South Dakota State University Review

South Dakota State University Overview

Since South Dakota's population is spread thin throughout the state, South Dakota State University offers several fundamental outreach programs, including four off-campus attendance centers and a Cooperative Extension Service. The school also aids the community by hosting conferences and several public services. Other features include distance-education opportunities such as online courses and video services through the Digital Dakota Network. The job placement rate for all graduates averaged 95% in 2009. Some specialties, such as pharmacy, have a 100% job placement rate.

College costs are kept as low as possible through several means. The college offers advanced placement credits for qualified students, giving them the opportunity to earn free college credit while still in high school. Another is the Jackrabbit Guarantee that presents a $1,000 scholarship to every new freshman who receives qualifying SAT or ACT scores; this is renewable annually for three years if the student meets credit completion and grade point average requirements.

Admissions and Enrollment Information

The South Dakota State University Admissions Office looks for specific courses on a high school transcript: three years each of laboratory science and social science, three years of advanced math, one year of fine arts and four years of English. Specific ACT subtest scores may substitute for some of these requirements. Applicants should possess basic computer skills in keyboarding, spreadsheet operations and word processing. Internet experience is also expected. Other items under consideration are overall GPA, standardized test scores and class rank. More than 87% of accepted students receive financial aid averaging $8,000 per eligible candidate.

Campus Learning Environment and Facilities

South Dakota State University's Hilton M. Briggs Library includes more than a million books and documents. It offers online access to over 200 databases and thousands of e-resources. The university also features a number of laboratories used to train students, including the Geotechnical Teaching and Research Laboratories, Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory and the Food Science Laboratory. These also function as public service and resource centers.

The university's study abroad program offers more than 150 choices in 50 countries. Students who wish to study in countries not typically offered may still seek aid from the school. On-campus undergraduate classes average 35 students; the standard teacher-to-student ratio is 1:18. Extracurricular activities are available through more than 200 student organizations.

Colleges of South Dakota State University

• College of General Studies
• College of Arts and Sciences
• College of Education and Human Sciences
• College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences
• College of Nursing
• College of Pharmacy
• College of Engineering

School Contact Information

• Address: Administration Lane, Brookings, South Dakota 57007
• Phone Number: (605) 688-4151