Vermillion, SD · Public · Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
How to pay for University of South Dakota
What a year costs here, what brings it down, and what paying in the order that costs least is worth for a family like yours.
Paying for four years here
Four years here, after grants
$80,524
Paying it in the order that costs least saves a family like this about $3,250.
Your plan shows, with your own numbers:
- Which money pays each bill, semester by semester
- Which loans to take, if any, and what they will cost a month
- The dates that matter, from the FAFSA to the first bill
Best once your award letter arrives. No letter yet? Get a reminder when it does.
A family of four with $500 a month for college. How we worked these out ↓
A year at University of South Dakota
| Full price, in state | $22,612 |
| Full price, out of state | $26,423 |
| After grants, at your income | $19,093 |
At this income, 3 of South Dakota's other 9 colleges cost less after grants, and 6 cost more. See them all →
What can bring it down
Merit scholarships. The Coyote Beginnings program gives first-time students a guaranteed yearly amount for eight semesters. Awards of $1,500 or more renew with a 3.0 GPA. (and 1 more below).
Get reminders for the dates that matter
We'll email you on the dates that matter: when the FAFSA opens, when award letters arrive, and before you choose a college and pay the first bill. If college is two or more years away, we'll also email you when the tax year that counts begins and when it has a month left.
Considering more than one college?
Put the schools you are considering on one list and we price each of them for your family. It is free. It asks what you earn and what you have saved, never your name.
Put your schools side by side →Merit scholarships
What University of South Dakota says it awards for grades and test scores.
How we worked these out
The family
A family of four with $500 a month to put toward college, and the savings you pick. In state, the grants are what University of South Dakota reports families at that income got, on average. Your own will differ, and a family with no aid pays close to the full price. Out of state, there are no grants: the price is before any scholarship from the college.
What the order saves
The difference, over four years, between paying in the order that costs least and the usual way: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest and the federal tax credit.
The prices by income
- They describe students who got aid.
- “Over $110,000” has no upper limit, so it averages families just over $110,000 with far wealthier ones. A family at $115,000 should expect to pay less than it shows.
- Each range is reported on its own, so the prices do not always rise with income.
Where the prices come from
Where the prices come from: University of South Dakota's own 2026-27 tuition, fees, housing, food and books, from its website, carried forward to 2027 at 3.0% a year. The grants are the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (2024-25 figures), carried forward the same way. Each price after grants is the cost less those grants. The out-of-state figure uses the published out-of-state tuition instead. The average price after grants counts the students who get federal aid. Your own figure will be different.
SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by University of South Dakota. Aid policies change; check current terms with the college's aid office.
Nearby at your income
- South Dakota State University$17,968 a year
- Black Hills State University$18,652 a year
- University of South Dakota$19,093 a year
- Northern State University$19,254 a year
- South Dakota School of Mines and Technology$19,503 a year
What each college charges, less the average grant for your income. Every South Dakota college →