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Career outcomes brief

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# University of South Dakota Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

[Overview](/school/university-of-south-dakota/)[Cost & aid](/school/university-of-south-dakota/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/university-of-south-dakota/admissions/)[Majors](/school/university-of-south-dakota/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-south-dakota/similar/)

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## How much do University of South Dakota graduates earn?

The reported median is $62,334 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is $5,033 per year.

University of South Dakota shows a comparatively favorable return profile, with its return pillar in the 69th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, according to Azimuth. Graduates earn about $5,911 more than the model expects for similar students.

Azimuth places that earnings-beyond-expectations result, the gap between graduate earnings and the model’s expectation for similar students, in the 74th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $8,700.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $2,789. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $62,334 four years after completion, in the 58th percentile.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301, with earnings $5,033 above it. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) and the peer comparison point in the same direction.

Earnings can differ markedly across the program mix at University of South Dakota: the downside scenario is $47,446, and the upside scenario is $72,880. These scenarios describe lower- and higher-earning program clusters, not observed groups of graduates.

Among individual fields, median earnings four years after completion are $74,816 in Health and Medical Administrative Services, $73,025 in Nursing, and $71,463 in Economics. Those field results help explain the distance between the modeled lower and upper scenarios.

At University of South Dakota, an estimated 27.8% of graduates continue to graduate study; the estimate is modeled from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. The four-year earnings measure covers federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, so it does not include those still pursuing further study.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$62,334

**Rank for difference from expectations**
74th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**University of South Dakota reported median**
$62,334

**Peer schools comparable schools · $5,033 below University of South Dakota**
$57,301

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $5,911 below University of South Dakota**
$56,423

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](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

## How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $47,446 to $72,880, around the reported median of $62,334. Compare the lower scenario with [University of South Dakota borrowing and monthly payments](/school/university-of-south-dakota/cost/) to see how a smaller income could change your plan.

Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate.

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

**Lower estimate**
$47,446

**Median · reported**
$62,334

**Higher estimate**
$72,880

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](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. [Read about the move to four-year earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/).

## Do University of South Dakota 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](/methodology/#value-added).

University of South Dakota graduates’ reported earnings are $5,911 above that expectation, the 74th 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 University of South Dakota caused a student to earn. [Read how expected earnings are estimated](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

What explains value-added earnings?

**Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.**
+$8,700

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$2,789

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
+$5,911

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

## Which fields at University of South Dakota report the highest earnings?

At University of South Dakota, four-year earnings differ sharply across fields, so the program selected matters to the return picture. Health and Medical Administrative Services sits at the higher end, with median earnings of $74,816 four years after completion and 19 degrees awarded.

Nursing also posts higher earnings of $73,025 across 163 degrees awarded. The more moderate-earning fields in this group include Business Administration and Management, at $64,890 with 75 degrees awarded, and Teacher Education, at $46,034 with 100 degrees awarded.

Higher earnings appear in health-related fields here, while the large education field sits at a more moderate level.

Health Professions shapes the academic mix, accounting for 30.3% of bachelor’s degrees awarded. Published earnings cover 23 bachelor’s fields, giving readers a view of outcomes across a broad set of programs.

Among the largest fields, Nursing awarded 163 degrees and had median earnings of $73,025 four years after completion; Teacher Education awarded 100 degrees and had median earnings of $46,034; Health Sciences awarded 78 degrees and had median earnings of $61,518; Business Administration and Management awarded 75 degrees and had median earnings of $64,890; and Biology awarded 69 degrees and had median earnings of $58,099. The range across these large fields makes program choice especially relevant to the earnings picture.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Health and Medical Administrative Services**
$74,816

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
$73,025

**Economics**
$71,463

**Accounting and Related Services**
$71,179

**Finance and Financial Management Services**
$70,100

**Dental Support Services and Allied Professions**
$68,556

**Business Administration, Management and Operations**
$64,890

**Communication Disorders Sciences and Services**
$64,069

[Explore University of South Dakota program cohorts and field ranks](/school/university-of-south-dakota/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Program choice shapes a broad set of earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix: the downside scenario is $47,446, the typical scenario is $62,334, and the upside scenario is $72,880. Health and Medical Administrative Services reaches $74,816 four years after completion, while Teacher Education, the lowest-earning large program, is at $46,034, showing how the range varies by field.

University of South Dakota shows a favorable early earnings picture, with median earnings of $62,334 four years after completion for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. Azimuth puts that earnings measure in the 58th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, drawing on an earnings cohort of 1,435 completers.

The typical earnings scenario, based on the program mix, is $62,334 rather than an observed group result. An estimated 27.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment.

The earnings measure sits above the middle of nonprofit four-year institutions, while the modeled graduate-study estimate signals that some graduates may continue their education rather than enter the workforce immediately.

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).