Enrollment on the upswing at South Dakota public universities

Sep. 21—PIERRE — Fall enrollment at South Dakota public post-secondary schools is on an upward trend, as well as at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, according to statistics released by the South Dakota Board of Regents.

Overall, the state's public university student count is up about 2%, marking the second consecutive year of enrollment growth for the system. The latest enrollment data shows an increase in both first-year students and returning students, which reflects a growing interest in a wide range of academic programs and opportunities offered by those universities.

"We are excited to see so many students choosing our universities for their higher education journey," said South Dakota Board of Regents Executive Director Nathan Lukkes. "This year's first-time freshmen are part of the largest incoming class in the past decade, which is great news for our schools and our state."

South Dakota State University in Brookings is seeing a near-record enrollment for fall of 2023, with 11,505 students enrolled for the first semester. That is the largest enrollment figure for the school since 2019, when 11,518 students attended SDSU.

That total enrollment includes a first-year class of 2,275, which is the third-largest to enroll in school history, with a record retention of 83%.

"Our students continue to make SDSU the university of choice to pursue their academic dreams and eventually move into careers that positively impact our community and make society better for everyone," said Barry Dunn, president of South Dakota State University. "We are very excited about having the third-largest class of first-year students ever at SDSU, and to surpass an 80% retention rate for the third time in four years is amazing."

The 2,275 first-year student class is only behind the 2,306 who enrolled at the school in 2013 and the class of 2,282 students in 2014. The 83% retention rate surpasses the previous record of 81% in 2020 and 80% in 2021 and is reflected by the growth of the Wintrode Student Success and Opportunity Center on campus that provides critical resources to student success, according to a press release from the school.

"Retention is a critical metric that not only impacts enrollment but is also an indicator of academic quality and student success on a campus," Dunn said. "As a land-grant university that provides access to higher education for the citizens of our state, surpassing the 80% mark for the third time in four years and setting a new standard at 83% is an achievement that is celebrated by everyone on campus. We are very pleased that so many students understand the value and quality experience they receive by attending SDSU and from the services we have in place to make them successful."

The University of South Dakota in Vermillion also reported its highest enrollment since 2018.

The school reported a 2023 headcount of 9,868, which is a small increase of 0.1% from the fall 2022 enrollment. The university also saw a 7% increase in first-time, full-time students from South Dakota and a 22% increase from Nebraska, said Scott Pohlson, vice president for enrollment, marketing and student services for the University of South Dakota.

The increase in enrollment is a good thing, if not a bit of a challenge in terms of campus housing.

"Growth continues to be part of our plans at USD. However, it also creates some unique challenges for us to address, particularly with housing," Pohlson said. "This spring, we gave out a record number of housing exemptions to returning students due to the growth in new students. We continue to explore innovative ways with community leaders and private developers to expand our on- and off-campus options for future students."

The school also saw program increases in key areas, including an 18% increase in pre-nursing, 31% increase in pre-dental hygiene, and a 31% increase in enrollment for the doctorate program in health sciences. The Knudson School of Law also achieved a milestone with its largest incoming class in 10 years.

"We increased class size while also increasing entering credentials, proving that we can get better and bigger at the same time," said Neil Fulton, dead of the Knudson School of Law.

Much of the growth can be attributed to expansion in the computer science department. The university saw a 20% increase in new graduate computer science students over last year. There was also an 18% increase in the computer science department's artificial intelligence program.

"I'm incredibly proud of the vibrant global community we have cultivated at USD, and we are glad to provide a welcoming home to so many students from across the world," said Sheila K. Gestring president of the University of South Dakota. "Adding global perspectives to our campus not only benefits our students, but it is an asset to our state's businesses, international trade and enhancing innovation and competitiveness when these students graduate."

Student enrollment at Dakota Wesleyan University is up slightly this year from the 2022-23 school year.

The fall enrollment at the four-year private school came in at 904 this year, up from 896 a year ago and a figure that school leaders say represents a steady growth in traditional, graduate and online programs. The fall 2023 semester saw 349 new students on campus, which represents the largest incoming class across all programs in the last ten years.

The growth represents the strategic initiatives that Dakota Wesleyan is undertaking to continually grow and diversity its student body.

"We are very pleased with this year's enrollment," said Fredel Thomas, vice president for enrollment and marketing at Dakota Wesleyan University. "It takes an entire campus community moving in the right direction to see growth across our many programs and I am grateful for all of their hard work. We are excited about the diverse nature of incoming students and are seeing positive results. We continue to be energized about the work that lies ahead as part of our new strategic initiatives designed to meet the students where they are. It is a great time to be at Wesleyan!"

All schools tracked by the board of regents experienced some increase in overall enrollment over the fall 2022 semester.

* Black Hills State University in Spearfish reported an enrollment of 3,475, a 1.5% increase over a year ago. The school also reported 489 first-time freshmen this fall, which is a 1.7% increase from a year ago.

* Dakota State University in Madison reported 3,509 total students this fall, an increase of 8.3% from the previous year. There were also 395 first-time freshmen on campus, a jump of about 6.7%.

* Northern State University in Aberdeen recorded 3,521 students on campus this fall, an increase of about 5.3% from the previous year. There were 319 first-time freshmen on campus this year, an increase of about 6.7%

* The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City reported 2,492 students for the fall of 2023, a mark unchanged from the previous year. There were 319 first-time freshmen on campus, which was down about 7.8% from the previous year.

Systemwide, the fall 2023 first-time freshmen totalled 5,341, a 2.6% increase over the 2022 class, which itself was up over 6% from the 2021 class. The overall student body for South Dakota's public university system equals 34,370 across the six campuses, a 2% increase from the previous fall.

"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," Lukkes said. "We look forward to helping our students achieve their academic and career goals."

Graduate school students in the system make up a significant portion of overall student enrollment, with nearly 6,000 students enrolled annually, graduates provide essential professional services such as rural and urban medicine, legal assistance, engineering and computer science.