Enrollment grows by 2% at state universities

Enrollment is up 2% this fall across the state’s public university system, according to the South Dakota Board of Regents.

It’s the second consecutive year of enrollment growth.

“Back-to-back years of increased enrollment is a testament to the commitment of our faculty, staff and administration to providing an exceptional educational experience,” said Regents Executive Director Nathan Lukkes in a news release.

Total system-wide enrollment is 34,370 students.

Enrollment at Dakota State University in Madison grew by 8.3% this fall to 3,509, and Northern State University in Aberdeen experienced 5.3% growth, pushing its headcount to 3,521. Enrollment is up 1.5% at both Black Hills State University in Spearfish, which has a headcount of 3,475, and South Dakota State University in Brookings, which is the largest university in the system with 11,505 students.

Enrollment is up 0.1% to 9,868 students at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, and South Dakota Mines enrollment in Rapid City is nearly unchanged at 2,492, down by one student from last fall.

Mines’ number of first-time freshmen dropped by 7.8%, which was the only decline in that category among the six universities. Across the system as a whole, the number of first-time freshmen is up 2.6%.