Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Cost is resident tuition plus required fees, 2023-24.
Bachelor's Degrees in South Dakota
7
Meet the Ranking Threshold
4
Median Resident Tuition and Fees
$9,432
With a Fully Online Option
3
General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in South Dakota
General studies bachelor's degrees in South Dakota are seven programs, four of them ranked, and the top two sit inside the national top 35: South Dakota State University's bachelor's scores 69.6, 24th in the national bachelor's ranking, and the University of South Dakota's 64.9, 34th. Both are campus programs at Regental universities charging $9,299 and $9,432 in resident tuition and required fees, graduating 62% and 60% of their students on 42 and 38 degrees a year.
The other two ranked programs are online and score much lower. Dakota State University in Madison is at 43.9, 109th nationally, with a 51% graduation rate and 16 degrees a year at $9,633, and Black Hills State University in Spearfish at 36.5, 132nd, with a 43% graduation rate and 14 degrees at $8,916, the lowest price among the ranked four. The three programs below the threshold are Augustana University in Sioux Falls, a private college graduating 73% at $39,190 on 5 degrees, Northern State University's online bachelor's with 4 degrees at $8,845, and the University of Sioux Falls with 3 at $20,740.
Five of the seven are public Regental universities, which means they share a course catalog, a transcript and a 30-credit general education core, so a student who starts at one can finish at another without redoing general education. That is the part of the system a bachelor's student uses most, and the transfer section below covers how it works from the receiving end.
The 4 Best General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in South Dakota
The best general studies bachelor's degrees in South Dakota are ranked below by their national score, from the national bachelor's degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in South Dakota. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.
1
South Dakota State University
South Dakota
69.6- Public
- College graduation rate
- 62%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $9,299 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 42
About the Program
Brookings, South Dakota is home to South Dakota State University, a public university of 12,056 students. During the most recent year on record it awarded 42 bachelor's degrees, a count at the 55th percentile for size. Across the whole college, 62% of students finish, which is a higher rate than 83% of the institutions behind this list. Tuition and fees run $9,299 a year in state against $12,809 out of state, so on price it sits at the 61st percentile. Getting in is rarely the obstacle, with 98% of applicants admitted. Strongest of its measures is the graduation rate of its college, which lands at the 83rd percentile.
2
University of South Dakota
South Dakota
64.9- Public
- College graduation rate
- 60%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $9,432 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 38
About the Program
University of South Dakota is a public university in Vermillion, South Dakota that enrolls 10,619 students. It conferred 38 bachelor's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 49% of the bachelor's programs ranked at this level. A 60% graduation rate puts the college at the 78th percentile, though that figure counts every student who started there and not this degree alone. Residents pay $9,432 a year in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay $12,942. Admission is close to open, with 99% of applicants accepted. On the graduation rate of its college it does best, reaching the 78th percentile.
3
Dakota State University
South Dakota
43.9- Public
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 51%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $9,633 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 16
About the Program
Madison, South Dakota is home to Dakota State University, a public university of 3,774 students. It conferred 16 bachelor's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 16% of the bachelor's programs ranked at this level. Its college-wide graduation rate is 51%, the 53rd percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Tuition and fees run $9,633 a year in state against $12,735 out of state, so on price it sits at the 53rd percentile. Nothing in the degree requires attending in person, since it is offered fully online. Applicants are admitted at a rate of 88%, which leaves room for a rejection. On the graduation rate of its college it does best, reaching the 53rd percentile.
4
Black Hills State University
South Dakota
36.5- Public
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 43%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $8,916 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 14
About the Program
Some 3,346 students attend Black Hills State University, a public university in Spearfish, South Dakota. It conferred 14 bachelor's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 11% of the bachelor's programs ranked at this level. A 43% graduation rate puts the college at the 31st percentile, though that figure counts every student who started there and not this degree alone. Residents pay $8,916 a year in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay $12,018. Nothing in the degree requires attending in person, since it is offered fully online. Getting in is rarely the obstacle, with 96% of applicants admitted. On price it does best, reaching the 66th percentile.
