2026’s Best Colleges in South Dakota: New Rankings Released

College costs in South Dakota can range from $24,920 to $58,600 a year for tuition, room, and board. Check out this list of 2026’s Best Colleges in South Dakota.

WalletHub is out with its newly released 2026 Best College & University Rankings.

The comprehensive study evaluated nearly 800 higher-education institutions nationwide across 30 key measures, including student selectivity, cost and financing, career outcomes, student-faculty ratios, graduation rates, and post-attendance median salaries.

Here are the Top 5 Colleges & Universities in South Dakota according to WalletHub..

1. Augustana University
2. South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
3. University of South Dakota
4. South Dakota State University
5. Dakota State University

A look at South Dakota's Top Five Institutions:

Augustana University leads the state with impressive rankings: best admission rate, top student-faculty ratio, highest graduation rate, and exceptional gender and racial diversity. The university also ranks fifth in net cost and second in post-attendance median salary.

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology excels particularly in career outcomes, claiming the top spot for post-attendance median salary while maintaining strong performance across other metrics, including a favorable student-faculty ratio and competitive net costs.

The University of South Dakota demonstrates excellence in campus safety with the best on-campus crime rating, along with the second-best net cost and graduation rate in the state.

These rankings provide college-bound seniors with data-driven insights to evaluate institutions based on factors such as academic quality, affordability, safety, diversity, and career prospects.