University Facts

• College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
• College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• College of Education and Human Sciences
• College of Natural Sciences
• College of Nursing
• College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions
• Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering
• Graduate School
• Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College

A public, land-grant institution, SDSU was founded in 1881, authorized by the Dakota Territorial Legislature and is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents. The South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station at SDSU was established and linked to the university in 1887 under the federal Hatch Act to conduct research that “concerns agriculture and the home.” In 1914, SDSU Extension was added by the Smith-Lever Act to “provide information to the people of the State.” Both the Agricultural Experiment Station and SDSU Extension are administered by the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.

The SDSU Jackrabbits compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I level in all sports, including the Football Championship Subdivision. Jackrabbits teams play in The Summit League, with the exception of football, wrestling and equestrian. SDSU is a member of the National Collegiate Equestrian Association, the Missouri Valley Football Conference and the Big XII Conference as an affiliate member for wrestling.

Named the 33rd safest college town by SafeWise (2022), Brookings (pop. 23,993) is just 55 miles north of Sioux Falls on Interstate 29, 200 miles from Minneapolis and 400 miles east of Rapid City and the Black Hills. Students from communities in Nebraska, North Dakota and Iowa also find SDSU within an easy day’s drive.

Total Enrollment - 12,065

Fall 2024 enrollment showed the incoming first-time freshmen class recorded an average high school GPA of 3.57, and 39.2% of class members who submitted ACT scores have a composite score of 24 or above.

A near-record class of first-time students — 2,275 — and record retention from students’ freshmen to sophomore year of 82.9% increased South Dakota State University’s fall 2023 enrollment to its highest number in five years at 11,505.

Notes

Based on primary college – students with multiple majors will only be counted once in their primary college.
¹ Graduate programs have been moved to the appropriate colleges.

*Unduplicated by level. Includes summer, fall and spring graduates.

*Aligned to US Department of Education requirements

*Includes professor of practice; associate and assistant professor of practice.

• SDSU is aspiring to become an R1 university by 2031 to bolster the South Dakota economy for generations to come. R1 requires two distinct benchmarks: annual research expenditures of at least $50 million and 70 research-intensive doctorates granted annually, calculated using a three-year running average.
• 268 doctoral-level students are conducting original research in one of the university’s 16 degree programs.
• Faculty provide scientific leadership in three state research centers: the Haarberg Center for Drug, Disease and Delivery Research; the Center for Biologics Research and Commercialization; and Biosystems Networks and Translational Research (BioSNTR). In addition, SDSU researchers play a key role in the South Dakota Biofilm Science and Engineering Center, the South Dakota Center for Electrochemical Energy Storage and the South Dakota Center for Understanding and Disrupting the Illicit Economy.
• SDSU is also home to the North Central Regional Sun Grant Center, the Geospatial Sciences Center of Excellence and the Ethel Austin Martin Program in Human Nutrition.
• The POET Bioproducts Center, located in the Research Park at SDSU, brings the region’s leading bioprocessing scientists from SDSU and South Dakota Mines together with industry partners to scale up innovative biotechnologies to diversify South Dakota’s economy.
• Precision agriculture, a focal point at SDSU, brings together researchers from computer science, statistics, engineering, remote sensing and agriculture, as well as industry partners, to increase the profitability and sustainability of agriculture in the region.
• Undergraduate students are encouraged to get involved in research through the Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Day, the South Dakota Legislative Poster Session and through the Journal of Undergraduate Research. Students in the Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College conduct original research as a part of their graduation requirements.

Total Research Expenditures — FY2024 — $84,059,098 (13.5% increase from FY23)

As the outreach arm of South Dakota State University, SDSU Extension provides people across the state with research-based information that enriches their lives. SDSU Extension also meets the changing needs of South Dakotans with outreach services, engaging the community through one-on-one interactions, forums, workshops and 24/7 online access. Its core services and focus areas include agriculture, family wellness, community development and 4-H youth.

Faculty are located on the SDSU campus or at the West River Research and Extension facility in Rapid City. Field specialists offer statewide programming from one of eight regional centers located across South Dakota. At the community level, 4-H youth educators and family and community health educators work from county or tribal SDSU Extension offices.

SDSU Extension relies on technology to offer educational programs to citizens. Combined with traditional face-to-face methods of learning, citizens can access its online learning portal at SDSU Extension.

The South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station at South Dakota State University, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, conducts both applied and discovery research to improve the lives and well-being of farmers, landowners, community members, natural resource management specialists and livestock producers across the state and worldwide. South Dakota State University scientists conduct research at nine campus-based units and seven strategically located research stations across the state, addressing the critical needs of the agricultural community. The South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station focuses on practical solutions that directly benefit those in the field while also contributing to innovations in agricultural sciences.

• Regenerative Livestock Systems (30%)
• Regenerative Agronomic Systems (34%)
• Natural Resources and Environmental Systems (17%)
• Food Systems, Nutrition, Health and Well-Being (11%)
• Family, Youth and Communities (8%)

• Nathan D. Lukkes, executive director and CEO
• Tim Rave, president
• Jeff Partridge, vice president
• Douglas Morrison, secretary
• Brock Brown
• Judy Dittman
• Randy Frederick
• James Lochner
• Randy Rasmussen
• Pam Roberts

• Barry H. Dunn, Ph.D., president.
• Dennis Hedge, Pharm.D. provost and vice president for academic affairs.
• Michaela Willis, Ph.D. vice President for student affairs and enrollment management.
• Tracy Greene, J.D. vice president and general counsel, vice president, human resources.
• Mike Holbeck, Ph.D. vice president for finance and budget.
• David Overby, vice president for technology and security.
• Daniel Scholl, D.V.M., Ph.D. vice president for research and economic development.
• Karyn Weber, chief of staff.