Other General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in South Dakota
The other general studies bachelor's degrees in South Dakota awarded fewer than 10 degrees in the latest year or did not report a figure the ranking uses, so they are listed here without a score. That says something about size and nothing on its own about quality.
| College | Degrees Awarded | Graduation Rate | Tuition and Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Augustana University, Sioux Falls | 5 | 73% | $39,190 |
| Northern State University, Aberdeen | 4 | 49% | $8,845 |
| University of Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls | 3 | 63% | $20,740 |
Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Graduation rate is the college's, for first-time, full-time students.
How Much Does a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Cost in South Dakota?
A general studies bachelor's degree in South Dakota costs $9,432 a year in resident tuition and required fees at the median of the seven programs, which is the University of South Dakota's 2023-24 rate, and the range runs from $8,845 at Northern State University to $39,190 at Augustana University. The five Regental programs span only $788: Northern State at $8,845, Black Hills State at $8,916, South Dakota State at $9,299, the University of South Dakota at $9,432 and Dakota State at $9,633. The private pair is a different market, the University of Sioux Falls at $20,740 and Augustana at $39,190, with one rate for everyone.
For a nonresident the Regental universities stay close to each other and to their resident rates: $11,947 at Northern State, $12,018 at Black Hills State, $12,735 at Dakota State, $12,809 at South Dakota State and $12,942 at the University of South Dakota. The other thing that holds the cost down is the system itself: because general education completed at any Regental institution is fulfilled for your degree program at every other, a student who moves from the $8,845 campus to the $9,432 one pays for the general education core once.
How Does Credit Transfer Into a General Studies Bachelor's Degree in South Dakota?
Credit transfers into a general studies bachelor's degree in South Dakota through a shared general education core that the receiving Regental university must honor. Inside the system, the six universities run a common course catalog and common transcript, and internally transferred general education coursework keeps counting toward its goal areas even if the receiving university has different approved course lists. So an associate from Northern State arrives at South Dakota State or the University of South Dakota with the 30-credit core, three credit hours or more in each of six goals, already satisfied.
From outside the system, Policy 2.2.2.3 applies the same six-goal test: a student who completed general education requirements consistent with the six goals and credit hour requirements of Policy 2.3.7 at an accredited college enters the Regental system with general education fulfilled, as does one who completed the WICHE Interstate Passport or another approved general education agreement. One new requirement reaches transfer students too: from the summer 2025 catalog, the core incorporates civics proficiency for all new and transfer students, so ask how to meet it.
Augustana University and the University of Sioux Falls are private and outside Board of Regents policy, so each sets its own transfer terms. At any of the seven, ask how many credits you must complete in residence and how the major absorbs courses you've already taken.
What Do Jobs With a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Pay in South Dakota?
Jobs open to a general studies bachelor's degree in South Dakota pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.
How to Choose a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Program in South Dakota
How to choose a general studies bachelor's degree program in South Dakota is a choice between the two campus universities that graduate 60% or more and the two online ones that graduate 43% to 51%, with prices only $717 apart across the four. South Dakota State at $9,299 and the University of South Dakota at $9,432 finish 62% and 60% of their students and hold the two highest scores in the state. Dakota State at $9,633 and Black Hills State at $8,916 are the online options, graduating 51% and 43%.
If you need to study online, the question for Dakota State or Black Hills State is how their online general studies students finish compared with the campus figure, since the published rate is for the whole university. If you can attend in person, Brookings or Vermillion is the stronger bet on completion for $383 to $516 more a year than Black Hills State. At any Regental campus, ask whether your previous coursework already satisfies the six general education goals, how civics proficiency is met for a transfer student, and how many credits must be taken in residence before the degree is awarded.
If you're starting with an associate degree, the general studies associate degrees in South Dakota have their own page.
Common Questions About General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in South Dakota
Is Black Hills State the Cheapest Ranked General Studies Bachelor's Degree in South Dakota?
Which General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in South Dakota Can Be Finished Online?
Do Transfer Students Need Civics Proficiency for a General Studies Bachelor's Degree in South Dakota?
Does an Out-of-State Associate Degree Transfer Into a General Studies Bachelor's in South Dakota?
How High Do South Dakota's General Studies Bachelor's Degrees Rank Nationally?
Where Do the Figures on This South Dakota Page Come From?
- BOR Policy 2.3.7 Undergraduate General Education Requirements
- BOR Policy 2.2.2.2 South Dakota Regental System Transfer of Credit
- BOR Policy 2.2.2.3 External (Non-Regental System) Accredited University/College Transfer of Credit
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, state estimates