Located in Madison, South Dakota, Dakota State University is a public four-year institution. The campus sits in a town setting. Fall 2024 enrollment was 3,774, made up of 3,066 undergraduates and 708 graduate students. It is part of South Dakota Board of Regents.
Dakota State University offers certificates, associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees across 43 programs. Its largest programs by number of graduates are Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance, Computer and Information Sciences, General, and Information Science/Studies. It awarded 716 degrees and certificates in 2024-25. 32 of its programs can be completed entirely online.
75% of full-time first-year students return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio is 18 to 1.
Key figures
3,774
Students enrolled
75%
First-year retention
716
Degrees and certificates awarded, 2024-25
43
Programs and majors
18:1
Student-to-faculty ratio
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Delivery modes
CampusOnlineHybrid
Program levels
CertificateAssociateBachelorMasterPhD
Programs and majors offered 43
Graduate counts are degrees and certificates awarded in each program between July 2024 and June 2025. Largest fields are listed first.
Retention is for students who started in fall 2023 and returned in fall 2024.
First-year retention, full-time students
75%
First-year retention, part-time students
75%
Student-to-faculty ratio
18:1
Degrees and certificates awarded
Awards conferred between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.
Bachelor's degrees
403
Associate degrees
46
Master's degrees
141
Doctoral degrees (research)
36
Certificates under 1 year
72
Postbaccalaureate certificates
18
Enrollment
Students, fall 2024
3,774
Undergraduates, fall 2024
3,066
Graduate students, fall 2024
708
Full-time, fall 2024
46%
Students over the full 2024-25 year
5,872
Undergraduates, 2024-25
4,366
Graduate students, 2024-25
1,506
Full-time, 2024-25
32%
Size category
1,000 to 4,999 students
Student body
Share of all students enrolled during 2024-25. Small groups can round to zero and are not listed.
Women
46%
Men
54%
White
76%
Hispanic or Latino
4%
Black or African American
4%
Asian
3%
Two or more races
2%
American Indian or Alaska Native
1%
International (U.S. nonresident)
7%
Race or ethnicity unknown
3%
Online and flexible learning
Distance education in 2024-25.
Programs that can be completed fully online
32
Online undergraduate programs
Yes
Online graduate programs
Yes
Students studying fully online
69%
Students taking some online courses
12%
Campus and services
Setting
Town
Academic calendar
Semester
Part of
South Dakota Board of Regents
Carnegie classification
Master's Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Research designation
Research Colleges and Universities
Athletic association
NAIA
Athletic conference
Frontier Conference
President
Dr. Jose-Marie Griffiths
Services and opportunities
Study abroad, ROTC, Undergraduate research, Teacher certification, Academic and career counseling, Student employment services, Job placement for graduates, Accepts AP credit, Credit for life experience
For veterans and service members
Credit for military training, Dedicated veterans contact, Student veteran organization