April 5, 2024

The South Dakota Board of Regents has voted to freeze tuition for the 2025 academic year.

The decision is meant to reduce the financial burden on students attending the state’s public universities and their families, the Board of Regents said in a statement.

“Ensuring higher education remains accessible to all students in South Dakota is the core of our mission,” executive director Nathan Lukkes said. “By keeping tuition and fees nearly flat for the fifth consecutive year, we are confirming our dedication to affordability and excellence in education. We understand the financial challenges that many students face, and we are determined to mitigate those challenges by keeping the cost of attendance low, predictable and manageable.”

During the 2024 legislative session, $5.7 million was allocated to the regental system to keep tuition flat. In return, each of the state’s six public universities will hold fees flat to continue absorbing ongoing costs.

“It’s important to recognize that achieving a milestone like maintaining virtually flat tuition and fee rates for half a decade is not the work of one or two individuals. It’s a collective effort and proof of the commitment of hundreds of people who share a common goal: providing our South Dakota students an excellent education at a fair, competitive price,” regents president Tim Rave said. “We are all in this together, working to keep these highly educated individuals in our state.”

The tuition freeze affects not only South Dakota resident students but also nonresidents. About one in four students who attend a public university here from out of state choose to make South Dakota their home, equating to about 800 nonresident graduates each year.