South Dakota does well in regional college cost survey

Several years of tuition freezes have helped make South Dakota’s public universities the most affordable for undergraduates in the region, according to new data.

“As a result of this past legislative session, we’re continuing to save students money,” said Nathan Lukkes, executive director and CEO of the South Dakota Board of Regents.

He made the comments during a board meeting Thursday in Vermillion, reflecting on the legislative session that ended last month. Legislators and Gov. Kristi Noem approved a third consecutive freeze, and they budgeted nearly $6 million to cover the cost and fund 4% raises for tuition-funded employees.

Thursday’s meeting materials included a report from an annual survey. It lists average yearly costs of attendance at public universities in South Dakota and its six neighboring states: North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana.

The total, average annual cost for a South Dakota resident at one of the state’s own public universities is $17,213 for undergraduates, which includes tuition, fees, housing and meals. Nonresident undergraduates pay an average of $20,672, and the average cost for a resident graduate student is $17,035. The state has the lowest cost among neighboring states in each of those categories.

South Dakota’s average total cost for a nonresident graduate student, $24,379, is the second lowest in the survey.

Lower housing and meal costs helped South Dakota in those rankings. When only tuition and fees are considered, the state slides to fifth in the low-cost rankings for resident undergraduates, second for nonresident undergraduates, fourth for resident graduate students, and second for nonresident graduate students.

The numbers do not reflect any reciprocity agreements or other tuition reduction programs between states, so costs for nonresident students could be lower than stated in the report.

South Dakota’s low nonresident rates “reflect the goal of recruiting nonresident students to build the SD workforce,” the report said.