UniversityMitchell, SD · 661 undergrads
Elsewhere
- EDP University of Puerto Rico Inc-San JuanSan Juan, PR · 1,258 undergrads
- Texas Lutheran UniversitySeguin, TX · 1,260 undergrads
- Andrews UniversityBerrien Springs, MI · 1,262 undergrads
- Saint Martin's UniversityLacey, WA · 1,254 undergrads
- Guam Community CollegeMangilao, GU · 1,263 undergrads
- Oakwood UniversityHuntsville, AL · 1,253 undergrads
Key links
- Official websiteusiouxfalls.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 219383)
- 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 Northern State UniversitySide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: University of Sioux Falls vs Northern State UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 11 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.