South Dakota State University Outcomes: $63K Earnings (2026)

How much do South Dakota State University graduates earn?

The reported median is $63,042 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is $5,741 per year.

South Dakota State University graduates earn a median of $63,042 four years after completion, in the 60th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure sits above the peer median of $57,301 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,741.

Azimuth places the return in the 70th percentile. Graduates earn about $3,249 more than expects for similar students, a result in the 66th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $9,620. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $6,371.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,060. The combination of earnings above the peer median and higher-than-expected outcomes points to a solid return, though the institution's own contribution beyond its program mix pulls in the other direction.

Earnings four years after completion vary widely by field at South Dakota State University, a pattern the earnings scenarios capture. The downside earnings scenario sits at $48,287 and the upside scenario reaches $88,574.

That spread reflects the mix of programs among the 36 fields with published data. At the top of the range, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration completers earn a median of $122,169 (62 degrees awarded).

Electrical Engineering graduates reach $103,018, and Mechanical Engineering graduates earn $87,704. The largest program, Nursing, awards 336 degrees and shows a median of $77,932, a figure that sits between the typical and upside scenarios.

An estimated 26.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the university's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, this estimate suggests that a sizable share of completers may be building additional credentials outside the earnings snapshot.

Median earnings · four years after completion: $63,042
Rank for difference from expectations: 66th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

South Dakota State University reported median: $63,042
Peer schools comparable schools · $5,741 below South Dakota State University: $57,301
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $3,249 below South Dakota State University: $59,793

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. How the model works.

How could earnings differ from the median?

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

Lower estimate: $48,287
Median · reported: $63,042
Higher estimate: $88,574

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

Why the downside matters explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do South Dakota State University graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls value added.

South Dakota State University graduates’ reported earnings are $3,249 above that expectation, the 66th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending South Dakota State University caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

Which fields at South Dakota State University report the highest earnings?

Among the largest programs at South Dakota State University, Mechanical Engineering leads with median earnings of $87,704 four years after completion, alongside 95 degrees awarded. Nursing, the most-awarded field at 336 degrees, follows at $77,932.

The highest-earning program overall, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, reaches $122,169 with 62 degrees awarded. Electrical Engineering follows at $103,018 on 19 degrees.

Earnings differ across these fields and the larger moderate-earning programs such as Animal Sciences, where completers earn $53,784.

The university publishes earnings data for 36 bachelor's fields. The largest program, Nursing, awarded 336 degrees and shows a median of $77,932 four years after completion.

Animal Sciences follows with 117 degrees awarded and a median of $53,784, while Mechanical Engineering awarded 95 degrees and reports a median of $87,704. The highest-earning field is Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, where 62 degrees awarded coincide with a median of $122,169.

Electrical Engineering reaches a median of $103,018, above the national benchmark, while Computer and Information Sciences and Civil Engineering round out the top five at $83,815 and $82,486 respectively.

Further analysis

Earnings at South Dakota State University depend heavily on field of study, a spread captured in three earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix: a downside of $48,287, a typical outcome of $63,042, and an upside of $88,574. The highest-earning program, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, reaches $122,169 four years after completion, while Psychology, one of the largest programs with published earnings, sits at $50,210.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of South Dakota State University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $63,042. That is $5,741 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size), which is $57,301.

The figure represents 1,923 completers. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that median lands at the 60th percentile.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from a downside of $48,287 to an upside of $88,574. These values are scenario estimates, not observed groups or percentiles.

An estimated 26.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: methodology.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.