Cost & financial aid brief
University of South Dakota Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does University of South Dakota cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 19% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a reduction of $4,564 from the sticker price. The size of that reduction differs across family incomes.
In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that for the 2024-25 academic year, 652 first-year students were determined to have financial need. Among those who received aid, the average share of need met was 61%, with an average need-based package of $10,732.
115 of those students had their need fully met. First-year students without need who received merit aid averaged $2,160.
The spread between the lowest and highest income bands is $7,272, with average net prices rising from $14,921 for families earning under $30,000 to $22,193 for those earning over $110,000. That pattern of lower average net prices at lower incomes is an average across aid recipients, not an individual aid package.
The published cost of attendance at University of South Dakota is $24,422, and aid recipients’ prices vary across family-income bands. The average net price is $14,921 for the lowest-income band, $15,942 for the lower-middle-income band, $18,540 for the middle-income band, $21,202 for the upper-middle-income band, and $22,193 for the highest-income band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,272. Azimuth ranks the university #612 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 19% of the published cost, an average savings of $4,564. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $19,858, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships.
The peer median net price, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $14,068, with the university’s average $5,790 above that figure. Aid reduces the published cost, though the overall average remains above the peer median.
Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $23,592. The peer median debt for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $21,229, and the university’s figure is $2,363 above it.
94.8% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans, and that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $268 a month if repaid over ten years. Parent PLUS borrowers have median borrowing of $15,000.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At University of South Dakota, 94.8% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans, making borrowing a central part of the cost picture. Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $23,592.
These debt figures describe completers who borrowed federal loans rather than every graduate. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $21,229, and this university’s median is $2,363 above it.
For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $15,000.
Graduates of University of South Dakota earn a median of $62,334 four years after completing a degree, at the 58th percentile nationally. That is $5,033 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
They earn about $5,911 more than expects for similar students, an outcome that sits at the 74th percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $47,446 in a downside case to $72,880 in an upside case, with a typical scenario of $62,334.
On the borrowing side, completers who take federal loans leave with a median of $23,592, which is $2,363 above the peer median. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $268 a month if repaid over ten years.
Family borrowing can extend beyond the student-loan figure. Parent borrowers have median Parent PLUS borrowing of $15,000.
For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $268 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $15,000
- Estimated parent payment
- $191/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 11.2% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 5.0% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 2.4% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.6% | Safe |
The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. Open the parent tool for your own numbers. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $23,592
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $15,000
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $268/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $191/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $459/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $62,334, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
8.4% of income above the allowance · Good
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
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.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.