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Dakota State University
Madison, SD 2,071 Undergrads 45.1% Grad Rate
Total Cost
$25,753
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$21,057
After Aid
Median Earnings
$63,160
4yr Post-Grad
Vs. Peer Institutions
Net Price$21,057
Peer Midpoint: $20,080.5
Earnings (10yr)$63,160
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Graduation Rate45.1%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients24.3%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time77.1%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS77.4%
Admissions Profile
Acceptance
88.0%
SAT Avg
1,215
SAT Reading
25th: 57057075th: 680
SAT Math
25th: 62055375th: 760
ACT Composite
25th: 202375th: 27
ROI Sensitivity Analysis
This analysis tests three cost scenarios (Scholarship, Average Net Price, Full Sticker Price) to show how college costs impact your long-term return compared to the average student and a high school graduate.
Lifetime Value Added (NPV)
Institution Lifetime NPV
Vs Median Peer
Vs HS Grad
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
+$554k
+$94k
+$77k
Median Cost$21k/yr
+$478k
+$18k
+$790
Full Cost$26k/yr
+$461k
+$1k
-$16k
ROI Efficiency Metrics
Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
34
∞
Median Cost$21k/yr
64
1%
Full Cost$26k/yr
Never
-17%
Analysis Assumptions:
- Starting Salary: Estimated from the 10-year median earnings (assuming 2% annual growth from graduation).
- Comparisons: "Vs Median Peer" compares to the median student nationwide in a similar level program. "Vs HS Grad" compares to a median high school graduate.
- Break-Even: The age at which the college investment net income exceeds the median high school graduate's lifetime earnings.
- NPV: Net Present Value of all future earnings minus costs and taxes, discounted at 7.8%.
Social Impact ROINew
Measures the societal return on a donor's investment. Calculated as the incremental pre-tax lifetime earnings vs. HS grad, divided by the tax-adjusted donation cost.
Donor Return62%
Gov. Pell Grant ROINew
Measures the government's return on Pell Grants via increased tax revenue. Calculated as the portion of incremental lifetime taxes (discounted at 5.4%) attributed to the Pell Grant investment.
Taxpayer Return-37%
Important Note: Your ROI with any major will depend on the cost you pay to attend the program, and your starting salary. Both vary significantly across institutions. We encourage you to explore the ROI of a specific program variant by selecting the Program title of the credential level you are interested in. You will then have a more detailed return analysis for programs at specific institutions. We also encourage you to use the ROI calculator with your specific estimates of cost and salary.
Program ROI Analysis
Certificates
Computer and Information Sciences, General
CertCIP: 1101
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $50,984
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Computer Software and Media Applications
CertCIP: 1108
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $41,400
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications
CertCIP: 1109
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $50,162
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management
CertCIP: 1110
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $52,615
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Health and Medical Administrative Services
CertCIP: 5107
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $35,447
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Associate's Degrees
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions
AssocCIP: 5109
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $65,389
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Business Administration, Management and Operations
AssocCIP: 5202
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$57,912
Nat: $48,733
Lifetime Value Added
+$76k
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management
AssocCIP: 1110
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $54,726
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Health and Medical Administrative Services
AssocCIP: 5107
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$49,821
Nat: $37,073
Lifetime Value Added
-$2k
Information Science/Studies
AssocCIP: 1104
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $56,799
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
AssocCIP: 2401
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $44,125
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Bachelor's Degrees
Accounting and Related Services
BachCIP: 5203
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions
BachCIP: 5109
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$46,087
Nat: $70,786
Lifetime Value Added
-$124k
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other
BachCIP: 2699
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $65,681
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Business Administration, Management and Operations
BachCIP: 5202
Median Debt
$20,508
Earnings (4yr)
$69,841
Nat: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$44k
Computer and Information Sciences, General
BachCIP: 1101
Median Debt
$20,059
Earnings (4yr)
$85,696
Nat: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$163k
Computer Software and Media Applications
BachCIP: 1108
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$42,513
Nat: $58,894
Lifetime Value Added
-$178k
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management
BachCIP: 1110
Median Debt
$24,000
Earnings (4yr)
$78,637
Nat: $85,063
Lifetime Value Added
+$110k
Design and Applied Arts
BachCIP: 5004
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $51,490
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
English Language and Literature/Letters, Other
BachCIP: 2399
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $46,634
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Finance and Financial Management Services
BachCIP: 5208
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Health and Medical Administrative Services
BachCIP: 5107
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$41,205
Nat: $58,716
Lifetime Value Added
-$167k
Information Science/Studies
BachCIP: 1104
Median Debt
$19,343
Earnings (4yr)
$56,991
Nat: $85,294
Lifetime Value Added
-$58k
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
BachCIP: 2401
Median Debt
$25,500
Earnings
-
Nat: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
BachCIP: 2313
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $48,471
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Special Education and Teaching
BachCIP: 1310
Median Debt
$27,625
Earnings (4yr)
$46,095
Nat: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
-$147k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$22,192
Nat: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$340k
Statistics
BachCIP: 2705
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $92,425
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
BachCIP: 1312
Median Debt
$23,500
Earnings (4yr)
$48,997
Nat: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$123k
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas
BachCIP: 1313
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$42,682
Nat: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$154k
Master's Degrees
Business Administration, Management and Operations
MastCIP: 5202
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Computer and Information Sciences, General
MastCIP: 1101
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$137,285
Nat: $124,201
Lifetime Value Added
+$721k
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management
MastCIP: 1110
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$84,653
Nat: $121,855
Lifetime Value Added
+$316k
Educational/Instructional Media Design
MastCIP: 1305
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $70,644
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Information Science/Studies
MastCIP: 1104
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$76,460
Nat: $112,705
Lifetime Value Added
+$241k
Medical Illustration and Informatics
MastCIP: 5127
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $101,441
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Graduate Certificates
Information Science/Studies
Gr-CertCIP: 1104
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $74,146
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Doctoral Degrees
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management
DocCIP: 1110
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $172,649
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Educational Administration and Supervision
DocCIP: 1304
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $100,573
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Information Science/Studies
DocCIP: 1104
Median Debt
-
Earnings
-
Nat: $126,925
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Note: Lifetime Value Added is the Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate, accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes. Computed over a career to retirement age.
For graduate programs (Master's, Doctoral, etc.), the calculation assumes a starting age of 22 (after undergraduate completion) and does not include the sunk costs of prior degrees. It represents the value added of the graduate degree decision moving forward. These Lifetime Value Added results should not be compared with those Undergraduate Certificates, Associates or Bachelors starting at age 18.